Eat right on the Road! continued.....

At the hotel—

Accommodations do not always have the intentions on caring for a persons “healthy diet”. Most of the foods served are processed in factories and shipped throughout the nation. It is always best to prepare your meals in advance or try to follow these guidelines:

·         Make use of your hotel kitchen- Some hotel kitchens are equipped with a full-sized refrigerator and freezer, microwave, stovetop, coffee maker, toaster, and cooking supplies such as pots, pans, dishes, and utensils. If you are planning on staying in one place for a long period of time, it is best that you find a local market to buy healthy choices and prepare meals for you stay.

·         Avoid the continental breakfast- Like mentioned above; this breakfast usually contains foods that are processed with unnatural additives and preservatives.  However, if this is the only choice, choose your whole wheat breads and raw fruit. Some places even offer yogurt and parfait but make sure to check the label.

·         Research restaurants in the surrounding area— Ask the front desk about restaurants in close proximity. Some offer healthy eating options that will allow you to indulge in take-out or delivery.

At the restaurant—

With traveling, comes dining out. There are usually endless possibilities on a menu but the correct choices may not be the easiest to find. Mentioned below are a few tips on how to order wisely.

·         Eat accordingly- As you know, breakfast is the biggest meal of the day followed by lunch.  Dinner is the smallest meal because it is eaten so close to going to bed. Choose the amount of food you eat based on what meal of the day it is.

·         Start off with an appetizer- Even though some of the choices are limited, restaurants are now including raw or grilled vegetables and salads as appetizers. Choose a healthy appetizer and enjoy. The potential of eating a high caloric meal is less if you include the appetizer in your meal.

·         For breakfast- Look at the menu. Do you see a healthy options category? You do? Perfect! UTILIZE IT! Most of the options under this category are low caloric, organic, and gluten free. Any of these options are best. If you decide to choose on your own, ask how your food will be cooked and substitute (ex. have your eggs cooked with real butter and not oil, ask for wheat bread instead of white, ask for honey or agave nectar instead of maple syrup).

·         For lunch- Skip the beef and go for something with fewer legs.  Chicken and fish are going to be your ideal source of meat for this meal. Add a salad and steamed vegetables and you have a meal. If these sides are not available, always choose a side that seems more “raw” than a casserole, like vegetables or rice. The fewer ingredients in it, the better!

•   For dinner- Think light. Being the smallest meal of the day, attempt to order lower caloric items that will satisfy your stomach. You might even try to order what you would have for lunch just in the smaller portion. If that is not offered, then eat half of your meal and save the others for tomorrow.
  
  
  
  
  Fast food restaurants next??.. OK.. PERFECT!