Fly Away with Proper Nutrition
Traveling is fun, but sometimes eating in a on the road can be challenging and frustrating. Eating healthy can be hard enough when you are in your own home with a kitchen, the grocery store right around the corner and recipes at your fingertips. Traveling adds a new set of nutritional diversities including bad airport food, even worse plane food, and likely, no kitchen to cook for yourself. Maintaining a healthy diet while travelling will help provide you with the energy to remain productive, energized, and in a routine. While traveling, the goal is to keep your macronutrients in check (carbohydrate, protein, fat), get plenty of fiber, and plenty of water.
Traveling can cause dehydration which is most often masked as hunger. Learning to hydrate properly and determine the difference between hunger and thirst can aid in your quest to travel healthy! Although you cannot bring your own water through security, I highly recommend bringing an empty water bottle and fill it up when you get through security. If you start your trip out dehydrated, it is nearly impossible to catch up! Staying hydrated will help prevent fatigue, dehydration, and overeating.
Convenience foods tend to be mostly carbohydrate choices, so locating healthy fat and protein additions can often present a challenge. While traveling you are eating foods you are not used to, you are getting used to a new climate, and are often forced to eat what is available. It is important to always be prepared and to bring snacks along that you can have “just in case”. As you pull out your suitcase to travel, you may consider adding a few of these items inside!
High fiber snacks:
- Cereal: Kashi or Cheerios (lower sugar, higher fiber)
- Fiber One Bars
- Soy chips
- Portable fruit (apple, banana, grapes)
- Dried fruit
- Whole wheat tortillas
- Popcorn
High Protein Snacks to bring:
- Turkey/Beef Jerky
- Luna Bars, Lara bars, KIND bars, Pure bars, and Bumble bars, Quest Bars
- Tuna cans/pouches (do not open on plane!)
- Individual peanut butter packets (or Justins almond butter)- look for natural, no sugar added
- Dried edamame
- Protein powders (bring your own and mix it there!)
- Nuts
- Individual hummus packets with veggies or pretzels
High Protein Snacks to find for your hotel room:
- 2 pieces deli turkey with 2 pieces of reduced fat swiss cheese (24 grams protein)
- 1 serving cottage cheese and grapes (26 grams protein)
- 2 oz soy nuts and 4 figs (22 grams protein)
- ½ cup edamame (28 grams protein)
- 3 oz beef jerky (24 grams protein)
- 1 cup greek yogurt with fruit and 1.5 oz almonds (25 grams protein)
High Fiber/High protein combos (2-in-1)
- Trail mix (with nuts and dried fruit)
- Whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter
- Kashi Go-Lean (high in fiber and protein)
- Whole wheat tortilla and hummus
- Apple and peanut butter
And Remember….
Happy Travelling!
Heather Heefner MS, RD, LD, CLT is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian who blogs at www.thefittestfuel.com. Heather is passionate about helping people establish a balanced lifestyle by leading by example and is committed to spreading the truth about food to help people live life to the fullest. Heather believes that nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated…but with a little practice it becomes habit! Visit her website for more information about her services.