38 SportsUnion | MAY 2019
Meal Prep Tips
for Busy Athletes
Kaitlyn Summers MS, RDN
The idea of meal prep has
flourished in the past few
years. Cooking and portion-
ing out meals and snacks
over the weekend can be a
major time saver while man-
aging a hectic schedule Mon-
day-Friday. There are many
positives to meal prep such
as saving money, less likely
to grab fast food, and choos-
ing healthier options. Often
times, we turn to social media
and peers for meal and snack
ideas, however, where does
one begin when thinking
about meal prep? Meal prep-
ping can take a few hours out
of your weekend, but what if
you don’t have a few hours to
spare? Even when weekends
get busy, meal prep is still
possible. Meal prep is ideal
for athletes to stay energized
and ensure adequate nutri-
ent intake for proper muscle
building and recovery. Here
are 3 tips on how to start your
meal prep journey
No Prep Fruits
Fruits are an ideal op-
tion for breakfast, lunch or
pre-workout snack. Includ-
ing at least two servings of
fruits per day ensures proper
vitamin and mineral intake
such as vitamins A, C, potas-
sium, folate and fiber. These
nutrients assist with proper
growth, development and
support a strong immune
system. Choose fruits that
don’t require cutting such
as apples, oranges, banan-
as, grapes and berries. These
options are easy to grab and
don’t need to be refrigerated
during the day. Melons, man-
goes, kiwi, and pineapple are
more time consuming to pre-
pare. Precut fruit is available
but usually more expensive.
Save these foods for when
you have more time on the
week to peel and slice.
Sliced and Diced Veggies
Cutting and portioning
out healthy foods increas-
es the likelihood to choose
them throughout the day and
week. Preparing carrot sticks,
cucumber slices, pepper slic-
es or tomato wedges takes
little time and can be dipped
with hummus or dressing.
By having these vegetables
prepped, you are more likely
to choose them for a snack or
side. Other examples include
cubing sweet potatoes, sep-
arating (removing) broccoli
florets from the stem or spi-
ralizing zucchini. This saves
time during the week and
easy to roast in the oven once
you are home from practice
or games.
Prepare your Protein
The key for muscle building
and recovery is to evenly dis-
tribute protein throughout
the day. Protein should be in-
cluded at breakfast, snacks,
and post workout meals.
Sources of protein are plen-
tiful; however, certain pro-
teins can be time consuming
and tedious to prepare. Pro-
tein can be found in eggs,
cheese, milk, poultry, fish,
nuts, beans and tofu. Plan-
ning and preparing a variety
of protein ensures adequate
intake of all amino acids
which serve as the building
blocks of muscle. When us-
ing raw proteins take a few
minutes to trim then place
in a marinade. Dicing chick-
en, turkey breast, or tofu into
small pieces cuts down on
cooking time. This is the per-
fect time-saver for weeknight
dinners that include chick-
en, turkey, or tofu. The mar-
inated protein can then be
placed in the oven or skillet
right away. Many precooked
and no prep proteins are also
available. Examples of pro-
teins that don’t require cook-
ing or prep are frozen chick-
en strips, vegetarian taco
crumbles, deli meats, tuna
pouches and frozen lean beef
patties. String cheese and
individual yogurts are sim-
ple items to keep stocked in
the refrigerator. Hard boiled
eggs or an egg casserole can
be made ahead of time for
early mornings.
These simple meal prep
ideas save time during the
week and help athletes stay
on track with a healthful
eating pattern. Meal prep
doesn’t have to take hours or
require a lot of equipment.
Keep it simple and manage-
able. Athletes never want to
start practice or events hun-
gry so preparing a few ready-
to-go items are beneficial
for performance.
Interested in individual or team nutrition seminars?
Kaitlyn Summers, MS, RDN provides nutrition education opportunities for teams,
parents, or coaches. Learn more at www.WNYPerformanceNutrition.com
Kaitlyn Summers, MS, RDN is a private practice dietitian and sports nutritionist
behind WNY Performance Nutrition. Kaitlyn has a passion for educating youth
athletes and parents about proper sports nutrition. She provides individual
counseling and group seminars in WNY
www.wnyperformancenutrition.com
@KaitlynSportsRD