If you travel for work or pleasure, you know that sometimes healthy food is hard to come by. Or I should at least say that there are so many temptations that the healthy options seem few and far between. Being prepared is 75% of the battle when it comes to eating healthy while traveling. It definitely requires a bit of planning and a specific nutritional strategy. Luckily, with a little extra work, you can stick to your healthy eating plan. These 8 tips for eating healthy while traveling provide some solid ideas for staying on track while travelling.
1. Location – When choosing a place to stay, it’s all about location. Let’s say you’re traveling for work and you’re in the same place for at least a few days. Finding a location that is close to healthy resources is crucial. Is there a grocery store nearby that you can buy healthy snacks and/or meals from? Are there healthy cafes or restaurants within walking distance to grab a bite? It’s easy to make up the excuse that you can’t eat healthy on the go when there aren’t good options in your area. Don’t make that your excuse. Choose as wisely as possible to be successful.
2. Accommodations with a kitchen or kitchenette – One of the best ways to ensure healthy eating when traveling is to have access to some kind of kitchen. Extended stay hotels, vacation rentals and Air B&B are great options if they are convenient to your location. If a kitchen isn’t available, a fridge in your hotel room is a great alternative for some healthy options. The point is that if you have either a kitchen or a fridge, you have the ability to stock up on good snacks and simple meals. Things like fresh fruits and vegetables, bottled water, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, natural peanut butter, rotisserie chicken, and canned fish are fantastic options that are easy to store and don’t require a lot of prep work to make a quick meal or snack.
3. Ship items ahead of time – Another strategy would be to pre-ship your favorite haberdashery to your location. Protein powder, beans, nuts, canned tuna, bread, and oatmeal are all things you could have sent ahead of your arrival to keep you waiting for some healthy options.
4. Carry a cooler – Carry your health food around with you. Fill a cool box with your favorite healthy snacks, sandwiches, bottled water and whatever you need for the day. This option works well if you can drive to your location and bring your cooler with you. When you fly you need a collapsible cooler to pack in your suitcase.
5. Research area restaurants – Do your research before you go. Even if you have access to a kitchen or refrigerator, you may still want or need to eat some meals. Find out which restaurants are in the area and what menus offer healthy options that interest you. You can plan any trip to one of these restaurants and know what you’re going to eat when you walk through the door.
6. Protein Powder – Protein is often the hardest thing to come by. Eating healthy on the go becomes a lot easier when you can bring some protein powder with you. Even if it’s a backup, if you can’t find a viable option, you know you have a good protein source to go to. Sometimes your healthy eating strategy may require a combination of options. For example, finding fruits and vegetables can be easy, but finding a source of protein can be quite expensive. In certain cases, protein powder can fill in the gaps.
7. Supergreen Supplement – Getting the right amount of veggies when traveling is often very difficult. This is the perfect time to incorporate a great supplement like Amazing Grass, Green Defense, or Greens+. A dietary supplement is just that—a way to supplement your diet. While this shouldn’t be your mainstay for eating vegetables, it can always be used to increase your micronutrient intake and include some greens in your diet.
8. Bring Homemade Snacks – Bring home-made, non-perishable snacks. Homemade granola or protein bars, protein muffins, kale chips, and homemade granola or trail mix are great grab-and-go options. If you have healthy food with you, chances are you’ll be eating that healthy food instead of looking for the junk stuff.
If you’re going to notice it (or maybe you already have), the common theme here is that you need to be prepared. If you’re committed to a weight loss goal, a health goal, or just want to make sure you’re eating quality meals, you need to set yourself up for success. Eating healthy while traveling is totally doable, but it takes a bit of planning and strategy to make it work.
Thanks to Margot Rutigliano
