Snack Ideas for Athletes

If you head off to school, university or work around training times it’s important to plan ahead and make sure you have the right foods packed, that way the fuel needed to prepare and recover from training will be available when you need it.

Most of these snacks contain both carbohydrate and protein so they are great before and after training – they don’t require much preparation so they are easy to pack and take with you.

Prepare at home for a quick lunch or snack – or pack in a lunch box and take with you for the day

These examples can be used as a guide for the combinations that make a balanced snack:

Bigger snacks – good around training

• Whole meal or grain toast with 140g tin baked beans
• Whole meal toast with 1-2 eggs your way
• 2 egg omelet with cheese served with toast
• Toasted sandwich with ham, low fat cheese and tomato
• 1 cup wholegrain flaky cereal or ½ c muesli and light milk
• Low fat or natural yoghurt and fruit salad
• Fruit smoothie made with milk, fresh fruit or vege, ice, and low fat yoghurt – blend and serve
• 1 cup pasta with a tomato pasta sauce and low fat cheese = tasty cheese or low fat ricotta
• 1 slice toast with 140g tin spaghetti and slice low fat cheese
• Mini pizzas on English muffin with ham & low fat cheese
• Homemade custard with sliced banana
• Low fat cheese sandwich on grain bread with avocado
• Homemade fruit muffins or banana/fruit loaf
• 2 slices regular raisin toast with low fat ricotta
• Homemade creamed rice custard or sago
• Peanut butter sandwich on grain bread
• Jacket potato or sweet potato with creamed corn or baked beans and some low fat cheese
• 1 take away container of leftovers from the night before
• ½ pkt 90 sec microwave rice with a 95g tin of flavoured tuna stirred through and some frozen veges

Lighter snacks – lighter training days

• Grainy crackers and vege sticks with hummus
• Celery sticks, apple or carrot with cottage cheese
• Natural yoghurt with berries and mixed seeds
• 1 boiled egg and a piece of fruit or muesli bar
• 4 vita wheat with 1 square slice low fat cheese
• 1 slice grain toast with avocado (not more than ¼)
• 2 corn thins or Vita wheat with cottage cheese or tuna
• 2-3 Cruskits / Vita weat / Salada + peanut butter OR avocado
• Regular milk based coffee and piece of fruit
• Shallow handful of nuts (almonds or walnuts) PLUS a piece of fruit
• 1 slice toast with ½ cup cottage cheese and tomato
• 300ml light milk with jarra hot choc or milo

These snacks are ready to grab and go

Great post training options, easy to have on the go:

• Sustagen popper
• Up and Go popper – vive or energize
• 200g low fat yoghurt – chobani / vaalia / jalna
• Chobani or vaalia yoghurt or custard tubes
• Le Rice or small can Heinz Creamed rice

You can freeze these the night before – will act as a cooler pack and then be defrosted ready to have by morning tea.

If you are out and about good things to grab might be

At times its better to eat something than nothing at all. If you are out and need to fill a hole these options are good:

• A bread roll, Raisin toast, scone or non iced apple scroll – Pre training option
• Regular skim coffee or hot chocolate + raisin toast
• Medium size low fat Boost smoothie
• Tub of yoghurt from supermarket
• Sushi – limit choices with mayo
• Low fat flavoured milk or large coffee/hot choc
• Ham or Chicken salad wrap or sandwich
• Ice cream – Paddle pop / small frozen Yoghurt
• 300ml 100% fruit juice – Pre Training option

Pre training carbohydrate boost – energy top ups

These things are easy to eat on the way to early training or between back to back sessions.

• 2 slices raisin bread with jam
• Powerade 400-600ml
• Jam or honey sandwich
• 2-3 fresh dates
• 2 Crumpets or 1-2 English muffin with honey, jam or vegemite (limit butter/margarine pre training)
• Piece of fruit – banana or diced fruit tub
• Banana ‘hotdog’ = 1 banana in a slice bread or roll
• Pikelets or pancakes with jam – limit cream/butter
• 2 Cruskits or corn thins with spreads

Straight from the cupboard – non perishable, no prep needed, you won’t even need to keep refrigerated

• 220g Tin baked beans or spaghetti
• 200g Heinz creamed rice
• 4 Vitaweat or 2 Salada with 95g tin tuna Muesli/cereal bar – oat/grain based (avoid the yoghurt tops and fruit straps) – pre training option
• Box of sultanas or handful (40g) dried fruit and nut combos

*all portions are suggested amounts and may have to be increased or decreased slightly to suit appetite and goals