The summer is a popular time for travel and it can be quite the challenge for those of us making our best efforts to stay healthy. Airports are swimming with fast food chains and over salted airline food with rarely any fresh food options (that don’t cost you an arm and a leg). Also when you are hungry and tired, you’re more tempted to grab whatever convenient foods you can get your hands on.
What’s my trick to avoid all of this added stress? PREPARATION!
Below I share what I do when traveling and strategies on how to eat healthy but still enjoy some of the destination’s delicacies at the same time. Put all these tips into use and I promise you’ll come back from vacation looking and feeling better than when you left!
Pack your own airplane-friendly food items:
- Vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumber, bell peppers and/or rice cakes with a small container of hummus or single serve packets of nut butters
- Pre peeled hard boiled eggs, or egg muffins (recipe below)
- Turkey, chicken or beef, cooked and sliced
- Pre-baked sweet potato fries/wedges
- 1-2 ripe avocados
- Fruits like apples, pears, berries
- Pre-made salad (already dressed so it can pass through security)
- Dried fruit and nuts/seeds mix, portioned in small ziploc bags, or pick up Central Roast brand
- Coconut chips
- Healthy energy/protein bars (Lara Bars, Go Macro Bars, Vega Bars, Genuine Health fermented protein bars, Kewaza, Bounce)
- Oatmeal packets you simply add hot water to
- Protein powder you mix with water
Stay hydrated!
- Bringing a stainless steel or glass water bottle to always fill up with drinking water is a saviour so you don’t have to always buy plastic water bottles.
- Make sure to consume at least 1/2 your body weight in ounces! More if you are in a hot climate.
- You can also bring your own tea to drink during the flight! My faves: ginger and peppermint to aid digestion and chamomile to help you relax.
Bring these supplements for good digestion and a flat belly
- traveller’s probiotics taken daily to keep your immune system strong and digestion in check
- digestive enzymes to prevent bloating from eating foods you’re normally not used to eating
My strategy on how I eat healthy… while still indulging:
- Enjoy a delicacy per day, but not at every meal: Instead of going all out because being on vacation is a good excuse to, look forward to trying one new thing each day instead. Be choosy what you decide to enjoy and eat it mindfully.
- Stick to whole foods as much as possible! Feast on at least one massive salad a day or get at least 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day (raw or cooked), along with a daily greens powder if where you’re vacationing doesn’t have much fresh food. But if it does, this is a great opportunity to try the local produce in the country you’re visiting and benefit from all the fresh flavours!
Lastly, do your best and don’t stress, you’re on vacation after all and your body will function better since it’s relaxed!
Pictured above: A dinner my friend and I prepared in our airbnb kitchen while on vacation in South of Italy last summer. We enjoyed homemade bruschetta on gluten free bread, a big colourful salad coated in olive oil, and fresh cheeses. Delizioso!
Travel Friendly Egg Muffins Recipe
yields: 2-3 servings. Can be doubled to fit a 12 slot muffin tin
- coconut or olive oil (for greasing a non-stick muffin pan)
- 6 organic free range (pasture-raised) eggs
- 1 large pinch of sea salt
- 1 large pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
- 1 cup altogether of: broccoli florets – finely chopped in little bits, red peppers finely chopped, green onion finely chopped (finely chopped veggies ensures a firmer, less spongy egg muffin)
- a couple dashes of spices or herbs, fresh or dried – parsley, basil, chives, dried oregano, cayenne or chilli flakes, garlic
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease the pan with olive oil or coconut oil. Take a bowl and crack all 6 eggs in there and whisk until blended. Toss in the broccoli, red peppers and green onions. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the egg mixture is just set.
If you’re looking to feel and look your freshest this summer then take a look at my 30 Day Spring/Summer Kickstart Challenge!
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