Success at the World Series of Poker doesn’t happen by accident. You need to play to the best of your abilities, and that requires preparation.
Working on your poker strategy helps, of course, but one element of preparation that some overlook is to do with your body. It’s all well and good hitting the gym to keep yourself sharp and alert, but what you put into your body can be just as important as what you do with it.
That’s where we defer to the knowledge of TJ Jurkiewicz, poker player and fitness coach, and his detailed and comprehensive Fit to Execute guide for the 2026 WSOP.
Last week we took a look at TJ’s best recommendations for the best dining options at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas, the host venues of the WSOP.
This week we take a dip into TJ’s foolproof grocery guide, so you can stock up on foods that, in TJ’s words, “actually taste good, keep you full, and make fat loss feel like less of a chore.”
So get out your shopping list, clear some space in the mini-fridge and take note; these are some of TJ’s recommended pick-ups from the grocery store to keep you firing on all cylinders.
Proteins
This is the foundation of every meal, so keep it lean and versatile. Look for foods that have 1g of protein per 10 calories.
Fresh meat & fish
- Marketside: Antibiotic-free boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Marketside: 96% lean/4% fat extra lean ground beef
- Marketside: Skinless Atlantic salmon fillet
- All Natural: Ground chicken 96% lean
- Jennie-O: Ground turkey breast
- Great Value: Frozen peeled tail-on extra large shrimp
Breakfast sausage
- Applegate: Natural savory turkey breakfast sausage
- Applegate: Natural chicken & sage breakfast sausage
Deli meat
- Oscar Mayer: Deli fresh rotisserie seasoned chicken breast
- Hillshire Farm: Ultra-thin sliced honey roasted turkey breast
- Hormel: Turkey pepperoni
Eggs
- Eggland’s Best: 100% USDA organic large brown eggs
- Vital Farms: Pasture-raised grade A brown eggs
- Bob Evans: Cage-free 100% liquid egg whites
Protein bars
- Quest: Chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar
- Quest: Crispy hero protein bar, chocolate & caramel pecan
- Quest: Protein bare, cookies & cream
- Pure Protein: Chocolate salted caramel bar
Pro tip: Mix Oikos Triple zero Greek yoghurt with sugar-free pudding mix and Reddi-wip zero sugar for a dessert that won’t undo your good work.
The dairy aisle
- Fairlife: Lactose-free fat-free ultra-filtered milk
- Silk: Dairy-free unsweet vanilla almond milk
- Reddi-wip: Zero sugar whipped topping
- Velveeta: Original cheese slices
- Sargento: Mild natural cheddar cheese ultra-thin slices
- Kraft: Fat-free mozzarella shredded cheese
- Great Value: Mild cheddar fat-free shredded cheese
Pro tip: Fairlife fat-free milk has 13g of protein per cup and tastes better than regular milk.
Grains and carbs
These carb sources won’t blow your calorie budget.
Bread & buns
- Oroweat: Superior keta plain hamburger buns
- Thomas’: Keta plain bagel thins
- Thomas’: Bagel thins everything
Pasta
- Barilla: Protein+ farfalle pasta
- Barila: Protein+ spaghetti
- Palmini: Linguine pasta from hearts of palm
Oats & rice
- Quaker: Instant oatmeal (lower sugar variety)
- Great Value: Instant 100% whole grain old fashioned oats
- Minute: White rice (microwavable cups)
Tortillas & wraps
- La Banderita: Carb counter large soft flour tortillas
- Mission: Carb balance flour tortillas, soft taco size
- Ole Mexican Foods: Xtreme wellness high fiber keto flour tortilla wraps
- Joseph’s: Low net carb flax lavash bread
- Joseph’s: Low net card flax pita bread
Pro tip: For anything you’d usually use bread for, try low carb tortillas instead. Joseph’s lavash bread can be used for pizza crust, wraps or cut into chips. Barilla Protein+ pasta has 10g of protein per serving and tastes just like regular pasta.
Fruit and vegetables
It’s better to buy frozen than never eat something that then goes rotten.
Fresh
- Marketside: Fresh spinach and spring mix
- Marketside: Fresh organic bananas
Frozen
- Great Value: Frozen chopped onions
- Great Value: Frozen deluxe stir-fry mixed vegetables
- Great Value: Frozen California-style vegetable mix
- Green Giant: Simply Steam garlic & herb vegetable medley
- Green Giant: Simply Steam garden vegetable medley
- Great Value: Strawberry banana blend
- Great Value: Triple berry blend
Snacks
Keep these close by to stop you hitting up the vending machine. They’re all high in protein, no empty-calorie garbage.
- Quest: Hot & Spicy protein chips
- Quest: Tortilla-style protein chips, loaded
- Quest: Peanut butter cups
- Quest: Frosted protein cookie, strawberry cake
- Quaker: Gluten-free caramel rice cakes
- Quaker: Whole grain chocolate rice cakes
Pro tip: Quest tortilla chips are 140 calories and 19g of protein per bag, better than most ‘healthy’ snacks.
Desserts
Eating in a calorie deficit doesn't mean giving up dessert.
Ice cream alternatives
- Halo Top: Sea salt caramel light ice cream
- Halo Top: Peanut butter cup light ice cream
- Yasso: Frozen Greek yogurt bars, vanilla chocolate crunch
- Yasso: Frozen Greek yogurt bars, sea salt caramel chocolate crunch
- Yasso: Frozen Greek yogurt bars, mint chocolate chip
- Yasso: Greek yogurt creamy fudge brownie ice cream bars
- Yasso: Smooth Greek yogurt ice cream bars, chocolate chip cookie dough
- Yasso: Frozen Greek yogurt bars, coffee chocolate chip
Toppings
- Reddi-wip: Zero sugar whipped topping
- Great Value: Strawberry banana blend (frozen, for yogurt bowls)
- Great Value: Triple berry blend (frozen, for yogurt bowls)
- Smucker's: Sugar-free strawberry preserves
- Quaker: Rice cakes, whole grain chocolate (use as a base)
Pro tip: Mix Greek yoghurt, sugar-free pudding mix, frozen berries, Reddi-wip zero sugar and crushed chocolate rice cakes for a 250-calorie dessert you can eat every night.
Next week we’ll be looking at TJ’s tips for how to snack healthily during the summer series, whether at the tables or in your hotel room.
For even more useful info, go get TJ Jurkiewicz’s free Fit To Execute Blueprint.
Featured image generated using AI.
