America’s pastime-Baseball!!
So the family and I were off to a Washington National’s game last week and naturally one of the first thoughts to cross my mind was, “How am I going to find a healthy, vegetarian dinner at a baseball game??”
Most stadiums and arenas have tightened up their security and no longer allow you bring in your own food or drinks. Unless you plan on running the bases yourself, it helps to plan ahead. With a little work, you can keep from striking out on your healthy diet while enjoying a game.
“Scope out the field”- If you do a little detective work and pull up the “concession” tab at your home team’s stadium, you will find a listing of all of the food vendors. Tying to find healthy and vegetarian food takes some research. The National’s stadium link had a tab for “Vegetarian Options”
So first I had to rule out:
Cheese fries, pretzel bites, Popcorn, salty jalapeno chocolate bar, donuts, apple pie and ice cream sundaes.
Although technically vegetarian, obviously not too healthy. I then found some possibilities worth further investigating. Most of the vendors are outposts of local restaurants so you may be able to look up their nutritional info at their main locations before arriving.
One “All star” choice was “Hard Times Cafe’s Vegetarian chili”. I checked their site and found out that a 3/4 cup serving had 130 calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 960 grams of sodium. The sodium content obviously “out of the ballpark” for what I would normally eat but a good choice to consider if it wasn’t 90 degrees out. There were options to add cheese, onions, peppers etc. I give it a “Hit” as a pretty good option.
A few of the burger stands had “veggie burger” options. It wasn’t clear to me which brands they were or how they were prepared. Sometimes they will just throw them on the same grill as the beef burgers and they can be greasy. Most were served on regular white bread buns.
Game Plan:
1. purchase a side salad and pile it onto the burger so at least you’re getting some veggies.
2. Remove the burger from the bun and add it onto a side salad. Pile on hot salsa instead of dressing. Sometimes you can find vinegar as well.
I saw a “Sloppy Jane” sandwich made with tofu and had to try it. It was super salty and had no vegetables in it. Nice try but “strike” for me.
There was a Mexican stand with “Veggie Quesadillas” which just looked and sounded a little too greasy for me. “Strike two”.
Then I came across a Middle Eastern stand with Falafel and a “cauliflower sandwich”. After asking a few different people, I discovered the cauliflower was indeed battered and fried “Strike 3”.
The Falafel looked promising. I ended up getting it and removing half of the pita bread. It did have some tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers in it. I purchased a side of hummus and added that into the pita with a little hot sauce. “Hit”. It was a filling dinner with protein, veggies and carbs. Of course, I have no idea on the sodium content so not a Home Run, but it seemed like my best choice at the time.
There was also a Gluten Free stand with chip and cracker options. Note: Gluten Free does not always mean healthy in the same way the Vegetarian does not always mean healthy. Cue the fries and ice cream sundaes! My sandwich was more than filling and I didn’t need anything else to eat that night.
I came across this list of the healthiest options (Health Magazine) at some of the major Baseball Stadiums hopefully it will help you search out the best options in your city.
With a little research and a little creativity, you can put together a Game Plan & eat healthy while enjoying America’s Game.
What tips do you have for me? How do you stick to your Game Plan at sporting events?
Great post, Deborah!! I’m going to send this along to my parents, who go to a lot of baseball games. I love your dedication in searching for a good option … yes, it takes time, but it pays off if you find something delicious and healthy! I think you did great.
Thanks-it does take lots of time to plan out but we work hard so it would be a shame to waste it on crappy food that doesn’t even taste good right? Hope your parents find it helpful. Thanks for sharing.
Baseball stadiums are definitely a hard place to eat healthy. We always tailgate before the game, which saves money and I can eat more healthy. We bring our small grill and I grill a portabella cap while hubby makes brats/burgers. This way I’m full before we get into the game. We can carry in water, so I usually stick with that throughout the game. I don’t know if it’s typical for other stadiums to tailgate? In Milwaukee, pretty much everyone tailgates beforehand.
I know people do that at football games but not sure about baseball. I love grilled portabellos as well. They would not let me bring in my water-security issue I guess. It’s definitely easier to eat first and not have to rely on finding something healthy.
Nice job, Deborah! I was vegetarian for ten years. I know options can be difficult to look for – especially healthy ones! Thank you for sharing the list! I would say you had a grand slam!
Thanks Amber! It is hard sometimes to find vegetarian food at events that is healthy. You went back to darkside after 10 years wow!!
Interesting! I’m hoping to go to a TX Rangers game this summer, so this is helpful! Thanks for sharing! SPA <3
Thanks for stopping by Brittany glad you found it helpful. Have fun at the game!
this is great! i’m not a vegetarian but definitely usually let myself “go” when at sporting events so this is a good reminder!
Thanks! We work too hard to blow it on bad food!
Oh man, I’d never even think to have a “game plan” for sporting events. I would totally just pig out and regret it later. I’m inspired by your determination!
oh well thank you! It’s mostly bc of the vegetarian thing that makes it harder. I feel I work too hard to blow it on something that it isn’t even what I want just because I’m hungry.
Great post! I have been in so many situations where I had to prepare my meals or check on my options well beforehand. When I was a bodybuilder (figure), I actually took my own fish tacos to my sister’s bridal shower, where so many delicious-looking foodies were served. 😛
LOl Tiffany I bet that gave your family lots to talk about! Mine already thinks I’m nuts. But good for you!!
Interesting! I usually just allow that to be one of my treat meals where I eat whatever I feel like, but i do not go to baseball games that often, so I guess it is okay. I didnt think about how bad it is though….there really arent many healthy options. Although that cauliflower does sound good to me haha!
I think it’s harder when you are a vegetarian and you don’t want pizza. It’s ok to have cheat meals but I would rather it be on something good!
Great job finding a healthy choice at the baseball game! This further convinces me we are destined to be besties – this is the kind of in-depth researching that I would do. It takes effort but almost always pays off in the end. Bravo to you!
For sure destined! It does take effort but worth it for sure. Have a good one!
Great tips, I plan on attending as many baseball games as I can this summer but I either never eat or completely ruin my normal healthy diet. Gonna use your tips to scout out something better this time around though thanks 🙂
It can be done you just have to plan and investigate. I literally walked around the entire stadium-my daughter was not happy-LOL. Have fun at your games.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who tries to make a healthy choice at the ballgame. These are great ideas.
This is such an interesting post and really timely too. I go to a LOT of baseball games in the summertime and I’m always struggling to find something to eat that isn’t totally disgusting (I am not a hot dog kind of gal). I’m going to try something like this next time I’m at the ballpark! Thanks!
Fun post! Stadiums are always tricky. I usually just pack a granola bar and hope for the best, but now I’ll have to do a little more research 🙂
Stadiums are tricky and expensive places huh?
Great post Deborah! I have not eaten anything at Nats park – but thanks for the intel! However, I usually make it out to the ballpark when truck-er-roo is there… and that is another post – healthy eating from a food truck.
hah believe it or not I’ve never eaten from a food truck! Wow I’m a food snob of sorts I guess.
Tips for sticking to your game plan while on a diet? Hmmm… I would either pack healthy snacks (in small baggies) that I could munch on while at the event: almonds/fruit/etc … or eat BEFORE the event. Oh yes… water. Always water! 🙂
They seem to be getting stricter on allowing you to bring in stuff. I guess I could hide them in my bra! Lol