Some people claim that it is extremely difficult to eat healthy while traveling. Earth Fare completely disagrees.
Regardless of the number of fast food restaurants on the road, or in the airport, healthy eating while traveling IS possible! Here’s how:
- Eat Healthy BEFORE travels. Filling up on a good, hearty meal filled with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and proteins before traveling will help stabilize your appetite. If you are not ravenous when you hit the road or get to the airport, that sticky bun’s sweet woos won’t have much success.
- Hydrate! Make sure you drink enough water while traveling. A lot of times, people mistake thirst for hunger. Carrying water has become difficult especially at airports, but as soon as you get through security, make sure to get some water and drink up!
- Pack your own food! This isn’t always possible (depending on your reason for travel), but with a little planning, bringing your own food ensures you won’t eat fast food or airplane food. Pack some fruits, unsalted nuts, or a sandwich with lean meats/vegetables in your carry-on or in a cooler for the car. If you’re traveling for business, stop by a local grocery store and pack some healthier options before you hit the airport.
- Healthy Snacks. Pack some baby carrots, other cut vegetables, and fruits in your carry-on or car.
- Find a Grocery Store on the Road. Finding healthier options may be worth a slight detour. When stopping for gas, do so off the highway and stop into a grocery store to find some fresher, healthier options.
- Think fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Whenever making food choices, fill up on these food items before anything else. The protein and fiber will keep you fuller longer.
Watch out for those pastries at a hotel continental breakfast bar
If all the above is not possible, follow the tips below to avoid pitfalls.
At the Continental Breakfast Bar:
- DO EAT: fresh fruit, whole grain cereal with low-fat milk, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs.
- AVOID: the sugary muffins, breakfast pastries, sugary cereals
At the Rest Stop:
- Single-serving cereal cups. Who said cereal was just for breakfast? When you’re in a bind, choosing a whole-grain single-serving cereal cup with low-fat milk is a good choice.
- Protein Bars. Watch the sugar levels, but this is much better than a chocolate bar!
- Nuts. Try to find packages of unsalted nuts. The good fats, protein and fiber will keep you fuller longer.
Take it from someone who knows…this is no simple task!
Plan ahead…especially if you have children.
When traveling by car there are no options at rest areas or interstate exits…if you have time…research LOCAL restaurants and grocery purveyors ahead of time so you can plan a stop for food.
there are sometimes some great downtown fruit and vegetable stands. There’s one in Chicago just a block from Millennium Park – great place to get quality food for a picnic.
I pack a small cooler for the drive, filled with yogurt, fruit, low-fat cottage cheese, and other such things. When I arrive at my destination, I almost immediately go to the grocery store to stock up on my standard items. My host(ess) is generally happy to accommodate a few added groceries in the fridge, and I try to choose hotels with refrigerators in the room. Because I travel the same routes frequently, I also keep a list of good restaurants (those with healthy options) on my phone, along with the exit number and the town. Most large-scale chains have good salad options topped with grilled meat or fish. As much as I hate to patronize them, it’s not always possible to find a locally owned option.
Before we left for out 1400 mile road trip, I was concerned about eating out and finding gluten free food. I packed fruit and vegtables and Gf cookies and snacks for the road but we did eat out. I also packed GF cereal for breakfast just in case.
Chili’s has a gluten free menu, you have to ask for it but it is worth it. Reasonably priced and very good.
Wendy’s offers a good baked potatoe and cesear salad, leave off the croutons!
Hotel continental breakfast offers fruits, yogurt and eggs.
It was not as hard as I thought it was going to be.
there are sometimes some great downtown fruit and vegetable stands. There’s one in Chicago just a block from Millennium Park – great place to get quality food for a picnic.
Take it from someone who knows…this is no simple task!
Plan ahead…especially if you have children.
When traveling by car there are no options at rest areas or interstate exits…if you have time…research LOCAL restaurants and grocery purveyors ahead of time so you can plan a stop for food.
Take it from someone who knows…this is no simple task!
Plan ahead…especially if you have children.
When traveling by car there are no options at rest areas or interstate exits…if you have time…research LOCAL restaurants and grocery purveyors ahead of time so you can plan a stop for food.
I pack a small cooler for the drive, filled with yogurt, fruit, low-fat cottage cheese, and other such things. When I arrive at my destination, I almost immediately go to the grocery store to stock up on my standard items. My host(ess) is generally happy to accommodate a few added groceries in the fridge, and I try to choose hotels with refrigerators in the room. Because I travel the same routes frequently, I also keep a list of good restaurants (those with healthy options) on my phone, along with the exit number and the town. Most large-scale chains have good salad options topped with grilled meat or fish. As much as I hate to patronize them, it’s not always possible to find a locally owned option.
What a great resource!
those tips are really helpful. i am thinking that the tendency if you don’t pack your own food, you might end up buying foods that are unhealthy for you. at least if you are the one who will prepare the food to eat, you may manage to choose those that are nutritious.
bariatric surgery
Good tips! We did this over the summer for our family vacation. Money’s tight and eating out for a week just wasn’t in the budget. Did we raid the continental breakfast? Sure, plenty of “to-go” fruit and cereal to be had for later snacking (and my kids thankfully prefer bran muffins over sickeningly sweet ones). On top of eating better, we ate a lot cheaper. For the road trip and camping portions of the trip, I packed lots of granola, dried fruit and nuts, single serve juices and milks and enough perishables as we could eat in a day in the cooler. We found the closest grocery to hit up daily for most of what we needed. 2 adults and 2 teenagers fed for around $15 a day. I don’t think we could have made it out of McDonalds for one meal for that much.
you can take an EMPTY bottle through security. you then fill it at the water fountain outside the restrooms. voila! you have saved yourself much money and dehydration.
traveling in an airplane you are captive. it can take a long time before they come through offering beverages. I ALWAYS carry herbal tea bags as you can get hot water in many places.
enjoy this website!
I have packed our meals for trips this past year. What a difference! I cannot tolerate food colors I have recently learned and it is not good for my children as well. Now, I read all labels and if I cannot pronounce an ingredient I just will not buy it. We have saved money and as long as you make a good organized list ahead of time, you can pack a great, healthy trip for your family. So worth the time!