Eating healthy on the road doesn’t have to be a challenge
With the weather warming up, many of us will be traveling soon. Do you have a trip coming up? Perhaps a long-awaited vacation? Business trip? Maybe something completely different?
No matter where you’re going, you’re probably going to appreciate some quick and easy healthy food ideas. These can help you stay on track and help you bring, and find, real food. While these tips can all be used right here at home when you’re out and about, they can be even more important when we’re traveling. Traveling can throw our regular healthy habits out of whack when we’re skipping time zones or even just away from home and our normal routines.
As a health coach, I have such a sense of pride when my clients (and even me!) are equipped with the right tools to enable them to skip junky convenience foods and make healthier choices. Let me give you some great strategies that can help you make healthier choices while you’re “on the road.”
Pro Tip: When booking your hotel room, ask if you can have one with a mini-fridge. This will help you store some of your healthy snacks and groceries while you’re there.
Bring Healthy Snacks
This is so important because not only will it keep you from becoming “hangry” and settling for fast food or junk food, it can also hold you off until you’re able to stop at a farm stand, grocery store, or health market for real food!
Here are a few of my favorite on-the-go snacks to have on hand in your bag and/or cooler:
- If you’re going to have a cooler, or eat them within a couple of hours, try fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, sliced apples, and blueberries are some of my personal favorites) or hard-boiled eggs (don’t forget the ice packs).
- Unsalted nuts and seeds (I love walnuts, cashews, and pumpkin seeds myself).
- Dried or freeze-dried fruit (I love dried mangoes. Watch the sugar content on these, though).
- Kind Bars or Organic Bars of your choice
- Sliced veggies (carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, etc.) with a dip (hummus, guacamole, salad dressing, etc.).
- Good quality protein bars (or make your own before heading out).
- Good quality granola.
- Savory snacks like roasted chickpeas.
- High-quality protein powder to make your own smoothies (a couple ideas are Vega or Sun Warrior). Be sure to also pack a mini blender, like a Magic Bullet, if needed.
- Don’t forget your drinks. Bring some water with you. I love to infuse my water by adding slices of cucumber, lemon, and/or orange and sometimes a few sprigs of mint. If you’re flying, choose water in the airport and on the plane.
Finding Healthy Food On the Road
Of course, you can always Google your destination and search for grocery stores or healthy restaurants, but there are a couple of websites and apps that may be helpful for you:
- Healthy Out – An iOS app that helps you find restaurants that cater to your dietary preferences, whether you choose to eat vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-carb, etc.
- Food Tripping – Another iOS app designed for road trips, this app helps you find local alternatives to fast food.
- Yelp – An app for either iOS or Android that provides user review and recommendations for restaurants and local businesses.
- Local Eats – Another app for either iOS or Android is great for those who prefer local eateries over chain restaurants.
Key Takeaways
For many of us, traveling can mean eating unnecessary junk food that can lead us off-course and temporarily derail our healthy lifestyle. Planning ahead and being prepared can be simple and help keep our health goals on track even when we’re out and about!
