17 Snacks Olympic Athletes Never Go Anywhere Without
Spoiler: Everyone's bringing M&M's to Tokyo.
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Road trip snacks are half the fun of traveling, but for Olympic athletes, bringing food on-the-go is about way more than getting snacky. An Olympian's diet requires some specific ingredients to keep their energy up and their health in check, and chances are a visit to McDonald's in the Olympic Village isn't going to cut it (as fun and necessary as that may be for them sometimes!! To be clear: We very much support them in this!). Find out which staple snacks Team USA members always pack when they're traveling for a competition.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics beginning July 23rd and the Tokyo Paralympics beginning August 24th on NBC.
Garden of Life Sport Protein Bars
Almost every Olympian we've interviewed has mentioned protein bars as a crucial part of their trainings and regular diets, but Paralympian Mallory Weggemann was one of very few who got specific about her preference: "When I'm late to training and need something quick, I love their peanut butter chocolate [flavor]."
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M&M's
Both MyKayla Skinner and Kyra Condie confirmed to Delish they almost always have M&M's nearby as a snack.
Beef Jerky
The protein-packed snack is a go-to of MyKayla Skinner's, particularly while she's flying to and from competitions.
Milka bars
"When I come home from international trips, I always stock up on Milka Choco-Swing flavored chocolate bars. They’re SO good cold and you can get them at the duty free shops. This is more of a dessert than a snack, but they’re so good!" — Alise Willoughby, BMX racing, Tokyo 2021
Oatmeal
"The scariest thing is finding my pre-race meal. We're racing for 30 minutes as hard as we can, and if you upset your stomach that morning it can set you back. I bring my own Instant oatmeal, bananas and peanut butter." — Sadie Bjornsen, cross-country skiing, Pyeongchang 2018
Chocolate Milk
"We've gotten more serious about our nutrition this year, and we brought an entire suitcase devoted to food these last few trips. We've recently been to China, France and Japan, and every time we bring a few boxes of chocolate soy milk." — Madison Chock, ice dancing, Pyeongchang 2018
Protein Ball Ingredients
"Especially when we're going international, we're not 100 percent sure what will be available. We bring the ingredients to make protein balls — you can just mix them up in the ice bucket at the hotel and roll them up." — Tabitha Peterson, curling, Pyeongchang 2018
Coffee
"I travel with American coffee. I love waking up and making an Aeropress of Peet's coffee — all the girls on our team do the same thing!" — Sadie Bjornsen, cross country skiing, Pyeongchang 2018
Peanut Butter
"Peanut butter is something that's hard to find in Europe and is a great high-fat and high-calorie snack that's nice to have on the road." — Sophie Caldwell, cross-country skiing, Pyeongchang 2018
Freeze-Dried Meals
"We typically bring food that helps us maintain weight. I bring freeze-dried Mountain House meals that replace some of the dinners that were either not enough or just hard to touch. At one hotel in Germany, our lunch was literally only boiled potatoes with sour cream ... I wish I was joking." — Chris Mazdzer, luge, Pyeongchang 2018
Trail Mix
"My carry-on is usually half full of snacks. On my last trip I packed a sandwich, a box of fruit leathers, a bag of trail mix, a bag of veggie chips, and a bag of protein energy bites — I make my own at home with pumpkin and dates and chocolate." — Clare Egan, biathlon, Pyeongchang 2018
Protein Powder
"Sometimes on the road it can be challenging to get the right food to keep mass on. I carry protein powder with me to ensure I can get what my body needs to repair after a hard day on the hill." — Lindsey Jacobellis, snowboard cross, Pyeongchang 2018
Yogurt
"The food in Sochi was interesting — I wouldn't say it was the best I've ever had. We did a lot of supplementing and made breakfast in our house, and always had things like peanut butter, bread, oatmeal and yogurt on hand." — Sophie Caldwell, cross-country skiing, Pyeongchang 2018
Overnight Oats
"I always bring a nice bag of coffee or oatmeal. It can throw off your routine if you don't have certain things, and on the road it's really easy to make overnight oats and doctor them up." — Bryan Fletcher, Nordic combined, Pyeongchang 2018
Crackers
"Most of the time we have some pretty amazing food to eat while traveling, but just in case, I'll bring some snack foods — dried fruit, nuts and crackers are some go-tos." — Mia Manganello, long-track speedskating, Pyeongchang 2018
Cereal
"We bring breakfast stuff like cereal so we can have the same breakfast we have at home, plus almond butter and protein bars." — Madison Chock, ice dancing, Pyeongchang 2018
Energy Bars
Energy bars are a staple for many Olympic athletes, and most have a favorite brand that they keep on hand, whether it's Clif Bar, Power Bar, Honey Stinger or KIND. Energy gels and meal replacement drinks are also a go-to source of quick energy. "It's an important part of my pre-race routine, so I bring a full backpack of bars just in case." — Bryan Fletcher, Nordic combined, Pyeongchang 2018
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