Quick and Easy Snacks to Throw in your Backpack
Zoey Shimp is a highschool softball player with aspirations to play at the college level. Zoey has a passion for all things health and fitness.
1. Protein shake – Stick with cleaner sources that are NSF certified like “true athlete brand”
2. Hard boiled eggs – You may think it’s weird to just randomly eat a hard boiled egg during class or lunch. Cut one up and top a salad.
3. Fresh Fruits: Bananas, oranges, Apples, Pears
4. Ezekiel Bread / Dave’s Killer Bread with peanut butter- has a good amount of protein in it and will keep you full. Peanut butter is good for gaining muscle too.
5. Half sandwich – Turkey or chicken wrap
6. Trail mix- I would recommend making a large tub of this for yourself and refill accordingly. You can even throw in a small bag of M and Ms if you want 🙂
As an athlete, we need to fuel our bodies a bit differently. During the school year it can be tough to pack the right foods, and meal prep. It’s easier to just stand in line for a pre-made pizza or chicken fingers at lunch. In the morning before school, just drive through Dunkin or Starbucks for a quick coffee or donut. For me personally, it can be hard to find the right healthy snacks. “Healthy” can be defined in many different ways. That body builder you see on Tiktok could say eating lots of protein and taking creatine is the way to go. But the nutrition coach you follow on Instagram said to try out a diet plan. Honestly, it’s confusing. Period. This article is going to go through a few quick tips I have for staying fueled for that after school practice throughout the school day.
Alright to start off, as an athlete we eat more and burn more calories than the average classmate. Don’t be afraid to eat that extra snack in Calculus. Your body needs fuel to have energy later. You may be asking, “What type of snack should I be eating?” Now don’t get me wrong, the occasional bag of Doritos is perfectly fine. As Talia Follador from eatrightpa.org puts it, “To help you visualize a healthy snack, think of them as mini-meals. You wouldn’t have a bag of chips for dinner, and you shouldn’t have one for a snack, either. Instead, you might have a handful of chips with something else – like a turkey sandwich or a small chicken wrap”. A snack should provide satisfaction for a few periods and kill those cravings throughout the day.