How to Eat Healthy When Dining Out

Do you travel often with your team for games or tournaments? Have you ever woken up from a nice little nap on your bus only to find that your team will be eating at a greasy fast-food restaurant? Maybe that was the only option in sight or maybe it was more of a budget issue.

To eat healthy when dining out can be very, very difficult.

I think it’s safe to say most of us athletes have been there and we feel your pain.  I had a D1 softball player crying in my office a few months ago because she was trying so hard to eat organic, whole foods and her coaching staff insisted that nothing was wrong with fried mozzarella sticks and french fries before a game!!!

Newsflash: We now know in the world of science that a calorie does not equal a calorie and each macronutrient digests differently.

That means athletes can no longer compete with the old school mentality of “I can eat whatever I want because I’ll just burn it off during training.” NOT TRUE. Ever heard of the term “skinny fat”?

As I’ve said before, in a dream world, we would have access to fresh organic produce, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and farm fresh eggs all-day every-day but, that is not real life (even for me), and it is especially not real life when you are traveling for sport.

So, what’s an athlete to do? Well, you have to make the most of what you have in front of you. Most dining situations will not be in your favor but there are better options you can choose at virtually every restaurant.

Now let’s get one thing straight, I am not promoting these restaurants. I am simply guiding you to make better choices at these establishments because I came to find very early in my career that eating healthy when dining out seemed to be the biggest obstacle my athletes face on the road. After working with hundreds and hundreds of athletes over the years, I have put together a list of the most common restaurant stops (particularly in the Midwest), that you will encounter and specific recommendations on how to eat healthy when dining out (especially with fast food).

One last thing before we begin: it is extremely important that you understand basic nutrition guidelines for pre and post game fueling. These guidelines will change a bit depending on your sport and the position that you play, but in general, the recommendations below will work for just about any active individual.

Here is a quick cheat sheet:

Low to moderate protein intake. Think palm size of protein if it’s something you are chewing. ~15-20g protein scoop if you are using a powder.

Your pre-game meal should be higher in carbohydrate than your post-game meal. This means that fruit and starch are the dominant foods on your plate.

The only time of day that I typically recommend a low-fat meal is right before practice or competition. High quality, plant-based fat such as avocado, nuts or olive oil are very beneficial to human health but in terms of digestion, these foods break down more slowly and make our body work a little harder. Therefore, this food category should be kept to a minimum before intense physical activity.

Low fiber! Trust me, you do not want any gastrointestinal upset before or during competition. The only time a high fiber meal is recommended before a competition is when an athlete is used to eating a high fiber diet on a daily basis. A small salad is usually well-tolerated by most athletes but piles of raw cruciferous vegetables, on the other hand, may be a problem. This means that an abundance of raw veggies, chia seeds, and legumes would NOT be a good idea before competition for most athletes. These foods are nutrient dense but, would be best to consume at a different point in your day.

ProTip:  Liquid will always digest more easily than solid, so if you are someone prone to gastrointestinal issues or you tend to be a Nervous Nelly with pre-game jitters, you may find that a smoothie works best for you vs. a solid meal before a competition.

Protein is absolutely critical for recovery. Protein will be moderate to high post-performance. It is ok to eat more than a palm full at your meal and in terms of a recovery shake, most athletes will fall between the 25-30g range of protein.

High-quality carbohydrate is necessary in order to allow the protein to enter into our muscle for repair and recovery. However, carbohydrate should not make up the entire meal! Think of carbohydrate more as the side-kick after a competition, not the star of the show. For example, if you love a good rice bowl, make sure to ask for extra veggies and lean protein to go on top of that moderately sized pile of rice vs. a massive pile of rice with a few chunks of veggies and protein sprinkled throughout.

Having higher amounts of fat is a great idea after a competition. It helps with cellular repair as well as blood sugar stabilization. Plus, it will allow you to feel satisfied after a meal without having to eat enormous portions of food. Treat yourself to an extra scoop of guacamole on your taco or an extra drizzle of olive oil on your salad. You earned it and your body deserves it!

I typically do not limit fiber after a competition for my athletes. If you want to dive-bomb into a pile of chia-seed pudding, have an extra cup of bean-filled chili, and eat raw vegetables until your heart is content, go for it! Fiber is amazing for human health. Just remember the golden rule, whoever smelt it, dealt it.

Pro Tip: Bring a single packet of your favorite protein powder and mix into oats when hot. We love Klean Isolate Vanilla single serving packets.

Pro Tip: Broth-based soup is always a great option pre-game. The liquid is easy to digest and the higher sodium content can be beneficial for athletes, especially heavy sweaters!

Pro Tip:  Ginger, garlic and curry (curry contains the compound turmeric) are some of the best ingredients to incorporate post-exercise because they have the ability to fight inflammation in our body.

If you are looking for a specific item or meal and you do not see it on the menu, don’t be afraid to ask for what you want! As long as you are respectful with your tone of voice and you show appreciation for the individual(s) who have gone out of their way to serve you, it will be fine.

Think of it this way: Just about every restaurant in America serves protein, vegetables, and quality starch (potato, rice, quinoa etc.). The restaurant’s menu may not have these items listed together as a meal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for that grilled chicken, broccoli, and brown rice to be thrown together on a plate.

When you are unsure about what the best options might be on a menu, ask yourself how many steps did it take for this particular food to get to my plate? For example, when you are staring at a menu and you see grilled chicken breast vs. chicken nuggets, you probably realize that grilled chicken is the better option. Sure, it typically has less fat because it is not deep fried but more importantly, it was essentially cut off the chicken and grilled! (Sorry for that visual). As for the chicken nuggets, what did the manufacturer have to do to get that chicken into such small chunks? What is in that breading?

OK, now let’s use starch as an example. Baked potato vs. bread: the potato was essentially harvested from the earth, dusted off a bit, cooked in its natural state and thrown onto your plate. Bread from a restaurant, on the other hand, is usually highly processed. In order to serve bread at such high volumes and to keep it fresh for an extended period time, sugar, chemicals, artificial coloring etc. is typically added for freshness.

Although there could be worse options, bread is usually not the best. Make sense? As athletes, we are often pushed towards pasta and sandwiches but there is a whole different world of food out there for you to explore.

Sometimes when you’re in the moment, it can be really hard to justify spending more for higher quality food.

Restaurants often charge extra for replacing menu items or doubling the portion of a specific food item. Trust me, in the long run, it is worth it. In fact, most times in the short run, it is worth it! Spending an extra $2.00-$5.00 is a small price to pay in order to not feel like a slug after a meal, especially if you are an athlete.

The majority of the human immune system is located in the gut and food can actually alter the expression of our DNA. Therefore, the earlier in life you start to take your food choices seriously, the longer you will be able to postpone illness and the negative effects of aging. Always think big picture. Spending more on your food today will allow you to spend less on medications, surgeries, and hospital visits down the road.

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