Healthy Eating While Traveling

Eating healthy when you are traveling can be tough. It is helpful to plan ahead. Below are strategies to help you.

Hotels

• Order healthy breakfast foods individually (a la carte). This will help you avoid the temptations of a buffet-style meal.

• Have breakfast in your room. Bring fresh fruit and mini-boxes of cereal. You can keep a small container of low-fat or skim milk cool in the ice bucket overnight.

Car travel

If you have a long ride ahead, buy snacks before the trip. This will help you stay away from high-fat food choices on the road. Some good snack options include:

• Prewashed fruit (apples, pears, bananas, or grapes)

• Whole-grain crackers or pretzels

• Whole-grain bagels

• Plain popcorn

• Fig bars

• Low-fat or nonfat yogurt

• Hummus

• Baby carrots or ready-cut raw veggies

• Dried fruit

• String cheese

• Unsalted, raw nuts or seeds

• Homemade trail mix

• Beef jerky

Airplane travel

• Think ahead. Pack healthy snacks that you can carry through security. Most of the items listed above can be packed in your carry-on bag.

• If you are not able to pack healthy options, buy healthy food at the terminal and bring it on the plane. In most airports, you can find whole-grain sandwiches, premade salads, fruit cups, precut veggies, cheese sticks, and fat-free lattes.

• Many airlines offer peanuts or pretzels. These are already preportioned to limit your serving. Pretzels have fewer calories. But peanuts have protein and healthy fats that may satisfy your hunger longer.

• Be smart when choosing a drink. Have water, low-fat milk, vegetable juice, or whole fruit juice instead of soda, alcohol, or caffeinated drinks.

• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink on the plane. Alcohol provides calories with no nutrients. It can make you hungry and dehydrated. Try mineral water with a twist of lemon or lime instead.