When you travel, it can be a bit of a challenge to eat healthy. Fortunately, with a bit of planning, you can make it easier on yourself and your stomach. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, when you travel, try to stick to foods that are common in most places and that are easiest to obtain. The key is to rely on foods that are the least perishable and most common. Depending on how you'll be traveling, there are a few ways to help you keep your diet on track.
Carbohydrates
The most essential food you'll need during traveling will be your carbohydrates. The easiest, healthiest and most durable carbohydrates will be fruits. Apples and oranges will be your best bet. Not only will they keep for long durations of travel, but they'll pack the biggest nutritional bang the most other fruits. The fiber in apples will keep you regular and the vitamin C in oranges will keep you from getting sick. The fructose in both fruits will prevent low blood sugar and keep your energy levels high. You can usually find apples and oranges everywhere, domestic and overseas. All vegetables and fruits are recommended for the bulk of your travel diet.
Fats
For healthy fats, your number one food will probably be peanut butter. All natural peanut butter has the healthiest type of fat and packs a large amount of calories in fairly small amounts. Nuts of any kind can also be used. Stay away from the excessively salted kind, since eating them will make you extremely thirsty during your trip. There are other types of fats, but most will be inconvenient unless you have a grocery store nearby or are constantly eating out. Fish, olive oil, avocados and other fats are not recommended foods during your traveling.
Protein
Protein will be the hardest food to come by while you're traveling. If you're traveling by car, then packing some sandwiches may be an option. Lean turkey or sliced chicken breast are your best bets. Bread for sandwiches should be whole grain. Usually, sandwiches only last a day or two if you have an ice chest with you. Other sources of protein are nuts. Be aware that nuts have high amounts of fat, so you may not want to get all your protein from them while traveling unless you don't plan on eating very much throughout the day.
Considerations
Your travel diet will mainly depend on how you are traveling and where you are traveling to. If you are traveling somewhere by car in the United States, you will have little trouble finding stores that sell basic sandwiches and fruits. If you are traveling by plane, then you can pre-pack your foods in case the plane food isn't the healthiest choice. If you are traveling by ship, they typically have a buffet open 24 hours a day with fruits and vegetables ready to eat for their guests. No matter where or how you travel, you can't go wrong with a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, lean meats and nuts.
References
- "ACSM's Resources for the Personal Trainer"; American College of Sports Medicine; 2010
- "Sports Nutrition Manual"; National Federation of Professional Trainers, Mark P. Kelly et al.; 2006
- "American Council on Exercise Personal Trainers Manual"; Cedric X. Bryant; 2003
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