20 Dietitian-Approved Athlete Snacks

If you feel like you need a morning and/or afternoon snack, you don’t need to feel bad about it. 

In fact, athletes have high daily nutrition needs and healthy snacks can be a great way to provide your body with the nutrition that it needs to have energy, feel strong during workouts, get the most out of your workouts and recover well after!

I am going to teach you how to build well-balanced athlete snacks and give you a list of 20 dietitian approved snacks for athletes!

How to Build a Healthy Athlete Snack

Before you add snacks into your day, you want to first make sure you’re eating 3 meals per day starting with breakfast. Maximize your morning with a high protein athlete breakfast.

After you establish the habit of eating 3 meals/day, I give you full permission to add snacks in-between your meals- so drop the guilt and get going on building well-balanced snacks! 

What should you eat as a snack? Ask yourself what you’re in the mood for then work on optimizing your snack with lots of nutrients. The best snack for an athlete has carbs, protein and micronutrients (vitamins & minerals).

Meal prep for athletes can be a game changer. This includes prepping your snacks too! Doing some prep ahead of time can make it easy to choose nutrient-dense snack ingredients and allow for grab-and-go snack options!

20 Healthy Athlete Snacks

1. Roasted chickpeas with dried mango 
2. Hummus and pita with a side of roasted edamame 
3. Stuffed dates with an RX peanut butter packet 
4. Tuna packet with crackers and carrots 
5. Turkey jerky with pretzels and cucumber slices 
6. Greek yogurt cup with granola, pomegranate seeds and chia seeds 
7. Bran cereal with milk and sliced banana 
8. RX bar with a handful of berries 
9. Trail mix with a Chomp meat stick 
10. Hardboiled eggs with rice cakes 
11. Kodiak Cake high protein oatmeal cup with an apple 
12. Chobani Complete yogurt drink with crackers and cheese
13. Smoothie with Greek yogurt, milk, frozen berries and spinach 
14. Cottage cheese with bell peppers and crackers 
15. Peanut butter oat energy balls with a side of pineapple 
16. Sardines and guacamole on toast
17. Bran muffins with a glass of milk
18. Fairlife shake with an English muffin 
19. Bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese and greens 
20. Chicken salad with grapes on crackers 

Bottom Line 

You don’t have to feel bad about reaching for a snack as an athlete.

In addition to 3 meals/day, snacks are a great way to meet your high daily nutrition needs which will allow you to feel energized, have strong workouts and recover well after exercise.   

The best athlete snacks have carbs, protein and micronutrients. 

Ditch the snack guilt, go ahead and plan out some balanced snacks for the week and prep your snacks ahead of time so you can simply grab-and-go and fuel!

Learn how to eat and hydrate like a runner in my Eat Like a Runner Program! In this program, I teach you what, how much and when to eat so you can nail your nutrition, feel your best and perform well!