Many pros traveled to warmer environs early this in 2007 for early seasonteam training camps and plenty of quality miles on the open road. You mayalso have your own travel plans sometime over the next few weeks, in orderto train and get a jumpstart on your own race preparation. Chances arethat this cycling vacation includes plenty of restaurant eating, includingthe fast food, diners, and a variety of ethnic cuisines.

Like the proswho have plenty of roadside eating experience, you too can make good foodchoices and prevent greasy platter predicaments that would normally thwartyour body composition goals and nutritional recovery. Even if your agendais lacking in some exciting travel plans, chances are that you eat outseveral times weekly, or regularly order out for convenience due to yourbusy schedule of both work and training. Restaurant eating can be healthy-it is all about planning, a little culinary know-how, and some discipline.On a regular basis, lunch is the meal most commonly eaten away fromhome, followed by dinner and breakfast. More than 45 percent of the moneyspent on food in the United States goes toward restaurant meals and foodsconsumed away from home. Despite your desire for high quality trainingfuel, regardless of where you eat your meals out, and especially if youare traveling and will consume all meals out, the basic strategies arethe same.

Watch out for hidden and added fats, and keep a close eye onthe portions. Despite your higher energy requirements for cycling training,not all restaurant meals fit nicely into your nutrition plan. Successivedays of longer training rides (more than four hours), do deplete musclefat stores, and you need to consume enough fat in your diet to replacethese stores. But restaurant meals are often too high in fat even for theselonger training rides, or provide unhealthy types of fats, and thereforerequire some negotiation on your part. Eating higher fat meals can alsomiss the mark on providing enough carbohydrate to replace muscle glycogenstores, and these meals may not provide other healthy ingredients thatyour body requires during hard training.Travelers can easily jump on the Internet for locations and phone numbersof appropriate restaurants near their hotel (and near your race site locationslater in the season).  Call ahead and inquire about the menu to determineif these restaurants have the types of meals that you require, and if theyprepare special requests. Don’t hesitate to request modifications so thatyou can creatively outsmart the menu and stick with your nutrition plan.Internet research can often help you locate smaller establishment suchas health food stores that offer fresh lower fat fare and plenty of sandwiches,fresh fruit, vegetables, and salads.Fast Food: Quick, easy, and often greasy?
Fast food restaurants are often the cheapest option. But many establishmentsencourage super size eating by offering the largest portion sizes at onlya small mark-up- a choice that result in consuming excessive amounts ofunhealthy types of fat. But you can make lower-fat choices at some fast-foodestablishments. The very small hamburgers (regular or children’s size)provide a few ounces of meat, and can be ordered without cheese, and youcan forego the fries and choose a baked potato whenever possible. Broiled chicken sandwiches are decent choices (watch the sauce), thoughchicken pieces are usually fried. Stay away from high caloric additionssuch as salad dressing (ask if they have low fat dressing options), addedsauces, mayonnaise, cheese and cheese sauce, gravy, and sour cream. Othergood choices are low fat deli sandwiches on wheat or pita bread, or lowerfat wraps.

For beverages, stick with water or low fat milk. Salads withplenty of vegetables and grilled chicken are better than those with croutons,cheese, heavy dressings, and fatty meats.  Look for fruit and yogurton the menu as well.Most fast-food and chain restaurants post nutritional information abouttheir food choices on their web sites. Visit a few sites before your tripand become familiar with lower fat choices. You can easily compare fatcontent of various choices, and may be able to determine how special requests(such as removing the sauce and cheese) can lighten up a few options.Ethnic Cuisine
Chances are good that you will enjoy a variety of ethnic cuisines whentraveling and eating out, and these cultural edibles can fit into yourtraining diet, if you navigate around higher fat choices. The samplingof ethnic cuisine below outlines a few of the cultural options available.You can use a commonsense approach for many other types of cuisine as well,such as Indian, or Middle Eastern.

In addition to making low-fat choices,you may also need to learn to say when enough is enough. Even with smartordering, portions often exceed what your body needs at that particularmeal. You can save foods for lunch or a snack the next day. It is not inyour best interest to finish feeling stuffed and uncomfortable, only tohave excess calories stored as fat.Italian
Italian food is a popular favorite that can be consumed in a varietyof settings, such as upscale or family style. By focusing on grains andvegetables, you can make Italian eating out quite healthy. Some relativelylight choices include: lower fat starches on the menu including spaghettiand other pastas (not cheese filled varieties), risottos made without cheese,and polenta; vegetables such as zucchini and tomato-based sauces; leanmeats such as shrimp, chicken, and grilled fish. Top your pasta with marinaraor red clam sauce, watch the olive oil intake at the table, and fill upon minestrone soup. Order your salad dressing on the side and have Italianice or sorbet for dessert.Heavier choices at Italian restaurants include garlic bread and foccacia,fried vegetables, and meats such as salami, prosciutto, and sausage. Watchout for high fat cheeses and dishes prepared with butter, cream, and plentyof cheese. Alfredo sauce, lasagna, and parmigiana dishes are all high infat because of the ingredients and preparation methods.Mexican
Mexican cuisine also contains both high fat and low fat fare. Somestaples of Mexican cuisine such as whole beans, refried beans preparedwithout oil, tortillas, rice cooked without oil, grilled vegetables, andsalsa are low fat. Grilled proteins, such as fish and shellfish, chicken,and whole black beans are also good choices. You may need to make specificinquiries as to how the refried beans are prepared. Marinated vegetables,and gazpacho are also low in fat.

