Although at times it may not feel like it, spring and summer are sneaking up right around the corner. For many people this means more traveling. It may be a quick day trip or a 2-week long road trip across the country, but as the weather gets warmer more people leave behind their winter hibernation habitats to hit the road.
If you’ve gone on any sort of trip, you know that eating healthy while being away from home can be hard. You don’t have access to your own kitchen (or any in that matter), your normal daily schedule is way off, and temptations from unhealthy food seem to be everywhere. At the end of a long day of traveling, it might just seem easier to hit up the drive thru – but we’re here to give you quick tips to resist the greasy food and instead fill up with good wholesome foods during your travels.
We’re not going to tell you that it’s necessarily easy to stick to a healthy nutrition plan while traveling, but we will tell you that with a little time and preparation it can be done.
Just like you take time to pack clothes and toiletries, take time to prep and pack good and nutritious foods for meals and snacks while you are away. If your trip is longer, do your research to find out which foods will stay good throughout your travels, as well as at room temperature. For example, nuts and seeds, bags or cans of tuna, protein powder for quick shakes, and “individually” wrapped fruits like bananas, apples, or oranges are perfect foods for travel.
If you don’t have time to prep or pack food, there are other ways to eat healthy while traveling. Look for local farmer’s markets at your destination and plan to buy snacks and/or ready-to-eat meals there. Use the wonderful tool that is Google to find local restaurants in the area that support/buy from local farms and serve fresh food.
Staying on track of your nutritious health plan will make you feel more energized during all of your adventures, and you won’t come home feeling guilty. With all of this said, please remember that life is too short to pass up that ice cream cone after a long day on the beach, or a nice cold beer after a tiring hike. Balance is key. Enjoy!