I’m back!
Thank you so much again for being patient with me during our travels. It is going to be a crazy start to the month, but I have today and tomorrow to catch up and then get ready to head to Chicago this weekend.
The views were beautiful driving back yesterday.
I love fall and the changing leaves. They make the drive a little more bearable.
I drove a majority of the way so that Wes could get some good studying in for his upcoming Medical Board exam.
I hope you enjoyed Megan’s guest post yesterday. She is one of the awesome people I have had the privilege of meeting through blogging!
I decided to focus my post today on eating healthy while traveling.
My husband and I have made many trips back and forth between here and North Carolina as well to various cities for marathons. It is always such a great time, but I always struggle with healthy eating.
I don’t know what it is, but long car rides just make me want to eat anything and everything in sight.
I have over the years developed a few healthy tricks that I use when eating on the road or eating out.
1. Pack foods to take with you.
I have only started doing this the last few trips, and I cannot tell you how much this helps!
On our most recent trip back home I packed:
Bananas and apples
Kashi and Clif Bars
Almonds
Have you ever tried the Honey Dijon Almonds? My husband loves them!
None of these are really fancy foods, but when the craving hits in the car after 6 hours of driving I know I have some quick, easy, and healthy items to turn to.
This also saves a bunch of money as we are not spending money on snacks every time we stop. We actually made the drive down to North Carolina and back with only two stops each. That is record time for us!
2. Try to plan out your stops ahead of time.
The good thing about most of the trips that we go on, is that we have done them before (if not several times).
This allows us to know when and where to stop along the way. We try to have a tentative plan and an idea of which stops we are going to take, so that if we do need to stop for food that we aren’t surprised by what is there.
If you are traveling on a turnpike, for instance the West Virginia Turnpike we traveled on back home, you can actually look up eat travel plaza along the way and what they offer.
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We use this to make sure there is something healthier we can order and it helps us plan out our stops ahead.
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I know some people hate planning, but I can’t tell you how much benefit it offers when you are trying to stick to healthy eating on the road.
3. If all else fails, you CAN find healthy options on fast food menus.
The husband and I try to avoid fast food as much as possible. Usually we can avoid it, but sometimes it is inevitable depending on where you are traveling.
When we do eat fast-food we try to stick to healthier places like Subway.
We were starving after our trip yesterday and were trying to make good time so we hadn’t stopped for dinner until right before we got home. I opted for a turkey sub (no cheese), tomatoes, lettuce, banana peppers, and pickles on whole wheat. I got a 12 inch because of the price and saved the other half for later.
When we do find ourselves having to visit a McDonalds, Burger King, or other fast food restarauant I usually do one of two things:
-I select a salad (dressing on the side)
-I order a grilled chicken sandwich and often will take the chicken out of the bun (or tell them to leave off the bun).
I use the sides I brought with me, such as an apple or banana, instead of ordering fries.
Again, they aren’t optimal but there are ways to eat “healthier” fast food.
4. Never feel bad about asking for things made a certain way.
I used to always be scared to ask for restaurants to make my food a certain way. I figured that if I changed anything from how the meal comes it will make them upset. Not anymore!
My husband and I always make fun of each other because I don’t think there is ever a time when we don’t customize a meal.
Here is an example:
This is a dish I get at a local restaurant.
The normal dish is grilled tilapia on a bed of white rice with potatoes on the side.
Every time I get this dish I asked that it be fixed without rice and instead of potatoes steamed broccoli.
If you wanted to make it even healthier you could also request the meal be made with less oil or butter, but I didn’t feel the need to on this dish.
The point is don’t be scared to ask for food to be made the way you want it! You will be surprised how most restaurants are more than willing to make it the way you ask.
This also works with fast food while traveling, don’t be afraid to ask for grilled chicken without the bun or to make a sandwich in a healthier way. If they can’t do it, they will tell you!
5. Drink water. Lots of it.
I always bring a couple bottles of water in the car with me as well. This keeps me from grabbing a soda at every gas station we stop at.
Water does so many amazing things for your body besides hydration, and cannot be stressed ENOUGH!
Well that’s it! Those are my healthy tips for traveling and eating while on the road. There is no magic solution, but if you take the right steps you will find it is much easier to stick to healthy eating!
What are your tricks to eating healthy on the road?
Great tips! Travel is one of the key areas people fail when trying to be healthy – yet it can be easy and much less expensive to be healthy.
