Headed to Nassau County Aquatic Center on Long Island?
No worries, we got you covered on the where and what to eat when you’re fueling or re-fueling during the meet.
PRO TIP: Order food before you leave the pool and swing by for pickup on your way back to the hotel to get as much rest as possible! Avoid sitting in a restaurant, waiting for your food when you could be resting and recovering.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe (open 7AM to 9PM)
Menu Link: https://www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com/menu/
Online Ordering: YES!
Hours: 7AM to 9PM
Address
3.3 Miles Away from the Pool
55 Old Country Rd
Carle Place, NY
or
4.2 Miles Away from the Pool
3591B Hemstead Tpke
Levittown, NY
Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers a meal for any time of day. They have multiple locations near the aquatic center in East Meadow. Here’s a few of our favorite selections to keep you fueled during the meet.
NEW! Smoothie Bowls
Smoothie bowls are a great way to get carbs, protein, and some healthy fats. These feature great ingredients like chia seeds, yogurt, fruit, granola, coconut milk, and more. You’ll fueled up for prelims or finals with a smoothie bowl!
Wraps
The menu offers many different variations of wraps that all are excellent options. The portions aren’t very large so make sure you also pair the wrap with a salad and side like the maple-kissed sweet potatoes.
Flatbreads
With three offerings to select, there are great options for almost anyone’s taste. Same as the wraps, make sure to pair a flatbread with a salad and a side to get enough food to fuel and re-fuel you for the meet.
What to Leave off Your Order from the Menu:
Chips (lots of seed oils and heavy fats – not swim fast food)
Cookies (meets are not the time for sweets – save it for after the meet)
Added Supplements (you have no idea what these supplements are or the forms they come in so keep these out of your smoothies & bowls and stick with your own supplements)
Wrap ‘EM Up (open 11AM to 9PM)
Menu Link: https://www.wrapemupco.com/menus/
Online Ordering: YES!
Hours: 10:45AM to 10PM
Address
2 Miles Away from the Pool
512 East Meadow Ave
East Meadow, NY
Wrap ‘EM Up is similar to a Chipotle but offers more options. Stick with a bowl, tostada, or burrito here to get the most amount of ingredients for fuel!
Bowls & Burritos
All of the bowls and burritos are great options except the Chorizo option. Chorizo is typically pretty spicy/hot so not the best during the meet. Keep the sour cream on the side (or completely off if you have lactose issues) and just add a little bit to your bowl if desired instead of the massive amounts restaurants typically add.
Toastadas
This is a great option for gluten-free individuals as they offer a corn tortilla. Same with the bowls/burritos, avoid the Chorizo Toastada (spicy/hot) and keep any sour cream on the side for your own addition as desired.
What to Leave off Your Order from the Menu:
Desserts (meets are not the time for sweets – save it for after the meet)
Fries (avoiding fried food during a meet is best practice – it’s heavy and disrupting to the digestive system – not swim fast food)
Sodas & Drinks (stick with water or your approved hydration drink for electrolytes Sodas contain caffeine and lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners – all things that aren’t needed when you’re trying to swim fast)
Chipotle (open 10:45AM to 11PM)
Menu Link: https://www.chipotle.com/#menu
Online Ordering: YES!
Hours: 10:45AM to 11PM
Address
1.3 Miles Away from the Pool
1166 Hempstead Tpke
Uniondale, NY
Chipotle is a staple on the road for quick fuel. They have a few locations near the aquatic center in East Meadow. Here’s a few of our favorite selections to keep you fueled during the meet.
Burrito Bowl
Easy to get carbs, protein, and fat in one stop. Load up your bowl with brown rice (a good source of Vitamin B6) + a protein (stick with leaner options, even the plant-based protein: sofritas offer a lot of protein content) + small amount of beans (good source of Folate – easy on the beans, too many create LOTS of gas) + greens + guac (great source of healthy fats) + any veggie toppings (salsa, corn, etc.)
Tacos
If you’re not up for a bowl, go with a hand-held option in the tacos. Load up your tacos with a protein (stick with leaner options, even the plant-based protein: sofritas offer a lot of protein content) + small amount of beans (good source of Folate – easy on the beans, too many create LOTS of gas) + greens + guac (great source of healthy fats) + any veggie toppings (salsa, corn, etc.)
What to Leave off Your Order from the Menu:
Chips (Chipotle uses sunflower oil to make the chips – keep seed oils reduced)
Queso (heavy in the stomach – a little can be ok on a bowl but too much is disruptive to the digestive system – save the queso for an after the meet treat)
Sodas & Drinks (stick with water or your approved hydration drink for electrolytes Sodas contain caffeine and lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners – all things that aren’t needed when you’re trying to swim fast!)
Cava (open 10:45AM to 10PM)
Menu Link: https://cava.com/menu
Online Ordering: YES!
Hours: 10:45AM to 10PM
Address
2.4 Miles Away from the Pool
1256 Old Country Rd
Westbury, NY
Cava is an easy grab-and-go option for clean and easy sources of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. You can feel good about what you’re eating at Cava to fuel you throughout your meet.
Chicken & RightRice Bowl
Filled with protein from the chicken and the rice. Also contains hummus (a great source of Vitamin B6 and Folate), greens (for that recovery you need), tomato, feta, and tzatziki sauce. Get the sauce on the side so you can add just a small amount. Many sauces are filled with dairy and/or seed oils that can disrupt your digestive system in high amounts. Add a little bit from the side so you can still enjoy the flavor of the sauce.
Build Your Own Grain or Grain + Salad Bowl
This is a great option for the selective eaters so you can still get the carbs, protein, and fats you need but with the ability to select your own ingredients. Here’s an example of a great bowl between prelims and finals:
Brown Rice or Black Lentils or RightRice
Honey Chicken or Grilled Chicken
Sweet Potato
Avocado
Tomato + Cucumber
Crumbled Feta (just a little for flavor)
Small Amount of a Dressing of Choice
Avoid: spicy options, lots of fiber filled veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage – a little of these is ok, too many gives you a LOT of gas)
What to Leave off Your Order from the Menu:
Desserts (meets are not the time for sweets – save it for after the meet)
LaBottega (open 11AM to 9/9:30PM, Closed Sunday)
Menu Link: http://www.labottegaeastmeadow.com/eastmeadow-dinein.pdf
Online Ordering: YES!
Hours: 11AM to 9/9:30PM, Closed Sunday
Address
1.2 Miles Away from the Pool
376 Merrick Ave
East Meadow, NY
LaBottega is a local place with a plethora of options for your fueling needs. The menu offers a number of gluten-free and vegetarian option as well. With any of your selections, make sure to get carbs, protein, greens, and some healthy fats in your meal. They offer a huge selection of sides so you can add any missing nutrients to your meal with a simple add.
What to Leave off Your Order from the Menu:
Desserts (meets are not the time for sweets – save it for after the meet)
Fried Foods (look for the words fried or pan crusted – these are heavy and aren’t swim fast foods)
Burgers (great for after the meet but during the meet they are very heavy protein sources and will take a LONG time to digest in your system – you could wake up for prelims feeling like you still have most of your burger in your belly from the night before)
Pizza (although I love pizza, it contains a lot of dairy, which is heavy on the stomach during the meet and typically contains a lot of processed meats like pepperoni – not the best for swim fast food)