As a coach, athletic director, or nutritionist, it’s important for you to figure out the best food for traveling athletes when you’ve got out-of-town games, meets, or other competitions. Regardless of where you are, you need to feed your team the highest quality foods that will help nourish them — and give them the energy they need to compete.
Being far from home, it can be tough to find healthy options, especially when you’re not familiar with the local restaurants. Fortunately, there are easy ways to feed your athletes on the road. At ezCater, we’ve helped teams from Texas A&M and Jacksonville State University get the right meals on the road, and we can help you too.
Here’s what you should know about feeding your athletes no matter where the team is headed.
Planning in advance is the key to eating well on the road
Coaches and nutritionists tell us they have these three main challenges when tasked with finding restaurants away from home:
- Unfamiliarity with the area
- Lack of confidence in reliable food and delivery
- Not enough time to research local food options
Chances are, you’re struggling with the same challenges. To find superior food options for your athletes on the road, the key is to plan ahead. Sit down with your players and talk to them about their dietary restrictions and preferences. That makes it so much easier to coordinate menu options that are appealing to everyone and safe for those with allergies or sensitivities.
After you’ve identified specific dietary restrictions on your team, you can use ezCater to browse hundreds of restaurants and caterers in the locations where your team travels. You can even filter by dietary need to help narrow down your options.
ezCater’s online ordering streamlines the process and gives you more control, allowing you to specify exactly when and where your meals arrive — whether it’s before, during, or after the game. “I can always trust that my order is going to show up on time and as ordered because we get updates from ezCater that they confirmed our order with the restaurant,” says Courtney Gallagher, the Assistant Director of Performance Nutrition at Texas A&M University
It’s possible to get healthy foods for athletes on the road
You might think the fastest and easiest way to feed your team is to buy pizzas or head to a local drive-thru. But teams who travel frequently can grow tired of fast casual fare — and in most cases, it’s not the best for them nutritionally. ezCater’s huge network of restaurants means you’re never far from a reliable food option that can be both fast and nutritious.
In situations when games or tournaments run long, and you need food delivered wherever the team happens to be, ezCater can make it happen. And if things change mid-stream, our customer service team is there to help with last minute delivery needs. In fact, Courtney recalls a stressful situation during the SEC tournament in Alabama when ezCater saved the day after multiple rain delays. “We were sitting at the hotel, we had the second game, and we didn’t know when we were going to start,” she says. “I could use the chat function and say ‘can I get 60 sandwiches in an hour and a half?’”
What to feed athletes on the road
In terms of what to order, instead of choosing carb-heavy options like pasta for every meal or having them eat meals high in sugar or salt, you can try ordering alternatives that fuel their bodies better, like:
- Mediterranean dishes
- Mexican food dishes, like fajitas and tacos
- Healthy and hearty salads and sandwiches
- Soups and stews
Feeding athletes with special dietary needs
The nice thing about ordering ahead is that you can plan for dietary restrictions and preferences too. Rather than trying to figure out which quick stop will have the foods everyone can eat, you can opt to have food catered by professionals who can adapt the dishes to suit your entire team.
If you have vegan team members, you can find a restaurant to cater your team’s event with vegan options. You might choose a fajita bar, for example, because the vegan team members can opt to add extra rice and veggies to their fajitas while those on the team who eat meat opt for pulled pork or steak.
For team members who can’t have dairy products, they might benefit from eating the vegan dishes on the menu, while those who are allergic to peanuts can be accommodated by removing peanuts from the menu completely. You could also opt to order individually packaged meals so each person can enjoy the meal of their choice.
Finding the best food for traveling athletes to enjoy is a snap with ezCater
With hundreds of restaurants and caterers available through ezCater’s network, it’s easy to find nutritious food your athletes will enjoy. Just type in your delivery address to find restaurants near your location. Then, select from the local restaurants and ask for individual packaging, dietary restriction changes, and dishes that fit within your team’s budget. You’ll have plenty of options to explore so you can find the foods that work best for your team at the click of a button.
Download our guide to feeding athletes on the road and see our six recommended strategies to keep your team fueled.