Fitness Nutrition Forums

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

Although tempting, your travel snacks do not have to resemble the snack aisle at the grocery store.

Whether you're road tripping it or traveling by air, you have to be prepared. Many just consider what clothes to bring, how much money, IDs and the other miscellaneous stuff that keeps us entertained and charged up. But what about your food? It's so easy to overindulge and use the excuse of limited choices. Sometimes it's really true. However, if you put in a bit of time, you can stay on track and keep the indulging to a minimum.

Get Online

If you're traveling by air, start your research. You know what airline you're flying to find out the terminal and what food places are located around there. You can carry your options on your flight instead of trying to find something during the trip. If you want to wait for the flight, you can still do a little research. Availability can change but there are usually some lighter options available for purchase.

If you're traveling by car, you can still plan ahead. Take a look at your route. How often do you have planned stops? Can you make them coincide with a bigger travel center or a stop with a few restaurant choices? We all have those unforeseen bathroom breaks, but you can plan ahead for gas stops and meals. Plan where you'll eat and even what you'll have so that you aren't tempted by those higher calorie options.

Snacks

Maybe this brings about visions of Little Debbie, Hostess and the ever popular bags of chips. Yeah, they're convenient, taste good and don't need a refrigerator. But will they help or hinder you reaching your goals? If it's a one-day road trip, you can bring a cooler. More than one day? Find out if the hotels you'll stay at have a fridge so you can bring snacks like yogurt or even hummus. Pack up the fruit, veggies, whole grain crackers, or even your favorite bars to bring on the road, or on the plane.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

This one is tougher when you travel. If you have a middle or window seat on a plane, you don't want to get up seven times. If you're in the car, you don't want to stop every hour. But hydration is important, and you don't want to neglect it completely. In the days leading up to your trip make sure your fluids are on point. On travel day, stay hydrated by sipping throughout the day. When you are in your hotel, or home later that day, start drinking more steadily to get your water in.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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