When I am traveling, I find it so difficult to stay on track with my healthy eating and to take care of my body. It is easy to fall out off the wagon completely and eat junk food while you are traveling. While this is okay in moderation, it is essential to fuel your body with nutritious foods. I often find myself having to detox or get back on track when I get home if I don’t prepare for traveling. What I have found is a healthy balance with treating yourself and staying on track while traveling. I wanted to share my tips and tricks while traveling because not to toot my own horn but I have some pretty good ones!
My biggest tip when it comes to eating healthy while heading out of town is to prepare foods before traveling!
I hate to go in blind with no healthy snacks or meals available as it makes me so anxious! When I am flying, I will try to eat a filling meal before heading to the airport and then I will bring a healthy snack along with me. Some of my favorite healthy items to bring are an apple with an almond butter packet, berries, a salad, raw almonds, or chopped veggies with hummus. I focus on foods that I know will satisfy my cravings when I am surrounded by the tempting junk food which is everywhere in airports and while on the planes. So, I like to keep it simple and let me tell you it feels so good when you whip out your apples, and almond butter and everyone around you is super jealous! I always give myself a little pat on the back for being so prepared LOL.
I know this isn’t always easy due to time crunch or lack of options, but I can always find something healthy before boarding. If you have a more extended layover, I suggest going to the international terminal because they often have more healthy restaurant options and choices. If I don’t have much time, I will usually grab a salad, or a piece of fruit (usually a banana because they are protected by there feel from preservatives and chemicals).
Preparation also means avoiding processed airplane food.
I never rely on the airplane food to be healthy or taste good, I suggest packing a meal or getting something healthy if at all possible. Airplane food tends to taste gross, be loaded with salt and tends not to be healthy. Sometimes you can get healthy choices, and if you can that’s awesome, but I wouldn’t plan on it.
Recently traveling home from London, I didn’t plan ahead because I was tired, and to be honest very lazy. I had a small breakfast that consisted of coconut nut yogurt, granola, and coffee, however, that didn’t hold me over for long. At the beginning of the flight, I had a few pieces of fruit and roasted almonds, while this is not terrible for you it is still packaged and preserved foods. Later on the flight, I was starving and said “EFF” it and gave into the ham and cheese croissant they served at the end of the flight. I didn’t feel great, and I knew if I had packed a healthy option I would have been fine. However, I did drink three bottles of water and around six cups of water as well! I should have gone to a local store before leaving for the airport and purchased an apple or fruit as well as a salad before the flight.
If you do eat the airplane food, don’t get down on yourself,
just compensate with lots of water and then a clean meal once you land! Some simple meal ideas to bring on the flight would be a large salad(s) (best if you make them yourself) with greens, loads of veggies, some form of protein, and a light dressing (Primal Kitchen has incredible dressings!). Healthy muffins (Pinterest has tons of recipes) and Coconut yogurt with berries are great for an early morning flight.
I also always try to avoid all the fun packaged foods! In the airport and on the plane it’s easy to eat things that are packaged because they are quick and easy. Many of this Items such as chips and pretzels are loaded with sodium that will dehydrate your body and make you bloat. I know this can be difficult, especially if you are in a hurry. Preparation and bringing snacks with you is going to help you avoid the fun packaged foods that you might reach for if you are hungry! However, if you have to purchase airport snacks, go for the nuts…LOL (unsalted).
Along with preparation comes the most important tip of them all…DRINK YOUR WATER!!
Ya ya, drink water… when isn’t this one of my tips. I make sure to hydrate an efffff ton before the flight and drink more while I’m on the plane! I know this can be annoying because you need to pee tons while on the plane, but it is essential. In fact, I’m used to the weird stares now because I get up every 30 min to go to the bathroom. I think to myself hahaha I’m the most hydrated person on this plane LOL. So why should you be chugging that H20, well your body gets even more dehydrated while in the air! I always bring a big reusable water bottle and then I purchase large smart water when I get to the airport to help me keep track of how much water I am drinking. (aka I try to drink at least 1/2 of the big smart waters an hr).
The rule of thumb is for every hour you are in the air to drink 16 ounces of water (2 cups). I know this can be hard, so try to have at least three to four glasses of water before your flight, and only get water when the cart comes around. This means no sodas, juices, or sugary drinks because they are going to dehydrate your body more and cause you to bloat due to the sugar.
I always am trying to get my family to drink more water on the plane, and they hate it when I am the water plane police. Of course, when we get off the plane and they are not all “bloated” they thank me!
Favorite Water Bottles:
Traveling can completely throw you off track, and leave you feeling dehydrated and bloated. Being prepared allows you to make healthy choices giving you the best way not to make unhealthy decisions. I hope this post helps you for the next time you travel! Until next time, thanks for Hanging With Haley!