Holiday Traveling Eating Tips

 I bet many of you’ll be traveling in the next few days for the holidays. Today, I’ll be stuck  in a car for 4-5 hrs (more like 6 hrs+ in the rain!) driving to Massachusetts to see my family. Since I’m not a “car person” AND my boyfriend gets agitated in traffic, I often have to fight the urge to get junky snacks at rest stops … foods I normally wouldn’t eat. Traveling often leads to not so healthy food choices due to STRESS, boredom or just lack of healthy options. So whether your travel plans include trains, planes or automobiles, you’ll need to do a little planning to overcome these food hurdles. 

As we all know, holidays are associated with eating and drinking. So the last thing you want to do is to arrive at your destination having stuffed yourself with gas station or airport junk food. This will only set you off for continued overeating. So here are some planning tips:

Car and train:
If you’ll be traveling by car or train, make sure you plan ahead and bring some healthy snacks. Waiting too long in between meals will only backfire and cause you to get too hungry by the time the next food stop arrives. Over hungry = poor food choices! So plan some healthy travel snacks:
– nuts (mini bags for portion control)
– fruit
– beef jerky (good source of protein, though it is high in sodium)
– energy bars (my fav are Kind bars, Chia warrior bars)
– bags of carrots
– mini containers of hummus
– bonbell cheese
– individual packs on peanut butter/almond butter    pic credit
If you want to bring a cooler, you have more options including yogurt and healthy sandwiches.

Roadside dining
You’re not going to find quinoa and wild salmon at a rest stop on I95, so you’ll have to make the best of the situation. You can find at least a somewhat healthy choice at almost all fast food stops. For example:

– Subways 6″ whole wheat turkey with extra vegetables
– Subways salad with low fat dressing
– Food Mart: greek yogurt or small bag of nuts and a fruit or string cheese and a banana
– McDonalds grilled chicken on a bun  or salad with grilled chicken and low fat dressing

Airport
Most airports have healthier options so there is really no excuse for making decent choices. If your flight is delayed and stress skyrockets, skip the pastry and coffee at Starbucks and get a healthy snack and plain tea instead  (and not a Grande Chai Tea Latte for 240 calories!) The caffeine and sugar will only fuel your stress.

Bottom line is that traveling does not have to mean poor food choices. Plan some healthy snacks and stock up on water.  But keep in mind that you burn minimal calories sitting on your butt in the car/plane/train, so don’t overdo the healthy snacks! Another tip is to bring plenty of good music or electronic gadgets to entertain you. I plan on bringing a few nutrition webinars to watch, along with headphones to keep me calm and stress free from the likely weather/traffic delays and grumblings from my travel companion! 

Happy Holidays to everyone! Safe travels.