Eating Healthy at the Ballpark - Part 1
Packing a soft cooler, filling it with healthy food, snacks and water and bringing it to the ballpark will exponentially improve your overall baseball fan experience. 
Most folks assume you can’t bring food into stadiums and sports arenas. It’s easy to feel forced into crunching nachos and Crackerjacks. I’ve heard this typical narrative:
I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the yard watching my favorite team, but now I feel like the pile of garbage I consumed in the hot sun. It sucks not having options.
I’ll go ahead and stop you right there. With a little forethought, you have plenty of options. Check out these rules snatched directly from the Nationals’ ballpark regulations list:
All food items must be contained in single serving bags within a soft-sided container or cooler that does not exceed 16″x16″x8″.
Okay, that’s easy enough. We can work with that.
I can’t say that I’ve scoured every ballpark and arena’s policy. Major league ballparks are easy, but many minor league stadiums are a different bag (see what I did there?). Pawtucket, for example, might be intimidating for some. That’s their intention. They want you to purchase their grub (well, what they present as such):
International League Rules states: “In the interest of public safety, no cans, bottles, food or containers may be brought into International League ballparks.” PawSox ushers and security staff are instructed to NOT allow food or drink into McCoy Stadium.
Ouch. That stings. Remember my post on being resourceful? Good.
I just called McCoy Stadium. I expressed to them that I have food allergies (I don’t have food allergies, per se), and asked if I could bring my own nourishment. Their response: “Of course, just call ahead and let us know what food items you’ll be bringing in, and it will be no problem.”
Don’t judge me. Technically, I was telling the truth.
World English Dictionary
allergy (ˈælədʒɪ) — n , pl -gies a hypersensitivity to a substance that causes the body to react to any contact with that substance
Yup, that’s me. When I ingest the yellow #5 in cotton candy, I realize the error of my ways, get cranky and, well, hypersensitive.
Seriously, while I don’t recommend fibbing about food allergies, I stand behind the broader point that with a strong will there is a way. Ring the minor league club’s director of operations, the assistant GM, whomever. Tell them you have personal dietary restrictions that won’t allow you to eat ballpark cuisine. Let them know that the moment they bring in whole organic options, you’ll be a buyer. Express that you deserve to enjoy a splendid meal while watching the game just like any other fan, and you want the choice. If your case is compelling, you’ll be surprised how accommodating a business can be.
Now that you know how to bend the rules, you don’t have an excuse. If you want to plan an indulgence and plow through a couple beers and dogs, you have my backing. If you want to remain on point, stay tuned, and I’ll tell you what to stuff in that soft cooler.
Love y’all,
Kap
What about the family? Even if you bring in your own food, they still may be enticed by the salty and sugary choices. My best defense is to feed them a good meal as close to game time as possible. With this approach I’m more likely to be the seventh inning hero splurging on an ice cream cone than the third inning killjoy nixing the nachos….
Good insight, Ed.
Interesting read. As a player’s wife, I’ve had my daily struggles of sneaking healthy snacks into the ballpark while going up through the system. I’ve found large purses with hidden pockets very important for keeping my hard boiled eggs and nuts safely hidden. Good to know I can always claim I have food allergies- I always wondered if that would work! Love reading your articles- thanks!
Ahhh, thanks Natalie. Nobody on the planet knows the challenges better than you. Good to know the post landed with an expert.
Looking forward to your next post on this topic! I was at a game recently that I didn’t plan ahead for and basically all I could eat was the unsalted peanuts a friend brought…. man was I cranky by the end!
I can imagine. Been there many times.
I do have to say, I object to people without real food allergies claiming food allergies because it leads to people not taking food allergies seriously. And that can be dangerous. But I get your point - where there’s a will, there’s a way.
On a related note - I did get a large box of fudgey brownies into a AA stadium. I wrapped them in a box and told the attendant it was a present for the clubhouse. (It was!) They never even looked in the box. Next time I’ll just fill it full of salad.
No disrespect for your objection, but if anything this should help the cause. A lot of ballparks, and most eateries alike, fail to offer to the dietary restricted. If enough attention is brought to the matter, they will introduce more gut- and allergy-friendly choices.
On the other hand, I somewhat feel guilty when asking for something gluten-free, requiring the person taking my order to ask if I actually have an allergy or not, as that changes the way they produce the food.
This is a solid and honest take, Bryan. Good stuff.
Resourcefulness is quite the attribute, huh?
Um….yes! Allergic reaction to “Yellow #5″. (I one hundred percent subscribe to that.)While I of course subscribe to “SoCalAllergies”- I’m gluten and mostly dairy free. (any good LA native would) I’m actually impressed that you were able to call the park and Inquire about specific nutrition needs prior to your visit. As a physique competitor and someone who has enjoyed a good AAA to profeshional level ball game, it’s nice to know I can now enjoy the game and stay true to my nutritional needs at the same time.
Thanks for droppin the knowledge as usge!
Xoxo
B
And thank to you, B, for the support and good vibes. Keep it comin.
Kap
Love that you used Nat’s park as an example. I go to 20+ games a year there (amazing ballpark, fun experience despite the ten dollar beers). You can basically bring in whatever food you want as long as they are in ziplock bags. Huge money/health/guilt saver.
Nat’s Park has also slowly been adding healthy food stands throughout, as well. Five bucks for a cup of “Organic Berry Mix” and four bones for “Organic Pumpkin Seeds”…you could do worse.
Pete, thanks for sharing the valuable insight. Much appreciated. Kap