As kids, whenever we would go on holidays with our families, it would also imply a holiday from healthy eating. Each trip would result in salty hair, some more tan aaaand… some more weight. Yet, growing up, we realised that if we keep on going at this rate, indulging every meal we eat, we won’t be able to enjoy our holidays at all when we feel sluggish and tired from too much sugar or fried food. Doing our research and testing things out during our holidays, we came up with 8 tips to maintain a healthy diet while travelling.
DISCLAIMER: Before we dive in, we want to assure you that our definition of healthy doesn’t mean you are not allowed to enjoy the local cuisine or have a delicious gelato (Italy, we’re talking about you here). The trick is, if you eat healthier during your holidays, you’re more likely to save money and afford a qualitative local cuisine when you choose to dine out.
Have healthy snacks at arm’s length.
When you hit the road, be it by car or plane, you are more likely to feel the need for snacks. If you don’t plan in advance, it’s easy to get tempted into buying junk food from a gas station or airplane services. But worry not, we’re here to give you some ideas:
- Nuts
They are tasty, convenient, and can be enjoyed on all kinds of diets. You have a wide range to choose from: almonds, brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts. Some of the advantages they have is that they are packed with nutrients, loaded with antioxidants, may reduce inflammation and are high in beneficial fiber. - Natural nut butter
Just like nuts, it has the same benefits and it goes well with a banana, an apple or even forest fruit (we actually put it on everything). But be careful with quantities- 1 tablespoon of peanut butter is the equivalent of 100 Kcal. To have a reference, “a somewhat active woman who weighs 145 pounds (65,7 kg) needs about 1,950 calories a day to keep a steady weight.” (Harvard Health Publishing) - Homemade Protein Energy Bars
These or the low-in-sugar ones are a great way to keep yourself energized and prevent hunger. The reason why we think the homemade ones are a better option is because you basically choose what to put inside them and you can create one with your favourite ingredients. Here are some cool recipes created by the talented Dana a.k.a Minimalist Baker. - Fresh fruits
It goes without saying that seasonal, fresh fruits are an amazing source of vitamins that will fill you up and keep you going. You have literally a ton of alternatives, so choose your weapon and hit the road! - Veggies and homemade hummus
An underestimated snack choice. Cut out veggies are great to have around, especially when you’re in the mood for something savory. You’ll find different micro-nutrients than in fruits and enjoy something fresh and tasty. Our choices? Carrots, cucumbers, peppers and celery. You can find our homemade hummus recipe in our Instagram highlights.
Plan to cook for yourself & buy groceries from local markets
Cooking for yourself is a great way to maintain your healthy eating habits and save some money at the same time. Restaurants will most likely add some extra oil, salt and sugar to make their dishes more “selling” and tasty. Unfortunately, oftentimes this coincides with a less healthy meal. While it’s tempting to “spoil” yourself and eat out for every meal with the sole reason for being on holiday, we advise you to think twice. If you think about it, you’re already ON holiday, you are already enjoying some time off and exploring a new place.
Cooking shouldn’t feel like a chore. It could be a fun activity to do with your travel buddies or partner. Scouting local markets can also be a great insight into the local culture, how people behave, what they eat. Looking for markets and planning your meals in advance is a great way to make this an easy and great experience.
Scope out restaurants with nutritious stuff ahead of time
Since I (Julia) am 99% plant based, researching in advance is pretty much mandatory. This is also great advice if you don’t want to fall into tourist traps. There are so many overpriced restaurants around famous sites, and when you’re hungry, nothing seems to matter anymore, right? We love planning in advance many aspects of our trips, and researching restaurants is definitely a major one. During our lifetimes, we fell into enough tourist traps and ate less tasty food due to a lack of research. Lesson learned.
TIP: Our favourite way to find hidden gems is to search blog articles on Pinterest. This technique never fails as people’s honest feedback is way better than any app.
Try to maintain your regular eating times
When you’re travelling, it’s easy to get messy with your eating patterns- there’s jet lag, lack of sleep, cravings.. However, trying to at least keep your usual breaks between meals can improve your overall experience. “Eating inconsistently may affect our internal body clock,” says Gerda Pot, PhD. It’s recommended that you don’t skip meals and to make sure that you are never too hungry, as you will be more likely to find your comfort in fast food or to snack around.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
With around 60% of your body and 80% of your brain made out of water, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that water is essential to our survival, energy and mental clarity. When you’re travelling, it gets increasingly difficult to get those 2-3 litters on the go. You’ll most likely forget about your thirst as you’ll be too busy running around.
A great trick is to bring a reusable water bottle everywhere— it will save you money and it’s better for the environment. In touristic places, there are plenty of water fountains you can get a hold of. Our reusable bottle is Chilly’s Bottles thermos. Chilly’s have so many different models on their website, and even though we spent quite an embarrassing time choosing ours, we went for the classic mat black. One thing we love, is that it maintains the heat during winter adventures as hot tea is more than welcomed, while during the torrid summer days it keeps our water icy, just as we like it.
Instead of airplane meals, bring your own.
Let’s face it, if you’re travelling on a budget, the airplane company you’re flying with will most likely have poor quality food choices. Even if we let aside the nutritional aspect, the meals are simply untasty and overpriced. A simple solution is to bring your own cooked meals. Of course, there are some limitations on what you can bring (i.e. just don’t bring a homemade soup). But most of the time, you can cook delicious meals that don’t take too much time and which won’t cost you the world.
Commit to eating veggies with almost every meal, even when you’re dining out.
It sounds like a simple solution, but adding veggies will most likely boost your vitamin intake. Besides, with any meal, if you switch one of the sides with fresh/baked veggies (i.e. french fries for baked vegetables) you’re more likely to have a better digestive experience. This switch alone will also lower your calories intake.
Have that pizza/ pasta/ pastry/ ice cream (you name it!) you’ve been dreaming of!
Forget about all of the above once in a while and have some fun. Part of a healthy diet is a healthy mind. If you put too many restrictions you might end up stressing too much and not enjoying the local cuisine at all. A culture also speaks through its food. If you go to Italy, have that pasta, pizza or gelato! They are of a kind! If you visit France, enjoy “le croissant”, “le baguette”, “le fromage” (cheese) and a glass of their famous red wine! Life’s too short to cut off everything. Balance is key! Our rule of thumb is to eat “clean” 80% of the time and let go and enjoy the other 20%.
We hope this blog post can help you guys reach a new level of health and happiness and we are excited to hear more about your experiences and tips in the comments below!
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