Any entertainer is working the night shift. This can play havoc not just with your bio rhythms (whatever they are) but also can limit choices when you are ready (and able) to eat. Most of the 24hr places are really catering to a bunch of slobbering drunkards not road warriors looking for something healthy, organic, and not fried. That's fine – I understand market segmentation but that doesn't help us too much here.
Eating healthy on the road is tough. I hope this post will help you make some better decisions from the available options. Of course, you can always buy something during the day that will keep for a few hours in a small cooler, but this requires planning ahead (a luxury that doesn't always exist on tour).
A bad food choice is compounded when it's made last thing at night. So, instead of thinking about how to eat better on the road (boring!), let's try another way to think about this that might be more interesting:
"How many more beers can I drink if I make better choices with fast food???"
Okay, got your attention?
Step One: Choose your beer wisely.
- Bud: 145
- Bud-light: 110
- Anchor Porter: 209
- Michelob Ultra: 95
- Miller Genuine Draft: 143
- Miller 64: errr, 64
Step Two: Think about what you're eating.
Here's some great example straight from the pages of Eat This, Not That:
From Chipotle: The Chicken Burrito bowl is 489 calories. The chicken burrito is 1092! That's a difference of 603 calories!
Once you start looking through this terrific book, you'll see some great examples where, if I was asked to choose, I'd probably always choose the wrong thing. For instance, when faced with making the health conscious choice of the Dunkin' Donuts Ham Egg & Cheese English Muffin Sandwich or the Multigrain Bagel with Lite Cream Cheese I'd choose the latter......WRONG! The HE&C is 310 calories - the bagel is 500!
Same at Mickey D's. The Quarter Pounder is 160 calories and kilos of salt LESS than the Premium Grilled Chicken Club........a great opportunity to practice D.T.O (Do the Opposite) in your decision making process.
Panda Express: The difference between Broccoli Beef with Mush Chicken and Mixed veggies vs. Kung Pao Chicken with BBQ pork and Steamed Rice is 710 calories!!
Starbucks: Black Forest Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich with a Grande Vanilla, Sugar-Free Nonfat Latte = 510 calories.
A Bran Muffin with Nuts and a Grande 2% White Chocolate Mocha - kaboooom 890! Come on down!
Jump over to Jack in the Box (and you get to put one of those ping pong ball clown guys on your antenna!): The difference between Chicken Fajita Pita (w/salad) and the Chipotle Chicken Ciabatta (w/ med. fries) is 805 calories! How many extra beers is that?? (335 vs. 1140). See how this works?
Outback Steakhouse has great potential for maximizing your free beer quota. Choose the Prime Minister's prime rib instead of the Ayers Rock Strip steak with loaded potato and you're one beer shy of a double six pack (in the cooler not under your shirt).
Now, add up all those calories you just saved and you can drink 43 more beers per week, or, ta-da: 430 extra, calorie free beers on a ten week tour.
Just like an ill advised reunion show or ill advised late night activity of any kind, once in a while doesn't do too much harm, but, if you're intending to spend any amount of time on the road, then these decisions will start to add up. The larger point is this: With a little bit of knowledge a few simple decisions can really start to make an incremental difference in your outlook and your health. Just imagine what might have happened if you'd used the same effort in choosing your bass player!
Here's some additional tips for fast food on the road:
Chick-Fil-A:
None of their sandwiches exceed the 500 calorie mark!
Subway:
6 sandwiches have less than 400 calories.
Taco Bell:
Don't go crazy and this can be a healthy alternative. The Fresco menu is great.
Wendy's:
Similar to McDonald's but with less Trans fat and some healthier sides - as long as you order the better sides!
McDonald's:
Burgers only! Replace fries with apple slices.
KFC:
Kentucky Grilled chicken has far few calories than its fried counterpart. They also have low calorie healthy green beans as a side. Mashed potatoes are OK too, just skip the gravy.
Arby's:
Arby's Ham & Swiss Melt Sandwich contains 316 calories and only 6 fat grams. Watch out for low calorie count but high fat content here.
Burger King:
Burgers only – skip the fries.
Domino's:
2 slices get you anywhere from 440 calories to 880 (deep dish).
Panera:
Great option if you have time to sit down. Skip the mayo and cheese on the sandwiches. Stick with basic lunch meats. Add the black bean soup for only 160 calories.
Pizza Hut:
Personal pan pizzas average 660 calories.
Once again, we welcome Martin Atkins – drummer, author, entrepreneur, father, label-owner, screen printer, and all-around renaissance man – to our blog! Martin will be providing monthly commentary about and insights into the wonderful world of of touring and the music business.
His book, Tour:Smart, is available wherever books are sold…including Amazon.com
Find me on the Warped Tour to get a discount to Master Tour, hang out with me, Sarah Saturday, and Kevin Lyman and more backstage for a scene meet-up, and more cool stuff!
Vans Warped Tour
Thu - 07/29/10 - Marcus Amphitheater Milwaukee, WI
Fri - 07/30/10 - Comerica Park Detroit, MI
Sat - 07/31/10 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Tinley Park, IL
Sun - 08/01/10 - Canterbury Park Shakopee, MN
Mon - 08/02/10 - Sandstone Amphitheatre Bonner Springs, KS
Thu - 08/12/10 - Sleep Train Amphitheatre Marysville, CA
Fri - 08/13/100 - Idaho Center Amphitheatre Nampa, ID
Sat - 08/14/10 - Gorge Amphitheater George, WA
Sun - 08/15/10 - Washington County Fairgrounds Hillsboro, OR
