Eating Healthy When Traveling:
How To Make Smart Choices
When it comes to traveling, people find it hard to maintain a healthy diet on the road. At other times, you are stuck in an airport, courtesy of delayed flights. On these occasions, the craving for junk foods such as cheeseburger and fries is strong, and you could be easily tempted to go for the cheap and fast meals. However, most airports have started providing healthier alternatives. Currently, at least one of the restaurants in the busiest airports offer a vegan meal.
Depending on your destination and the means of transport, there are several preparations you can make to ensure you eat healthy during your trip. Here are some things to do before and during the journey.
Pack your food
Most hotels in towns do not sell real food such as vegetables, and fruits since it is not as profitable as selling fries, candy bars, and snack cakes. Also, the food sold in most restaurants contains Gluten and other sensitive products.
Before leaving your home, it is important to decide what type of food you will take while traveling. Identify the type of foods that are likely to make your journey uncomfortable. Know how much food you are likely to take on your journey in case you plan to carry packed foods.
Depending on the distance you will cover and the space you have for carrying food, pack several perishable and non-perishable foods. Perishable foods should be carried in a cooler. Remember to carry gel ice packs to ensure your food is cold throughout your journey.
If you want to maintain your food in a fresh condition, carry it in airtight plastic or stainless steel containers. Some of the perishable foods you can carry on your trip include raw milk cheese, pre-made salad, hard boiled eggs, and meats such as chicken and shrimp. Ensure you carry foods that can pass through security. If you are taking a long flight, dry foods are the best. You can also go for travel-friendly foods such as fresh fruits like oranges and apples, nuts, as well as seeds.
If you have limited time to prepare food for the trip, you can go for the pre-prepared dietary meals such as NutriSystem. Unlike other diet programs, NutriSystem is low cost and has a good taste. There are several dietary plans from which you can choose. Some of the plans include NutriSystem Vegetarian, NutriSystem Advanced, NutriSystem D, and NutriSystem Nourish. The NutriSystem diet is rich in proteins but has low carbohydrates. To make the meal tastier, you can add your favorite nuts and muffins.
When you travel with prepared food, you will need reusable plates, forks, table napkins, and a small knife. This will reduce the costs incurred to purchase plastic utensils during the trip.
Hotel selection
Choose hotels that provide a mini-fridge in the lodgings. You will house healthy foods in your room and also save some dollars by bringing your meals as opposed to eating at the hotel. If you are searching for a hotel to spend your vacation, search for hotels that are close to grocery stores. The closer the market, the more the chances of maintaining a healthy diet. When taking meals at the hotel, use the menu to see the meals offered in the hotel. You can also search for hotels that provide paleo diet before.
Take healthy drinks
During your trip, it is advisable to carry a bottle of pure water from home. Public water supplies can contain unwanted toxins and parasites such as giardia. Also, bottled water is not a safe option. Research shows that 25 percent of the bottled water is merely tap water, sometimes without further treatment.
Research your options
Before traveling, survey the airport restaurants and the meals offered. Most of the nutrition information is available on the airport’s website. Some of the airports go an extra mile and list the healthy meals available at their restaurants.
Get healthy snacks from airport stores
If you are late and cannot take a full meal, there are healthy snacks you can grab at the airport’s store.
Suppress the craving for unhealthy foods
No matter how strong your craving for junk and unhealthy food is, you can always suppress it as you travel. Avoid fast foods as they will make you feel sluggish and lazy, which is not the right mood for a trip. Avoid a bottle of alcohol or limit the amount you take at the airport bar. Alcohol will make you dehydrated and sluggish.
Sometimes it is inevitable to eat out when traveling. However, do not throw away all logic when dining at a restaurant. Taking too many wrong things could lead to stress, which is the last thing you want when traveling. Stress impairs the digestion process leading to stomach upset and weakening of the immune system.