Burritos can be ordered with modificationssuch as less cheese and with chicken rather than beef. One of your betterchoices at Mexican establishments is fajitas- choose chicken or shrimpfor protein.Some higher fat choices at Mexican restaurants include tortilla chips,chimichangas, and taco shells. Avocado and olives are healthy fats, butwatch portions. Other high fat add-ons include sour cream, and of coursethe all pervasive cheese.Chinese and Thai
Like many Asian cuisines, Chinese and Thai provide a variety of regionalcooking styles and are frequent favorites.  There are plenty of high-fatpitfalls here, but lighter options are available with knowledge and specialrequests, especially Thai, which is a bit lighter and healthier than Chineserestaurant fare. Almost any Chinese or Thai restaurants will provide astir-fry with low fat proteins such as shrimp, tofu, and chicken, alongwith nutritious vegetables such as peapods, broccoli, bamboo shoots, waterchesnuts, cabbage, and peppers. What is important is that the rice be steamed(avoid the fried rice at Chinese) and that you request the stir-fry beprepared light on the oil. Protein portions provided can be high, so splitthese dishes as needed.

Noodles dishes should also be prepared low-fat,so make the same request when ordering rice or egg noodles dishes at Thai,and avoid any fried noodles. Always ask questions as to how foods are prepared.Don’t assume that pot stickers are steamed, only to have them arrive indeep-fried form at the table. Steamed spring rolls found at most Thai establishments,are a better choice than fried egg rolls. Fatty meats to avoid includefried seafood, pork, spare ribs, and duck. Dishes with nuts and peanutswill increase the fat content, though these items are healthy sources offat, and you should keep an eye out on the peanut sauce portions at Thairestaurants. Coconut oil can be used quite liberally in Thai cooking, andit is loaded with calories, so you may need to navigate around these dishes.Soups and salads are regulars on the Thai menu, and though high in sodium,any soups that do not contain coconut milk should be low in fat. Vegetableside dishes can also be ordered.Other strategies to survive eating out after you have carefully chosena restaurant include:• Don’t arrive with a ravenous appetite. Pack snacks for your trip sothat you can eat something quickly after training. This will take the edgeoff hunger until you make it to lunch or dinner.• Make sure you do have it your way. Don’t hesitate to make specialrequests. Ask for food to be baked, broiled, or grilled, and inquire asto how items are typically prepared.• Split and share items. Entrees can easily be shared, especially ifyou consume side dishes such as vegetables and salads.• Add to a meal. You can keep items such as fresh fruit and yogurt onhand to add to fast food choices or when eating on the run. You can alsoadd low fat shakes and smoothies to the mix.• Stick with continental breakfast choices. Avoid high fat muffins,but instead choose whole grain cereals, skim milk, and fruit. Add toastwith jam before longer rides, and have egg white omelets for some low fatprotein. Pancakes and waffles can be good pre-ride choices (though higherin fat) with adequate digestion time. Choose the “light stack,” but forcalorie watchers limit syrup portions and butter.The important thing is to learn what works for you when travelling andto avoid any foods that are too unusual if you are doing some serious training.Because you are eating out daily, it might be a good idea to not treatevery meal out as a special occasion. Pack food items that you absolutelyneed such as granola bars, dried fruit, cereals, and crackers. Of course,you should also make sure that you pack your favorite sports drinks, energybars, gels, and recovery drinks for your late winter training.
 

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Monique Ryan, MS, RD, LDN is a nationally recognized nutritionistwith over twenty-two years of experience and is owner of Personal NutritionDesigns, a Chicago based nutrition consulting company that provides nutritionprograms for endurance athletes across North America (www.moniqueryan.com).Monique consults with the Chicago Fire Soccer Team, and was the nutritionistfor Saturn Cycling from 1994 to 2000. She has also consulted with the Volvo-CannondaleMountain Bike Team, the Gary Fisher Mountain Bike Team, and the RollerbladeRacing Team. Monique has consulted with USA Cycling, and was a member ofthe Performance Enhancement Team for the Women’s Road Team leading to the2004 Athens Olympics. She has also provided nutrition consultation servicesto USA Triathlon for coaching clinics, athlete clinics, and for the residentathlete team and was a member of the USAT Performance Enhancement Teamfor the 2004 Athens Olympics. Monique is the author of "SportsNutrition for Endurance Athletes," 2nd edition (March 2007), from VeloPress,which provides sports specific nutrition for road cycling, mountain biking,running, triathlon, swimming, rowing, and adventure racing. She is alsoauthor of "PerformanceNutrition for Winter Sports" (PeakSports Press), "Performance Nutritionfor Team Sports" (PeakSports Press), and "Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition."Monique is a regular contributor to VeloNews, Inside Triathlon,Outside, and ACE Fitness Matters. As part of the FeedZonecolumn, Monique will answer selected questions online. Please sendyour questions to RyanWebQA@aol.com.