For fans of America’s favorite pastime, baseball season brings nachos and hot dogs, peanuts and beer. But with opening day here, we were interested in learning just what professional athletes eat to stay at the top of their game.

We asked Chicago Cubs’ nutrition expert and Retrofit scientific advisory board Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, CSSD, to weigh in on this issue. Here is what she had to say:

The meals the players eat are all balanced with a system we call “plate check,” meaning each plate has each of these foods:

– smart carbs for replenishing the glycogen (muscle fuel)

– protein for rebuilding muscle that was just worked

– produce for repairing stressed muscle tissue

– healthy fat for reducing inflammation/soreness

Sound good? Consider casting aside your classic ballpark cuisine and knocking it out of the park this season with some of Dawn’s go-to balanced plate check meals. Examples of these healthy eats include:

American:

baked sweet potato fries + BBQ chicken + veggie sticks + avocado ranch

Italian:

quinoa pasta + grass-fed meatballs + zucchini wedges + olive oil & parmesan

Mexican:

brown rice + grilled chicken/black beans + lettuce/peppers/salsa + guacamole

Want more healthy eating recipes? Check out the Retrofit cookbook here.