Nutrition for Busy Days
For many people, schedule changes are around the corner. Schools and universities are going back soon and some sport seasons are beginning. As schedules change and get busier, it’s important to plan out your nutrition for busy days. As the old saying goes, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Leaving your nutrition to chance can ruin your performance, training, or recovery. Planning and packing food to take with you is a solution to this problem.
I’m a high school cross country coach, so I’ll use an example that I see so often.
You stayed up later than you meant to and didn’t want to wake up any earlier than necessary in the morning. School starts at 7:30 am, so you set your alarm for 7:10 and were on the road to school at 7:25. That left you with time to get ready, grab your school bag with a water bottle, and a granola bar for the road (that counts as breakfast, right?). When you sit down in your first class, you realize the water bottle you brought hasn’t been filled yet, so you plan to fill it between classes. In second and third periods, you drink about half of your water bottle and are dreaming about lunch because you are hungry! Lunch is after third period (11:15pm), and you grab hot lunch because you didn’t bring anything from home. Today’s menu is hamburgers, french fries, and a salad. You scarf down the food and finish your water bottle. Thankfully, you remember to refill your water bottle between fourth and fifth period and by the time you arrive on the track for cross country practice at 3:00pm, you’ve finished the second water bottle. You’re feeling hungry, but didn’t take any snacks with you. Coach says it is long run day, which means 10 miles for you. It’s hot and sunny, and you feel like you are dragging through your 80 minute run. You fill your water bottle back up after finishing the run, and gulp it down in minutes. You feel lightheaded and have a dull headache. After finishing stretching and core, you head home hoping dinner will be ready soon. It’s 5:30pm. Mom says dinner will be around 7:00pm since Dad has to work late, so you grab a box of cheez-its and snack on those while you do a little homework and play video games. When dinner is ready, you eat spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and salad. You need several servings, because you are so hungry. After dinner, you consume several snacks because you are just so hungry. Your headache continues for the rest of the evening.
Sound familiar? So what could have been done differently to have a better outcome? Planning ahead and packing food to go!
Here are some reasons to pack your own food:
You have control over what you eat
Healthier options
Saves time (no need to go through a drive-thru or stop at the vending machine)
Ensures that you don’t miss opportunities to fuel your body
Cost effective
In the scenario I described ahead, here are some changes the athlete could have made:
Athlete could have gotten up 5 minutes earlier to eat solid breakfast! Eggo waffles with peanut butter and a banana or scrambled eggs in a mug (see recipe down below) with a slice of toast and a cup of apple juice are two quick and easy options. When breakfast is missed or is too small (like a granola bar), the athlete starts the day in a calorie deficit, which impacts both school performance and athletic performance.
Athlete could have packed their own lunch for a more nutrient dense, easily digestible meal before practice (for example, turkey and cheese sandwich, apple, pretzels, and chocolate milk. This is especially important on harder training days when you don’t want high fat foods causing GI distress while training.
Athlete could have packed 3 snacks to bring with them. A mid-morning snack, a pre-run snack for before practice, and a recovery snack for after practice. For example, trail mix for a mid-morning snack, fruit snacks and half of a gatorade for a pre-run snack, and a clif bar and the other half of the gatorade for after practice. These snacks each serve a purpose. The mid-morning snack ensures that the athlete doesn’t go more than 3 hours without eating. Going to long between meals/snacks means that you may get overly hungry and have less energy. The pre-practice snack gives your muscles some quickly absorbed fuel to use for training. The recovery snack replenishes glycogen stores, repairs muscle tissue, and rehydrates with fluids and electrolytes.
Athlete could have filled their water bottle the night before so that it was full for the start of the day. And athlete could have drank more water throughout day leading up to practice.
The athlete could have carried water with them on their long run, or planned a route that passed a water fountain or two to prevent becoming dehydrated on the run. The athlete’s headache was likely caused by dehydration - he did not consume enough water throughout the day leading up to practice and was further dehydrated on the run.
When the athlete found out that dinner wouldn’t be until 7pm, he could have found a hearty snack that combined carbohydrates with protein - like fig newtons and a glass of milk or Greek yogurt with granola. After a 10 mile run, you don’t want to wait too long to eat a solid recovery snack. This is delay recovery.
If the athlete had made the changes in #1-6 above, he would be less likely to overeat in the evening. The goal is to spread calorie intake out over the course of the day, and avoid eating the majority of calories in the evening hours! After dinner snacks are a good idea, but shouldn’t need to be more significant that mid-morning or afternoon snacks.
Here are some tips for packing meals/snacks for busy days:
Plan ahead the night before. Think through the amount of time you’ll be away from home and how many meals and snacks you will need.
Set out breakfast foods or have them packed to take with you.
For each meal or snack, include some carbohydrate and protein.
Include fruits and vegetables. You won’t be able to find these foods in vending machines or convenience shops!
If you have access to a microwave (or don’t mind eating it cold), use up leftovers. These is a great way to include veggies and meat in your packed meals.
Keep snacks in a variety of places - car, backpack, locker, desk, etc.
Invest in these items to keep foods fresh and safe:
Reusable containers in a variety of sizes
Zip-lock baggies
Small ice packs
Personal size cooler
Reusable utensils
Reusable water bottle
Looking for some quick breakfast ideas?
Scrambled Eggs in a Mug
Ingredients: 3 eggs, chopped tomato, green pepper, broccoli, onion, or whichever vegetables you like, shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Crack eggs into a mug and stir with a fork.
Add cheese and vegetables.
Microwave for about 1 minute.
Serve with toast and fruit or juice for a complete meal.
No-Bake Energy Bites
Make these in a large batch and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Pair a couple with a tall glass of milk for a quick & easy breakfast.
Ingredients: 2 cups oatmeal, 1/2 cup flaxseed, 1 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 1/4 cup coconut flakes, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.
Roll into 2 tablespoon sized balls and place on cooking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up, and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Greek yogurt, granola, and a banana
Toasted frozen waffles topped with Greek yogurt and berries (or topped with peanut butter and banana slices)
What things do you do in order to fuel well on busy days?
Hi, I’m Anna!
Welcome to the Nutrition with Anna blog! Sharing recipes, sports nutrition tips, & inspiration to eat foods that fuel your lifestyle and athletic goals without rules or restrictions.