Eat right on the Road!

Traveling? Keeping track of your diet while on the road can be somewhat difficult. Accommodations do not always cater to the average healthy diet and convenience stores have so many choices the healthiest choice isn’t always easy to find. So what are some ways that you can maintain a healthy diet while being away from home? I have included a few tips and ideas to help you create your own “on the road” dieting plan.

Before hitting the trail—

 I suggest packing your favorite healthy snacks to eliminate the road hunger pangs, increase energy, and boost awareness.  It is helpful to have a cooler available for items that cannot beat the heat (such as cheeses and some raw vegetables).

Some of these snacks can include:

·         Nuts (almonds, macadamias, peanuts, cashews, brazilian nuts, walnuts, pecans)

·         Dried fruits (such as raisins, apricots, peaches, cranberries, bananas, etc.- be careful to notice if these items include sugar)

·         Raw vegetables (carrots, celery, etc.)

·         Peanut butter for dipping

·         Favorite energy bar or protein bar (Clif, Lara, Luna, etc.)

·         Cheeses (look for cheese made with skim milk)

·         Whole wheat/grain crackers (Original Triscuits, Wheat Thins, etc.)

While at a convenience store—

Try to have a very narrow mind at what you would like to buy here. Don’t forget that you already have snacks out in your vehicle so only intend to purchase items that would compliment your healthy snack choices. Drinks and snack refills should be the more common thing to buy at a pit stop.

·         Bottled water (flavored water can sometimes be sweetened with an artificial sweetner)

·         100% Juice Drinks

·         V8 (Vegetable juice or fruit juice)

·         Fat free milk

·         Sweetened/Unsweetened tea

·         Trail mix (some contain milk chocolate pieces that are high in calories)

·         Nuts

·         Energy/Protein bars (be careful to look at the ingredients as some bars contain unhealthy ingredients including refined sugars such as maltose and dextrose, partially hydrogenated oils, and even MSG.)

Tips and guidelines while eating out and at the hotel soon to follow! :)