Sticking to Your Diet While on the Road

Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, resist taking a vacation from the smart eating strategies you follow at home.

Start off on the right foot at the airport by bringing a small baggie of your own homemade trail mix with a few different kinds of nuts and dried fruits. Buy a salad or sandwich to eat on the plane so you’re not tempted by treats sold in flight. Both in route and at your destination, stay hydrated to feel fuller, prevent overeating and fight off fatigue. Overindulging in alcoholic beverages does just the opposite.

For a road trip, pack a cooler with protein-rich sandwiches, cut-up vegetables, non-fat yogurt, whole-grain chips and fruit. That way, you won’t need to load up on the high-fat, salt and sugar options typical of rest-stop convenience stores.

When you arrive at your destination, buy these same smart choices at a local market so you can stock your hotel’s minibar for quick, healthy breakfasts and mid-afternoon snacks.

At restaurants, look for healthier choices on the menu and don’t be shy about making special requests, such as having a protein selection grilled or asking the chef to leave off a heavy sauce. When you want to try new cuisines with unaltered preparations, limit your portion size to avoid overindulging.

Exercise to offset unavoidable calories. If traveling for pleasure, get out of the tour bus and walk when sightseeing and, if your hotel has one, schedule daily 20-minute workouts at the gym. If you’re on business, squeeze in a walk before your first business meeting of the day.

Of course you want to relax some of your everyday rules when you’re on an adventure, but don’t throw all caution to the wind or else the souvenir you take home could be an extra 5 pounds.

More information

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has advice for avoiding junk food pitfalls along every part of a trip.

Source: HealthDay