Tips for Healthy Travel Eating

Blog originally posted through WellCats Newsletter

Whether it be for the holidays, work, or leisure, travel can be a challenge when it comes to healthy eating. Not having your typical home comforts, and in many cases being at the mercy of restaurants, room service, or relatives, can make it difficult to make balanced choices. Here are a few tips for healthy eating while globetrotting to help you stay balanced no matter what travel adventure awaits you!

1. Plan Ahead – this may seem impossible for some, but when planning a trip, most people consider where they are going to stay, what fun activities they are going to do, and how they are going to get from place to place. It’s surprising how few of us don’t think to plan some of our meals. Whether it be every meal or just a few, finding restaurants with healthy options can help you save time, money, and keep you feeling good about your food choices. Start by using apps like Urbanspoon – it will tell you different restaurants with different cuisines based on your location. Then check out menus from there!

2. Move More – while we may not always be able to control what foods are available to us, we can more often make a choice to be more active when we are traveling. The more you move, the more you can help to keep extra calories had while adventuring in check. So always be sure to take tennis shoes with you when you travel. They will be a good reminder to get to your hotel gym, walk to sightsee, or go on an evening stroll with relatives.

3. Pack Your Own Snacks – this is a great way to help you help yourself when you travel. Especially when it comes to airport days it can be tough to choose anything of nutritional value, so carrying your own snacks can save you a ton of money and calories. Bagging a few handfuls of nuts, taking some healthy fruit for a sweet, or chopping some veggies for the road can help you meet your daily nutritional needs in a simple, smart way.

4. Stay Hydrated – this is often a problem for people when they travel. We get on the go and forget about taking in an adequate amount of water during the day. Water will not only help you feel more energized and refreshed, but water will help to keep you feeling full and satisfied during your day, helping to prevent taking in added unneeded calories.

5. Look for Whole Foods on the Menu – when traveling, there is often the urge to indulge and have wine, fast foods like pizza, burgers, hot dogs, or splurge on desserts. While all of those things are fine in moderation, the extra calories, sugar, and fat can quickly add up. Best practice when traveling is to look for the whole food choices on the menu and have those foods be your majority. Most restaurants, especially these days, are accommodating to healthier eaters and have options or substitutions available. Instead of choosing the splurge every time, find your whole grains, lean proteins, vegetables, and high fiber fruits wherever you can. These options will help you feel satisfied, keep your calories in balance, and maintain appropriate daily nutrition.