– Water is ABSOLUTELY critical like you say! Pack a cooler of some sort with water bottles. Non-disposable are best, of course, because of the horrific environmental impact of water bottles in landfills … but it is really important to keep hydrated. Since the body can mistake thirst for hunger, we can end up in a tail-spin of eating poorly when a bottle of water would have taken care ofthings.
– Fast food – you list some great options, but it is also important to note the ‘dangers’ – mayonnaise, sauces, processed meats (cold cuts in general are not great, but mystery meats like salami or pepperoni are really bad). Also, be very careful with salad bars and the ‘healthy’ options on fast food menus … they are often lower in fat but at the cost of tons of sugar.
– Packing snacks. There is nothing worse than being really hungry, 3 hours away from your destination, with nothing in the car … at a highway rest stop. Options are much better now thann years ago, but you are still much better off with a mix of home-made and grocery store snacks. Fruits are a must, carrots and celery as well. We have found that a mix of salty, sweet, and fruit/veggie options along with waters and maybe a soda is a great solution for us and our teen boys.
Glad you had a good trip! Enjoy your couple of home days!
Completely agree about the fast food dangers! Even though I know the meat at Subway is cold cut we typically will choose it over other fast food options. I always make sure to limit sauces – the only sauce I ever get is mustard and I stick to Turkey 99% of the time.
It is amazing how much money you can save by simply packing ahead of time and bringing your own snacks 🙂
Great tips you provided here as well! I am looking forward to my two days to catch up but I still feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off 🙂
I’m all about Starbucks and Subway when traveling – I can get my soy lattes and veggie subs and I’m set! 🙂 I also pack snacks too – apples, bars, nuts. Great tips and have a blast this upcoming weekend!
Oh yes, we can’t forget Starbucks!! I didn’t get to have Starbucks on this trip, but there were several coffee stops along the way in order to get through the drive! 🙂
Thanks!! I am looking forward to being in Chicago, but it is nice to be home for a few days to catch up!
Love this. It took me YEARS to master this, and everything you do– i do, so it’s great reinforcement. 🙂
Yes it does take some planning, but it is so worth it in the end! When you finally figure it out it makes the trip so much better and you don’t feel awful when all the healthy habits you have worked at are thrown out the window! 🙂
These are really great tips, I agree with every one of them! If you plan in advance, you definitely can make a car trip healthy. Only problem is that I usually take the water drinking seriously … which means I couldn’t have made the drive with only 2 bathroom stops haha! I would also recommend a quick 2 minute stretch whenever you do stop, to get the blood flowing again – sitting for so long is tough on your body! Glad you made it back safely and have a day to recover before Chicago!
Oh yes – stretch stops are a MUST! When we stop I always have to go to the bathroom so bad since I too am taking the water one too seriously!
Looking forward to a two day rest here to catch up on everything! Chicago should be great though! 🙂 Hope you are having a great week!
Right with you Megan … I am every bit the ‘bathroom inspector’! I need to stay hydrated to keep focused on longer drives, which means hitting rest stops. I know people who would take 12 hour trips with kids and only make a single stop … no clue how THAT works, only that the guys were very authoritarian about it. Personally my bladder doesn’t work that way 🙂
Stretching is also very important – and now that I have two teens >6’2″ in the back seat … it is more important than ever!
great tips!! I make sure I always pack gum– keeps your mouth busy! 🙂
OH yes! I left this off my list too! I am the queen of gum 🙂
I like to bring fruit and crackers with me. But I make sure not to pack too much. I am a big “boredom eater,” so it would be so easy to just snack and snack and snack while in a long boring car ride. But if I pack sparingly then I can eat when I am hungry but am forced to be good.
I know all to well about the “boredom snacking.” I do this more than I want to admit! Yes, being able to limit the amount you have with you is a must!
That is definitely an issue for myself and my wife. She is a terrible ‘bag of chips’ person … whereas my issue is peanut butter M&Ms. Fortunately when I am exercising regularly I don’t crave those (conversely, when my thyroid quit my exercise drive died, and I got to my second heaviest ever).
What I do now is have unsalted pistachios at my desk – in the afternoon if I am at my desk and want something, they are good for me, but also require me to take hands off mouse & keyboard to open them. Means a couple of dozen will spread across a half-hour.
Yes we all have our “battles.” I am candy person and I really have to stay far away from it. There are also certain foods that “trigger” this addiction I have to be careful of. It is all about knowing how your body works, and of course giving in from time to time 🙂