Vacation season is coming, but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon your healthy eating habits while traveling. With a bit of planning and preparation, you can maintain your nutrition plan and still have fun on your trips. It’s all about staying healthy!
Traveling is enjoyable for most people, but finding healthy food options can be quite challenging. Road trips, in particular, can make it even harder, with fast food joints at every turn. Before you know it, your car can be filled with paper bags, cups, and other junk.
To keep your travel experience healthy, try packing a cooler on your next road trip. This allows you to bring along healthy snacks like cut-up veggies with homemade dip or hummus. Fruits like apples, pears, oranges, and clementines also make great snacks. A cooler will help keep these foods fresh and they’re far healthier than a drive-thru order of fries.
Dried fruit is another excellent travel snack because it doesn’t need refrigeration. It’s a sweet yet healthy alternative to candy. Just be sure to check the ingredients and avoid added sugars since fruit is naturally sweet.
Avoid making fast food joints your go-to option while traveling. Do some research before your trip to find restaurants along your route that offer fresh meals with local ingredients. These places not only provide nutritious meals but also support local farmers and communities. When dining out, consider ordering a side of vegetables with your main dish instead of typical sides like French fries or bread.
If your trip involves staying at a hotel, choose one with a mini-fridge. This allows you to keep your snacks fresh for when you hit the road again. Also, check what kind of breakfast the hotel offers, as sometimes you can get a healthy, free meal to start your day right.
Skip the disposable cups from fast food places and stick to water. Bringing a reusable water bottle makes it easy to stay hydrated. You can refill it at rest stops or restaurants along the way. In addition, pack some eating utensils like knives, forks, and spoons to enjoy your healthy snacks with ease.
Airport food is famously overpriced and unhealthy. Packing your own food can save money and keep you on track with your nutrition. While there are restrictions on what you can bring through security, many items like sandwiches, sliced fruits, veggies, and hard-boiled eggs are generally allowed. These options can provide healthier in-flight snacking.
Pre-measuring your snacks before the trip can help manage your portion sizes. It’s easy to eat mindlessly on a long journey, so putting snacks like homemade trail mix, pretzels, crackers, peanuts, almonds, and even chips into single-serving bags can help you control your intake.
Eating healthy on the road may require a bit more effort and planning, but it’s definitely achievable. Plan ahead, prepare your food, and commit to eating what you’ve packed when you get hungry. This way, you won’t have to rely on greasy fast food, and your body will thank you for it.