Danica Patrick Makes Preparing Healthy Meals A Top Priority On And Off The Road — No Cheat Days For Her

Danica Patrick makes no secret of her healthy lifestyle. A quick glance through the NASCAR driver’s Instagram account proves that fitness is at the top of her priority list. But how does Patrick maintain that lifestyle on the road when she’s racing nearly 40 weekends per year? Danica recently told People magazine that it’s all about planning ahead and keeping her tour bus stocked with lots of fresh ingredients for healthy meals that she prepares herself.

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“When we travel we have the fortune of being able to have a bus that’s filled with groceries. I make that list, so there’s lots of fresh healthy ingredients. It’s in general a lot easier to stay on the bus and cook than to go out, and it’s healthier of course.”

What some may not know about Danica Patrick is that she loves to cook — and she’s very good at it. In September of 2013, Patrick even beat out three other top athletes on a special sports edition of Food Network’s Chopped cooking competition. More recently, Danica appeared on The Kitchen to share her favorite tailgate treat, a sweet and salty grilled cheese sandwich.

Danica Patrick, who, according to a USA Today report, has taken some courses at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California, frequently posts images of the healthy meals she has prepared for herself and her boyfriend, fellow Sprint Cup driver, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

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Danica Patrick told People that she loves to cook whether on the road or at home. It takes some effort with her hectic schedule, but Patrick manages to make the time to cook fresh meals and lead a healthy lifestyle.

“When I’m on the road I cook, and when I’m at home I love to cook. I’m a busy person, but you make time for whatever’s a priority, and I love to cook and I make being healthy a priority.”

On the occasion when she doesn’t have much time to cook, Danica Patrick can still quickly throw a clean and healthy meal together. Her simple solution in a bind is pre-made rotisserie chicken along with steamed spinach and brown rice or fast-cooking quinoa.

While many clean-eating enthusiasts believe in regularly planned cheat meals, Danica Patrick doesn’t buy into it. She has her favorite indulgences such as red wine, chocolate, and trail mix, but Patrick said she tries to keep it clean pretty much every day. This gives Danica room for those times when it’s impossible for her diet to “be perfect” or for when she wants a small treat.

“I’m one of those people who doesn’t believe in cheat days. There’s just going to be times when you’re not going to be able to be perfect, or you want a bite of something, so I try and eat as healthy as possible every single meal of the day.”

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It appears as though Danica Patrick will soon have even fresher ingredients to create her healthy meals with. The Nature’s Bakery spokeswoman shared images of her brand new vegetable garden two weeks ago. While Danica consulted with professionals to get her raised garden beds set up, she definitely isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Patrick seems eager to learn and promises she will become a “garden geek” sooner or later.

Danica Patrick keeps her petite body in top shape with daily workouts, sometimes even working out twice a day. She practices yoga, which she was introduced to when she was just 19 years old, for flexibility and mind/body awareness, but her favorite workouts are “very intense.” Patrick prefers Crossfit and interval running over all else.

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Danica Patrick even snuck in an upper body workout before heading out to last night’s 2016 CMT Awards where she joined Kellie Pickler to present the Male Video of the Year Award to Thomas Rhett for “Die a Happy Man.” Patrick showed off her toned arms and shoulders in a ruffled, sleeveless, black dress with a plunging, lace-up neckline.

[Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]