Sodexo Asks Pro Sports Dietician Leslie Bonci for Her Best Snack Tips for Families On the Go

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AAA estimates more than 41 million Americans will hit the road this Memorial Day to kick off the summer travel season. While traveling can be exciting, it can also cause angst especially when you're in tight quarters with teenagers, toddlers and lots of personalities. We asked Pro Sports Dietician Leslie Bonci, who creates meal plans to maximize performance for pro-athletic teams and ballet dancers, to provide her best snack tips to help fuel positive moods, so families will enjoy their time together and make great memories this summer.

"Food absolutely will affect your mood good or bad. Like competition, traveling can be stressful, tummies can be upset and appetite may diminish," says Bonci, who also consults with Sodexo to create customized menu offers for Universities sports clients. "Having snacks that are familiar and readily available can go a long way in creating a calmer atmosphere."

Here are some of Bonci's snack tips to consider for your next road trip.

1. Pack portable snacks that are salty and savory not just sweet. Consider PBJ wraps or sandwiches; hummus wraps; energy bites ?trail mix, snacks from made from cereal, nuts, nut butter, honey; dried fruit; roasted beans; fresh fruit; jerky; fruit/vegetable bars; veggie chips: beets, carrots, spinach; hummus/pita chips; nuts; and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin).
2. For a complete meal or snack, pack items in portable containers where you only need to add water. Try oatmeal packets and consider adding peanut powder, dried fruit, spices and even nonfat dry milk powder.
3. To ensure the right amount protein and produce, consider packing wraps, bowls or kebabs of turkey, tuna, tofu, hummus, ham, chicken and instead of veggies within, veggies on the side; bean salad; edamame; pasta salad with vegetables; marinated veggies; fruit salad; raw veggies with guacamole or hummus dip; chopped salad; and roasted vegetables.
4. Try flavor packets for protein to help meet a variety of taste buds. There are many options to try, but Bonci prefers Caesar, BBQ, Teriyaki, Mexican, Jerk, Lemon herb, or honey mustard.

Lastly, Bonci says the "ease of consumption is equally important." She recommends cutting wraps into halves or thirds, using utensils when necessary, packing fruit that is cut up rather than whole and energy bites that are individually packaged.

Leslie Bonci is a nutrition consultant and sports dietician for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Kansas City Chiefs, Toronto Blue Jays and Carnegie Mellon University.

About Sodexo North America 
Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.  The company employs 133,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $30 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger.  To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook and @SodexoUSA on Twitter.

SOURCE Sodexo