Mia Hamm Just Shared Her Go-To Snacks That Keep Her Satisfied on Busy Days

The former athlete is spreading awareness on bone marrow transplant complications.

While she has been retired from playing professional soccer for nearly two decades, Mia Hamm is still considered one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. Nowadays, she focuses on her philanthropic work via the Mia Hamm Foundation and, most recently, her partnership with Incyte and GVHD Now.

Spreading awareness on bone marrow transplants (BMT) and related complications—like graft-versus-host disease (GVHD)—did not start with her current work with GVHD Now. When Hamm was 25, she lost her brother, Garrett, due to complications following a BMT. Since then, the soccer legend has been an active voice for the BMT community.

We talked to Hamm about her activism and current projects in this exclusive interview. Read on to learn more about Hamm’s work, as well as her current morning routine and favorite snacks.

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EatingWell: What’s your morning routine like?

Hamm: I always have a cup of coffee. I never drank coffee before I had my twins, but it just helps me. I'd always tell my girls when they were younger, “OK, I can't hold you right now because I've got a hot cup of coffee.” I don't drink coffee because of the caffeine, I drink it because it's my morning meditation of just setting my mind and my energy for the day. Then I get the kids—they’re pretty self-sufficient now—ready for school and get them to the bus stops. We have a dog, so I walk the dog every morning, and then whether it's to come back and do a workout or if I have errands I need to run, I do whatever needs to be done. It varies, but usually the mornings are pretty consistent until about 8:15.

EatingWell: Are there any comforting dishes that you’re most looking forward to making this season?

Hamm: ​​Some of the recipes I've learned from my mom growing up. It's a lot because we spent some time in Italy, so they’re more pasta based, whether it's a good pasta carbonara or just a red sauce. I haven't mastered her lasagna yet.

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EatingWell: Do you have any go-to snacks that keep you and your family satisfied on busy days?

Hamm: I like fruit, apples and grapes. We have a lot of green grapes lately and they've been pretty good. Pomegranate, those mini bell peppers, carrots, popcorn. I'm a sucker for chips and salsa, if someone brings them out, even if I just had lunch, I have to have them.

EatingWell: How are you spreading awareness about bone marrow transplants and their potential complications with your partnership with GVHD Now?

Hamm: I am very honored to partner with Incyte to raise awareness for patients and their families who are about to go through bone marrow transplants, talking about GVHD as a potential complication. I think early awareness and early detection in terms of understanding what the symptoms are is really important. It can be the smallest change in the way you feel, or maybe you see a rash on your body while you're going through a bone marrow transplant. Talk to your health care team, talk to your doctors because the sooner they can treat it, the better.

My brother passed away from complications from a bone marrow transplant, and I've been a part of the BMT family community for a long time. I know how hard it is on the patient because I've seen it firsthand with my brother. I know how hard it is for family and friends, and I think it’s really important to raise awareness to help more people be on the successful side of bone marrow transplants and share their experiences.

EatingWell: What’s something you learned since being an advocate for the BMT community that surprised you?

Hamm: I’ve learned not just about the complications like GVHD, but the opportunities that you and I have to really help families and patients going through this. Registering in the bone marrow registry I think is even more imperative as our world becomes so much more diverse. You can be a hero and have the opportunity to save someone's life. What I really appreciate about this campaign is it allows me to talk about my personal stories, but also interact with other families. I was grateful to talk to several patients, and one of the messages was that there needs to be more information about bone marrow transplants and GVHD, but also about the need for more donors and educating both patients and their families.

You can go to the website, GVHDnow.com/fans and learn more and really support these patients and their families through this fight, because it’s a long fight.

EatingWell: Could you talk more about the Mia Hamm Foundation and its current mission?

Hamm: I started the Mia Hamm Foundation watching my brother and my family. My brother was adopted, and at the time he couldn't find any direct matches for him. My mission was to get more information, more people registered, and that continues to be my mission today with my foundation. It's also supporting causes and groups that are doing really incredible work. My brother and I had a very strong and unique connection through sport. He was one of my biggest fans, and I understand the empowerment I received through sports, so I’m sharing that with young girls. The confidence and the life lessons I learned through sport gave me a voice, so hopefully with some of the programs we supported, it does that for some young girls, too.

EatingWell: What does “eating well” mean to you?

Hamm: It’s whatever makes you happy. In the end it’s saying, “Does this help fuel my body to be the person I want to be today?” Sometimes that’s a cheeseburger and sometimes it's the best salad you've ever had. For me, food enables you to connect with people and it brings back a lot of amazing memories for me growing up, whether it be with my mom or my sisters during the holidays. In my family, everything was homemade, so we tried to show our love for each other through the food. That's what I still try to do today with my family. I love cooking and our kids have a pretty diverse palate, which I'm grateful for.

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This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Read the original article on Eating Well.