Pack a Snack

Eating throughout the day is important to provide a constant source of fuel. Grabbing a snack in between meals for a constant in-flow of calories and nutrients can help give you that needed uptick of energy for your afternoon practice or competition. Here are five sample snacks that are easy to pack for a quick performance-boosting bite:

Apple or Banana with Peanut Butter

Apple
20-25g carbs

Banana
25-40g carbs; great source of potassium

2 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
8-10g protein

Yogurt and Granola or Cereal

1C of Low-Fat Plain Yogurt
17g carbs, 13g protein

½C Granola [be aware of added sugar!]
32g carbs, 9g protein

Trail Mix

1½ oz Trail Mix
19g carbs, 6g protein

Veggies/Pretzels and Hummus

½C Hummus

17g carbs, 10g protein; great source of magnesium [helps relax muscles and transport energy throughout the body]

Cheese and Crackers

1½ oz [15-20 small] Crackers
18-30g carbs

2 Pieces of Cheese [40g]
10g protein

Edamame Beans

1C Edamame

16g carbs, 12g protein; packs protein equal to meat and has potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and B Vitamins.

Just throw the beans in the microwave for a minute or two, add some salt and olive oil for flavor, and pack them to go. Or grab a bag of the dry-roasted kind.

For more ideas, check out STACK's videos Snacking for Weight Gain and Karen Freeman on Simple Snacks.

Source:  Nutritiondata.self.com