What Simple Snacks Would a Sport Dietitian Pack?

Snacks for athletes should be simple, but it's easy to feel overwhelmed by options and opinions of what your athlete "should" have. In fact, TrueSport Expert Stephanie Miezin, MS, RD, CSSD, the Director of Nutrition for the NWSL team, KC Current, often sees caregivers overcomplicating their athlete's snacks, either making or purchasing snack options that are far more complex and/or expensive than they need to be.

Here, she's explaining that simple snacks typically make for the happiest, healthiest athletes.

"Most of the dietitians I've interacted with at every level of sport are just shopping at the grocery store for snacks for their athletes, even with Olympians and professional teams," Miezin says. “Snacks do not have to be fancy or expensive to do the job."

Sample Snacks for Athletes Before and During Exercise

Athletes need quick fuel in the form of simple, easy to digest carbohydrates before and during exercise, explains Miezin. This is where those processed or ultra-processed snacks that are often thought of as ‘unhealthy’ can actually support athletes to perform at their best. "Around practice or competition is when processed snacks may actually be the better choice for an athlete," she says. “If the athlete is having a snack right before or during practice, the purpose of that is to help them get energized for training. Because processed snacks are often easy to eat and digest, they are a great way to support performance as a quick source of energy that is easy on the stomach."

Yes, there are plenty of sport-specific snacks marketed towards athletes—gels, chews, drink mixes, and bars—but for most young athletes, especially those playing team sports that offer some breaks, there is no need to pay a premium for pricier sport-specific foods (a runner or cyclist might benefit more from some of those sport-specific snacks).

Here are a few easy options for pre-workout or in-training snacks:

Apple sauce packets - Look for squeeze applesauce packets, especially if your athlete is going to be snacking on the go.
Crackers or pretzels - Any type of pretzel or cracker made from grains like wheat will provide quick simple carbohydrates for your athlete, says Miezin.
Fruit snacks - Fruit snack packets are the cheaper version of sports-specific chews and gummies and they are just as effective, says Miezin. They're great for your athlete to keep in their locker or gym bag, since they're shelf-stable, travel well, and provide quick energy in the form of simple carbohydrates. Plus, they're easy to eat and not messy!