Road Trip Eating

While travelling by road, rail, air or sea, you might find that your choice of eating healthy food is severely curtailed. The main reason is that most joints that dish out food to travellers concentrate more on their turnover of food rather than ensuring that the dish has the right nutrition. So, it depends on you to locate and choose the dish that not only satisfies your taste buds, but also provides the right fuel for your body.

The basic problem in eating healthy food during travelling is that you might tend to lose control over food, which may be due to eating home-made food for a long time or if you lay your eyes on some local delicacies along the way. If you cannot resist the temptation of trying out various delicacies along the way, then at least try to limit the quantity by sharing the dish with your loved ones. In addition, try to have items with less junk and more nutritional value, and are light on the stomach. If you are travelling by road and need to have your breakfast at a small service station, then do not order fried bacon or deep fried eggs in any form. Instead, order for asandwich or cereals with hot or cold milk. In case you order eggs ensure that you stick to boiled eggs or an omelette with lightly buttered toast.

Ensure that you and your children eat nutritious snacks along the way. Instead of eating French fries or chips that have high salt and fat levels, pack whole wheat bread with peanut butter or cheese slices and protein bars along with fresh fruits or fruit juices. Avoid coffee and tea. Assorted nuts such as walnuts and cashews make for good in-between snacks. These food items will keep your children busy and will also save a lot of money along the way. Check the road map and try to locate any other restaurants along the way, where you can get access to healthy food. Ensure that you choose the right salads and fillings, since not all the ingredients are low in calories.

Even if you are travelling by train, plane, or ship, try to do a mental calculation of the calories and check out the positive and negative aspects of any dish, before ordering it. Try sticking to baked, boiled or roasted dishes instead of fried ones. If you are having lunch along the way, then go in for a light soup followed by dishes containing white meat instead of red meat. Ensure that you have adequate side dishes containing vegetables or salads to complement your meat dish.

The key to eating healthy during travelling is to avoid the temptation of stuffing yourself along the way. You should eat food that keeps you alert and thus enables you to enjoy your travel, instead of making you sluggish. By keeping an eye out for healthy food and sticking to your resolution of eating only sensible food, you can enjoy your journey, while remaining healthy at the same time. 

Daryl Conant, M.Ed.