Between hotel rooms, fast food stops, and unfamiliar restaurants, how do you continue to eat healthy while you’re traveling on the road? It’s not always easy, but sticking to a healthy diet is very possible. Discover how you can maintain your diet and your travel plans at the same time with these healthy eating tips.
Try these strategies:
1. Plan ahead. The sooner you can start planning, the easier it will be to stay on your diet. Where are you going? How will you get there? What will your schedule be like while you’re there? Once you’ve narrowed down the schedule for your trip, you can begin to plan for healthy food options.
- Do some online research for the locale you’ll be visiting. Where are the nearest grocery stores? Do you see healthy cafes or restaurants? What about nearby farmer’s markets?
- By finding safe and healthy locations that offer food that fits your lifestyle, you can maintain your diet.
2. Select grocery stores over fast food chains. Instead of stopping at a fast food chain and trying to decide how many calories are in the fries or burger, you can stop at a grocery store. Grocery stores are more likely to have delis that offer healthier options.
- Grocery stores offer packaged salads, bags of nuts, trail mix, healthy dips, and other choices. You can usually find cut up fruit and vegetables in plastic containers for sale at grocery stores.
- You may also want to reach for the yogurts, cheese, and smaller containers of milk. Dairy has protein in it, so you’ll feel fuller for a longer period of time. You can find a variety of dairy products in small or travel sizes.
3. Bring your own snacks. If you’re going on a road trip, you can pack a cooler with ice and bring healthy meats, vegetables, fruits, breads, and other snacks.
- If a cooler is not an option, then consider shelf-stable foods that can fit in a bag or purse. Can you find healthy nuts, crackers, or trail mix to fit your diet? What about dried fruits and vegetables?
4. Stay hydrated. It’s important to stay hydrated as you travel on the road. Dehydration can sometimes lead to overeating because your body becomes confused. Bring several water bottles with you or purchase them along the way. This will help you avoid dehydration and cravings for other foods.
5. Avoid simple carbohydrates. You may crave comfort food as you travel, but it’s not always a healthy option. Simple carbohydrates can raise your blood sugar and cause it to later crash dramatically. This can leave you irritated and tired.
- Instead of simple carbohydrates, reach for multi-grain, complex carbohydrates. Add protein such as peanut butter and nuts. You can purchase travel size containers of peanut butter.
- Also, eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day can help you avoid cravings. Try to schedule your stops and get food at the same time. You can avoid cravings by planning ahead.
Being on the road doesn’t mean you have to give up eating healthy. You can still maintain your healthy diet by planning ahead and following these guidelines.
