Inspired by my trip over the New Year’s vacation, I wanted
to share with you my thoughts about eating healthy while on the road. It’s
pretty easy to eat healthy at home when you have a fridge, an oven, a blender
and such to help you, but you might not have any of that stuff when traveling.
It is important for me to eat well even during trips and I’ve found that with a
little bit of thought and preparation, you can do pretty well to prevent weight
gain and stay properly nourished!
1.
On the road. Plan ahead: it might be close to
impossible to find food that is not a candy bar or chips at gas station mini
markets. Fast food is also much more readily available than anything else, but
it really is not the food to eat, unless it is an emergency. Airports are
beginning to have juice bars etc., which are a great option if your wallet
allows it. With air travel, when it comes to fresh food, fruit, like cuties or
bananas are easy to take with and also easy to eat, requiring no extra tools.
Carrots are also convenient. Other than that, nuts, granola bars and dried
fruit are useful to have around as well. My favorite thing to bring along was
mashed fruit baby food, but with the no-liquid policy, I can’t have them
anymore. Bummer.
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| Oatmeal is my favorite breakfast even when traveling |
2.
Breakfast. If your hotel offers breakfast, it is
a great idea to pick the oatmeal or boiled eggs rather than go for the waffle
or white bread. Fruit are also often available and provide you with plenty of
nutrients in addition to few calories. Starting the day right can help you stay
energized throughout the day. One year I was traveling in Europe and most
places I stayed in did offer breakfast, though not a very nutritious one. What
I did was carry wheat bran and ground flaxseed and I sprinkled this on my
cereal or toast.
If free breakfast is not available, there
are many ways to make it healthy at a restaurant. Again, oatmeal is a great
choice, but other than that, an omelet with plenty of vegetables is a great
choice, too. If you must have something sweet, have one pancake or piece of
French toast for dessert, rather than as the main item. And by the way, Jamba
Juice offers oatmeal and tasty yogurt and granola cups, making it a good
breakfast place option. Bagels are another good choice if they’re made with
whole grains and filled/eaten with vegetables and lean protein.
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| Such good cauliflower they have in Bulgaria! |
3.
Lunch and dinner. It is very tempting to think
that while on vacation, you are justified to eat whatever peaks your fancy.
Trust me, this happens to me all the time. I believe that you can do this some
of the time, but your body and your gut will thank you if you put a little bit
more thought into meal/restaurant choices. In my experience, vegetables are not
usually the main players at restaurants, except for salads and perhaps appetizers.
If this is so, it is a good idea to choose that side salad or appetizer. In
Carlsbad, CA, I had a slice of pizza for example, but for an appetizer I picked
curried cauliflower with aioli. It was delicious and I really didn’t even want
the pizza afterwards, as it was satisfying enough on its own.
4.
Snacks. Hunger tends to surprise me more than I
like to think. That is why I always carry a ton of food with me, not just
during trips. My staples are nuts and dried fruit, and perhaps a raw granola
bar as well. As mentioned above, bananas, cuties and carrots are great snacks, which
I often take with me to school. It really pays to plan ahead as it is not fun
at all to be unable to enjoy a cool place fully because you are dying of hunger
and no food is available! This has also happened to me multiple times.
5.
Drinks. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water.
It gets tricky when you don’t know the next time that you’ll have access to a
rest room, but it is important to stay hydrated. Especially if your meals haven’t
been the most fiber-rich, dehydration can cause unpleasant gastrointestinal
problems, if you know what I mean. Water is my go-to drink and I rarely drink
sweetened beverages. Keep a bottle of water with you at all times.
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| Yes, I had this in LA along with а veggie burger... But the next day I went to Veggie Grill and had а salad |
6.
Strike a balance. In a new place, you definitely
want to try all the cool new dishes you won’t have a chance to try anywhere
else. Just know that traditional dishes may not always be just meat, cheese or
refined grains, many cultures have awesome vegetarian and vegetable-rich
dishes, too. In Bulgaria, this is very true: they have many delicious salads
and dishes like zucchini in a garlic sauce, or filled bell peppers. In
addition, in Budapest, I found an excellent vegetarian restaurant – Napfenyes
Etterem (http://www.napfenyesetterem.hu/) that offered traditional Hungarian
dishes (I loved their stuffed cabbage). The portion was U.S. style, meaning
enormous, but it was very nutritious.
7.
This brings me to another subject: what to do
when the dishes are very big? During a trip, it might not be possible to take
what you can’t finish with you, as you might not have a fridge to keep it in,
or you don’t want to carry it around during sightseeing. I wouldn’t recommend
finishing huge portions, as overeating can lead to unnecessary weight gain and notable
discomfort (been there). I recommend either splitting the dishes with whoever
is traveling with you, or if not possible, just leaving it. I’m very much
against food waste, but at times like these it can be necessary. Also, even
though upon ordering you might feel like eating a horse, it is a good idea to
start small and order more if still hungry.
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| Enormous, but nutritious |
I love to travel, but I often dread what happens to my
eating. I’ve been able to improve using these tips above and I hope you can,
too! No more weight gain during trips (and remember, staying active also helps)!
Thanks for reading till the end, this was a long one. Go ahead, you deserve a snack now - you know how to do that well now too!
Till next time,
Anna-Kaisa
