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Sports Nutrition SnacksSnacks are an important part of your sports nutrition plan, whether you are using sports nutrition snacks to stock up on energy, fuel your performance, aid recovery, or supplement your calorie intake. Snacks can be categorized by carb and protein combinations, pre-event snacks, snacks that carry well during an event, post-event snacks, salty snacks, and high calorie snacks.
These snacks are useful before or after exercise, depending on the fat and fiber content. Nuts and cheese are higher fat, but eating a small portion is usually tolerated. It’s a good idea to include a hydrating drink with these sports nutrition snacks. Banana and peanut butter Choose snacks that you tolerate. You may want to choose lower fiber and lower fat choices. In general, a lowfat foods contains less than 3 grams total fat per serving and a lower fiber food contains less than 3 grams dietary fiber per serving. There are many carb and protein combination snacks that would work, but read the labels for fat and fiber. Also, spicy foods and too much caffeine should be avoided if you get heartburn easily. If you have a sensitive stomach, processed foods will still provide the needed carbs for energy, but with fewer vitamins and minerals (they are not whole foods). These foods may be useful prior to and during exercise, but don’t make a steady diet out of them.
Examples of processed snacks that are low fat and low fiber include: Choose snacks that can handle the trauma of a running belt, fanny pack or the pocket of your shorts, like fruit snacks. Think about packaging. Will you be able to open the package while biking? A sandwich bag may be easier to open than a factory sealed package. Also, cut nutrition bars into bite-size pieces, so you can eat what you need and not have to worry about getting the uneaten portion back into your pack or pocket. Also, remove safety seals from sports drinks before you begin. While participating in activity, avoid hard snacks that you could choke on, like hard candy, nuts, and some dried fruits.
The goal after a workout is to replenish the carbs and protein, sodium and fluids you lost during the workout. Always start with a hydrating drink. Eat proportional to the amount of work you did and the intensity at which you worked. The “restocking fee” of too many calories without sufficient work is weight gain. If you did a moderate intensity exercise less than thirty minutes, you can wait until your next meal to eat. However, choose a snack if there is not a meal in sight.
Sports drinks are ideal for helping you maintain sodium levels during workouts and for replenishing sodium after workouts. In addition, there are higher sodium foods that also provide post-work out recovery carbs and protein. Popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan Cheese
Nuts, seeds, dried fruit and cheese are higher calorie foods that also include nutrition. Adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to milk is a convenient way to get fluids and extra calories. There are several calorie supplements on the market that are designed for weight gain. You may want to consider one in your sports nutrition plan. Lastly, don't forget
whole foods as sports nutrition snacks. Everyday is your day to succeed!
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