Fuel to Go

Sandwiches, rolls, wraps and hamburgers

As you know, these are very popular foods with athletes. And rightly so. They provide carbohydrate for muscle energy, along with protein, vitamins and minerals. Many fillings can be found in the Star Choice^TM Buyer’s Guide.

• As part of the filling, put in plenty of salads like lettuce, carrot, tomato,

cucumber, beetroot, red onion, capsicum, bean or alfalfa sprouts.

• If you are putting in a protein filling, then try skin free chicken, lean ham, roast

beef or tuna. Avoid high fat meats such as salami and polony.

For the hamburgers, select a Star Choice^TM registered burger patty or sausage from the Buyer’s Guide, as these products are lower in kilojoules, saturated fat
and sodium than most ‘regular’ products.

• To help keep the fat content low, use a reduced fat cheddar cheese.

• Offer a variety of bread types including high fibre white bread, multigrain bread

and wholemeal bread, pita pockets and Lebanese bread. There are wholemeal
and high fibre varieties available for hamburger buns and hot dog rolls. We aren’t suggesting you offer them all, although you should aim for a minimum of 2 or 3 types of bread (e.g. wholemeal and multigrain).

• Use a non-stick grill or non-stick pan when you are cooking burger patties

and sausages. If oil needs to be used, choose polyunsaturated oils (e.g. sunflower) or monounsaturated oils (e.g. olive, canola, peanut). A drip tray will allow excess fat to drip away from the food.

Toasted sandwiches

These are another favourite, especially during the colder months. They are a very valuable source of carbohydrate and protein. They are a great alternative to regular sandwiches and are a winner for breakfast after early morning training.

• Use a non-stick grill or sandwich press so that only a minimal amount of poly-

unsaturated or monounsaturated margarine spread or spray will need to be used.

Filling options can include:

• Lean ham

• Skin free chicken

• Grated or sliced reduced fat cheese

• Sliced tomato

• Pineapple rings or banana

• Egg — hard boiled or cooked on a non stick surface

• Baked beans — reduced salt

• Canned spaghetti — reduced salt

• Canned fish in spring water such as tuna, salmon or sardines

Snacks

The best snacks are low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates. You could try:

• Fresh, frozen and canned fruit

• Fresh vegies such as carrot, celery and capsicum sticks with low fat dips,

reduced fat cheese or light cream cheese spread

• Reduced fat flavoured yoghurt

• Rice or corn cakes with low fat spread

• Crumpets, English muffins or fruit toast

• Air popped popcorn

• Scones, pikelets or fruit muffins using recipes from the Canteen Cuisine

cookbook (see the Resources section).

Drinks

• Water is the best option, especially for young athletes

• 100% fruit juice with no added sugar

• Flavoured milks in all sizes (200-300mL size is more suited to junior sport)

• Healthy fruit smoothies — use a blender or milkshake maker to make fruit

smoothies using reduced fat milk, reduced fat yoghurt and fresh, canned or
frozen fruit

• For the parents and spectators, offer tea and coffee using reduced fat milk.

Reduced fat milk (e.g. Hilo milk) is usually acceptable to everyone. You could
also offer herbal or non-caffeinated teas

Keeping healthy choices safe choices

Not only is it important to offer nutritionally healthy food and drinks, but it is also important to handle food safely. Please refer to FoodSafe® for more information.