Don’t let traveling de-rail your diet!
This weekend, my family and I were supposed to fly to Wilmington, North Carolina from New York and I was super excited to blog about the healthy choices available in airports for travelers. However, due to inclement weather, at the last minute, our flight was cancelled! We decided to make the drive to Wilmington instead, and so, I decided to blog about healthy choices for road trips! Road trips can be long and boring, so the last thing you want is to feel gross and bloated from fatty, greasy, salty snacks.
If possible, I suggest starting with a quick workout before a long trip. Since you’ll spend the majority of the day sitting, it’s a good idea to start your day off with some movement. In addition to this, when you’re at a rest stop, take a quick walk around just to get a couple of extra steps in. Since we weren’t leaving until 7:30 AM, I was able to get up early and get a 4 mile run in to help me wake up and get me feeling energized for the trip.
Before we left, I made sure I was prepared with my water cup filled (and a few extra water bottles on the side) and a much needed iced coffee. Of course, since we were on Long Island, home of the best bagels ever, we made a stop at a bagel store for some delicious fuel before we left. I got a whole wheat bagel, scooped out, with grilled chicken, lettuce and brown mustard. This provided me with a good mix of carbohydrates and protein post run. Getting the bagel scooped out is an easy way to decrease the calorie count while still being able to enjoy a bagel. I ate half when we got on the road and had the other half a few hours later.
I also packed a few snacks for the road.Normally I would have a whole drives worth of snacks planned for the 12+ hour trip, but since we only had a few hours to prepare, I had to throw together a few things on the fly. I made sure my snacks included whole grains, protein, and healthy fats to help keep me satisfied throughout the trip. Throughout the trip, I had a serving of pistachios and a serving of chick peas to hold me over between my meals. When planning for car snacks, choose things that are easy to eat, with minimal clean up. Popcorn is a quick, low calorie, whole grain. Nuts and seeds have protein and healthy fats to help you feel full. You can eat them plain, or include them in a homemade trail mix. Try one with a cereal like chex or cheerios, nuts, dried fruit and dark chocolate chips. If you bring a cooler, part skim string cheese with whole grain crackers, yogurt with granola or hummus and veggies are great snack ideas.
When lunch time came around, we decided to stop at Panera. I chose to order a you pick two. The greek salad, with dressing on the side so I could add only the amount that I wanted, and the black bean soup with a whole grain roll was the perfect choice. This allowed me to have a complete meal with protein, veggies and carbohydrates.
Since my parents always have an array of healthy snacks in the house, it was easy for me to grab a few snacks for the trip. I know not everyone has that option, so I did some healthy snack searching while on the road for all of you!
Grab a package of hardboiled eggs or yogurt for a dose of protein. Steer clear of yogurt with fruit or on the bottom or pre-maid parfaits as they may be packed with added sugar and unnecessary calories. Instead, make your own parfait with fresh fruit, 1/4 cup of low sugar granola. Looking for some fruits and veggies? I found plenty of pre-sliced options and even some whole fruit stands. Some vegetables even came in small platters with hummus, a great protein source, for a snack with multiple food groups. If you can’t find a platter with hummus included, look for the snack size hummus cups and dip veggies or whole grain crackers into the hummus instead of pretzels. Pre-packed, salt free nuts are a great combination of healthy fats and protein to help keep you feeling satisfied. In addition to those, there are always granola bars. My new favorites are NuGo’s Fiber D’lish bars, full of fiber and whole grains to keep you full and sweetened with fruit juice!
Overall, it was a long, but great trip! I was prepared with healthy snacks and never let myself get too hungry, which allowed me to stay on track with my healthy eating and feel great the whole ride down!