Surviving The Travel Challenge

by Ilana Katz MS, RD, LD

Whether it is for business or for an event, competitive athletes face many challenges associated with travel. An athlete must maintain a regular eating schedule to ensure proper carbohydrate and protein intake, daily vitamin and mineral needs, and adequate caloric intake and hydration. Traveling frequently disrupts this schedule and exposes the athlete to foreign food and water which may lead to gastrointestinal distress. However, by planning ahead, researching your destination, determining what foods to pack, and by remaining vigilant of energy balance and food safety, you can greatly mitigate the negative consequences of travel.

Plan Ahead

Once you account for time differences and jet lag, aim to keep foods and meal times as similar to home as possible. Do not assume that what you normally consumed at home will be readily available, particularly if you venture to a foreign country. By utilizing the internet, embassies, travel agencies, and the event organizers, you can determine what foods are available and how accessible stores will be to you once you reach your destination. Foods such as fruit, yogurt, string cheese, jello-type puddings, and cottage/ricotta cheeses are usually available in most markets. If you want to prepare your own food, determine if refrigerators, microwave ovens, or even blenders will be available to you. You may even consider taking a mini blender (such as the magic bullet express ^T) if electricity is present.

Considerations during Luggage Preparation:

The appropriateness of traveling with select food items should be based on whether all meals are included, or if part of your nutrition is expected to be self-catered. With regard to preparing your luggage:

Protein/energy bars offer great snack options and are easily transportable as well as non-perishable. Make sure you pack an adequate supply.

Other non-perishable items are easy to throw into luggage, ready to provide a quick and easy snack or mini meal. These include packets of oatmeal or other instant hot cereals (all you need is hot water which can be made in a microwave or in a coffee pot, usually available in hotel rooms), snack packs like pretzels, animal crackers, and Fig Newtons.

Consider packing protein powder for meal replacement shakes. Protein powder is easily transportable and does not take up much extra space if packed into sandwich bags. The availability of fruit is almost a guarantee in most cities and, thus, protein shakes for recovery and/or as any meal replacements becomes an easy option.

Proper research and packing can ensure that you have the right foods available when needed.

Using what is available

Hotel breakfasts, if included, often have oatmeal packets, bran cereal in little boxes, fruit, and yogurts that can be taken away from the breakfast area when you leave for the day. These can be kept in tog bags for snacks (especially if you are unable to get to a store). Remember, dairy products should not be left at room temperature for very long. By attempting to eat every two to three hours when you are traveling as you would at home, not only do you maintain a well-fueled metabolism, but you consume these perishable foods within a reasonable amount of time.

Many hotel breakfasts not only serve yogurt and fruit options, but also serve egg options, which can be accompanied by a slice of whole wheat bread/toast or a whole wheat English muffin. Always ask the service staff if they can serve eggs; they are not always served but may likely be arranged. Boiled eggs are often available by request. Beware of buffet-style breakfasts and stick to the same choices you would normally make at home - fruits, yogurts,raisin bran cereal, and egg options. Be very careful of portion size. It's easy to overindulge when traveling.

For lunches and dinners, it may be harder to make good food choices and there are some pitfalls to avoid.

Be conscious of hidden fats in restaurant foods especially in dressings, marinades, and other sauces.
Stick with grilled, baked, broiled or steamed chicken, fish, and grilled or steamed vegetables. Coastal cities always have excellent grilled fish - a great choice for good quality protein.
Limit the amount of fat in snacksand breakfast choices so that if lunches and dinners are unavoidably high in fat, at least the chance of overload is minimized.
Try to include a carbohydrate choice for each of the main meals, like rice, grain bread, baked or sweet potato, or legumes (beans, edamame).
Try to get the whole grain options for carbohydrate choices, such as whole grain breads, quinoa, couscous, brown rice, etc.

It is okay to be high-maintenance; wait staffs are usually accommodating and will usually honor reasonable requests without a fuss.

If by Air

You are more likely to receive a lower fat, higher carbohydrate meal if you request a vegetarian meal on the airplane. Make sure this is part of your pre-planning check list. Some airlines even offer a sports nutrition meal. Again, researching options can aid in reducing the risk of gastrointestinal distress, particularly before a competition.

Reduce the stress associated with travel by readjusting to time changes for both sleeping and eating as quickly as possible. Make sure to eat meals when the locals are eating and sleep when the locals are sleeping.

Hydration

It is important to maintain constant hydration, not only in preparation for an event, but particularly while in-flight – air travel is a highly dehydrating experience. Sip water and sports drinks continuously throughout the flight as a preventative measure. Consider taking bottled water with you, as there may be a large lag in time from when seated on a plane until the first beverages are served. With regards to the new security regulations, bottled water can be purchased inside the airport once you pass security check points. Avoid caffeine and alcohol on flights, since both have a diuretic effect, which increases the risk of dehydration in an already dehydrating environment.

Bottled water is highly recommended in foreign countries. Even though you may hear “the water's safe”, it may be for the locals, but because the water supplies are foreign to our immune systems, they may cause gastrointestinal stress which can quickly put a damper on your time away. Ironically, while it is somewhat difficult to stay well-hydrated, it is also possible to drink too much. Hyponatremia (low blood sodium) is a condition that arises from several different physiological scenarios. For endurance athletes, it usually results from sweat-depleted sodium stores diluted by excess hypotonic (low electrolyte content) fluid intake. When blood sodium concentration becomes very diluted, severe cardiac symptoms can develop. If you just finished a long work out before hopping on your plane, you may want to eat a salty snack with your water.

Disruptions and distractions of traveling away from home can significantly impact performance. Preparation and self-education on destinations offer an extreme benefit to optimal athletic performance. The main priority is to remain effectively fueled and hydrated. With a little planning, it is not difficult to adhere to good nutritional strategies away from home, even when in foreign countries.

Ilana Katz earned her masters degree in dietetics with an emphasis in sports nutrition. She enjoys working with all athletes from the elite to recreational level, and specializes in body composition and weight management. Ilana is The Sport Factory's head nutritionist and has helped a great many athletes achieve optimal performance through better sport nutrition strategy and planning.