The RADNUT team has always loved travelling. Since we’ve just returned from another adventure, we had to take this opportunity to share our personal tips that never fail to keep us feeling healthy, balanced, and energetic while away from home.
1. Carry a water bottle. The last way you want to spend your precious vacation time is on the hunt for fluids (we speak from experience). If your travel destination is a hot one, refill water bottles at night and refrigerate so you can take cool drinking water with you when you leave your room the next morning.
2. Pack snacks. We have never regretted taking the time to do this. Weather it’s for a flight, a beach day, a hike, or a day of exploring a new city, there will come a point where you become hungry. If you’re not carrying any food with you, it becomes much easier to give into that street-side hot dog stand when your body needs nourishment immediately. Choose snacks rich in fiber and protein such as nuts, seeds, roasted edamame (14 g protein and 7g fiber in just 1/4 cup!), fruit, pre-cut and washed vegetables, high fiber/ protein granola bars, whole grain crackers and cheese, greek yogurt, and sandwiches. These will satisfy your hunger, keep blood sugar stable, and help prevent you from settling for the first thing you see.
3. Eat breakfast “at home.” We know you’re not at home on vacation, but if you have a room with a refrigerator consider having a breakfast before you leave for the morning. Eating out almost always guarantees our choices will contain less fiber and more fat, sodium, sugar, and calories. At least once a day you can limit this, while also saving money and time. Quick breakfast ideas we often use are plain greek yogurt with high fiber cereal and fresh fruit, eggs with whole grain toast and fruit, or whole grain toast with nut butter and a cup of milk.
4. Take a trip to the grocery store. When we are on the hunt for an affordable, nutritious meal, we go to the grocery store. Not only can you find delicious fresh seasonal and local foods here, often we’ve come across wraps, sandwiches, and salad bars which are ideal if you’ve got places to go and things to see! This type of meal will also come at a fraction of the cost of a restaurant meal.
5. Include some sort of vegetables. Don’t forget that these help keep bowels regular, fill space in the stomach, and help make sure we don’t over-eat other foods. Without vegetables at meals, we are more likely to indulge in larger portions of carbohydrates/sugar, fat, and protein. Yes, we all indulge on vacation, but if it happens at every meal, your body and bowels may not feel so great. And do you have time to not feel well on vacation? We didn’t think so!
For more vacation nutrition tips see https://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Holidays/Celebrations/Healthy-eating-while-on-vacation.aspx