I’ve talked about how creating a fuel plan and the ultimate grocery shopping list are foundational to a student athlete’s success in fueling their performance.
Another foundational element to a student athlete’s nutrition is WHAT to eat.
At Sports Nutrition University, we follow the performance plate formula:
Carbs + Protein + Fruits/Veggies = Complete Meal (500-600 calories)
So, as you’re meal prepping, be sure that each meal checks all the boxes
- Carb?
- Protein?
- Fruit or veg?
- 500-600 calories?
Once we get food into the refrigerator and pantry, and we know the performance plate formula, what’s next?
Meal prepping, of course!
What Does Meal Prepping Actually Mean?
Meal prepping is preparing, cooking, sometimes portioning, packaging, and/or arranging food so that when it’s time to eat, you’re ready!
Now, when most people hear the words “meal prep,” they think of spending all day on Sunday slaving away in the kitchen cooking everything from scratch and then portioning every single meal of every day for the week into a trendy container and storing it neatly in their fridge.
Well…while that’s all good and well…that’s not the kind of meal prep I expect my student athletes to employ.
Because remember, student athletes are…well, STUDENTS…AND full-time ATHLETES. They’re BUSY, so let’s make this as easy as possible.
Let’s call the “every single meal of every day” meal prep method “Meal Prep 1.0.”
I’m all about making modifications and getting help where we can.
So if Meal Prep 1.0 is cooking everything from scratch, then Meal Prep 2.0 is a combination of scratch cooking and pre-cooked or ready-to-cook foods.
Essential Meal Prepping Tips for Student Athletes
Now that we’re talking about Meal Prep 2.0, here’s how it works. Based on your fuel plan, you should be able to “bulk” prep your meals and snacks pretty easily.
But first, I want you to ask yourself a few things.
- Is there anything in my fuel plan that I enjoy cooking?
- Is there anything in my fuel plan that I don’t like cooking?
- Are there any days on my fuel plan where I have less than an hour to eat a meal?
- Where do I have an off day or window of time to do some meal prep?
- What days am I on campus from dawn to dusk?
By answering these questions, you should start to get an idea of the foods you want to actually cook, and the foods you want to buy that are ready-to-eat or pre-cooked.
Once you know that, take the foods you want to cook and make enough for the entire week in one big batch! Or, if your schedule allows, then make enough for half the week, and do your second prep day mid—week.
Then, take the foods you don’t want to cook and find them ready-to-cook or pre-cooked at the store.
Lastly, consider the crazy days when you will be on campus all day. What could you pack in a lunch box or keep in your car that meets every checkbox on the performance plate formula?
The fuel plan, grocery shopping, performance plate formula, and meal prep 2.0 are really just having a plan and implementing it.
Meal Planning with a Registered Dietitian and Sports Nutrition Coach
At Sports Nutrition University, we take student athletes through these processes step-by-step under the supervision of a Registered Dietitian.
If you are interested in learning more about following a personalized plan from a Registered Dietitian who has extensive experience working with student athletes, schedule a call today!
