Four nutrition hacks for the traveling rider
By Jeffrey Stern
Let’s be honest, traveling makes it hard to stay on top of a healthy diet. However, if we’re being completely honest, travel also isn’t an excuse to throw out all the good habits you’ve developed at home. To make the transition to travel eating a bit easier, we’ve come up with these 4 hacks to keep you on your nutrition track even when you’ve got to be on the go more often than not.
1. Proper prior planning
Before jumping on a plane to who knows where to do some quick research. Find the markets, coffee shops, and restaurants that will have more or less what you like and need. The mini-fridge in your hotel room for the extended weekend can hold more than you think. Stock up on the must-have perishable items once you’re in town, but before you land on your bed for a quick post-travel nap.
2. Pack your favorite snacks.
Dried fruit, nuts, individual peanut butter packets, honey sticks, a bar or two, and maybe a little indulgence (whatever your vice may be) are good to have on hand at all times. A solid selection of the things that make you tick at home will do wonders in making the road feel like home. They won’t perish, so if you bring too much on trip number one, roll them over for trip number two on the calendar.
3. Bring a water bottle.
This may seem obvious, but how many times have you found yourself stuck drinking out of little plastic cups or the water fountain? It’s hard to stay hydrated this way, especially during flight travel. Yes, they’ll make you dump out what you have leftover before going through security, but refilling it on the other side and keeping the liquids flowing during the entire trip will go a long way to keeping you feeling like your normal self.
4. Get yourself a small, insulated lunch box.
Pack it like you’re a kid again, throwing in all your favorites. The insulation, with a little ice pack, can keep food cold for a day’s worth of travel, and then you have more than just snacks to keep you going. A sandwich or salad in a Tupperware, a couple of pieces of fruit, some crackers and cheese–whatever it is that works for you, throw it in and go. Bring your reusable utensil and a cotton napkin and you can have yourself a little picnic anywhere you are. Before heading home at the end of your trip, hit up the market, and create another to-go lunch. It sounds kind of silly, but it’s fun, way less expensive than eating at the airport and you’re far less limited with what you can eat.
Eating while traveling doesn’t have to be hard on your tummy, diet, or your wallet. With a little bit of planning pre-trip, you can keep your nutrition dialed while eating your favorite at-home food and snacks, but on the road. Think of it as bringing a piece of comfort pie from your house with you wherever you go. It will feel like you never even left the tranquility of your own kitchen.
