How to Navigate the Baseball Stadium (the healthy way!)

It’s baseball season! Who else is excited? Neil and I are big Yankees Fans and are getting Edith into the game as well. Unfortunately we never seem to live in a city that has a major league team so we watch most of our games on TV but when we do head the park we are always thinking about what we are going to get to eat. We are hoping next year to make it up to Seattle for a Mariners/Yankees game and we already know we will be getting ourselves a Field Roast Frankfurter when we do. That’s one of the great things about ballparks today – you can find healthy options that are often vegan, vegetarian and/or gluten free
I have to say when we went to Yankee Stadium our options were more limited so we chose to eat before heading to the field and while we did share fries at the game, however we decided to head to Candle Cafe post-game for dinner. We could have easily had junky food like veggie burgers, beer and more fries but decided to treat ourselves to a healthy tasty dinner after the game <–best decision.

So consider these healthy tips before heading out to your next ball game:

• Drink water! Lots of it! While having a beer or pop might seem like a good idea you should really limit your caloric beverages. Keep yourself hydrated especially at those hot summer games. Additionally, drinking water will help flush out toxins and extra sodium that you might take in if you are unable to find or bring healthier food options to the ballpark.
• Do you research. Many ballparks have a list of concession offerings on their websites.  Check them out before you head to the park so you can know whether to eat something healthy before you go or whether or not you can bring something with you.  If you are going to plan on eating at the park regardless this will give you the opportunity to scope out the best options and their locations before you get there.
• Choose the healthiest option. While peanuts and Cracker Jacks might sound good they are not going to leave you nourished or satisfied so when heading to the ballpark look to choose the healthier option. Many parks offer veggie burgers, salads, and even sushi which are all better options then say a hot dog, garlic fries (yeah I know these are so good though), or pizza.
• Bring food with you! I know that this isn’t always an option but some parks do allow you to bring in outside food.  Pack yourself a tasty meal filled with foods that satisfy you and make you feel good (don’t forget your ice pack if it’s a hot day). If you can’t pack a meal you could always throw some healthy snacks in the bottom of your purse such as baby carrots, an apple or a KIND bar.

So what parks have healthy food options:

• Fenway Park – Red Sox –(part of me is cringing as I  type this – DIE HARD YANKEES FAN HERE) is now offering a healthier culinary line up this season which include the addition of KIND bars to concession stand stalls!
• Nationals Park – Washington Nationals- is offering up tons of healthy options and for my vegan friends lots of vegan options which even includes veggie sushi and vegan crab cakes!
• Citzens Bank Park – Philadelphia Phillies- This park has been said to have the best vegetarian options and not only do they have vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options they are also on the healthy side.  Healthier food options include include a variety of salads, veggie burgers and veggie dogs.
• Coors Field – Colorado Rockies – Concessions here are your standard fare however if you look a little closer you can find yourself at their build your own salad bar stand. If your more in the mood for a veggie sandwich or veggie burger you can find those too.
• Petco Park – San Diego Padres – Through their FriarFit program this park has worked to worked improve the nutritional value and availability of healthier food choices at the ballpark. Concession items have now been added or upgraded on the menu, plus a healthy option Kids Meal is available throughout the ballpark.*

I could highlight so many other parks but these are just a few of the options out there.

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by KIND. As always all opinions are my own. I received free product in exchange for this post. There was no additional financial compensation.

*FriarFit Reference

What do you order when you go to the ballpark? Any tips or suggestions?