How to eat healthier when traveling.

Hectic schedules, heavy traffic, emotional stress, long stretches of driving, and long days can leave us living on auto-pilot.

how to eat healthier when traveling.

1. Eat mindfully.

   Before you eat, take a moment to note how you’re feeling. Are you thirsty, anxious, bored, tired or actually hungry. By understanding why you’re ready to eat (and what you’re craving) you can more easily curb unhealthy choices and set yourself up for feeling good your entire trip.

2. Drink more water.

1. It’s always important to stay hydrated, and when you’re traveling you can often be thrown off your typical schedule. Make an effort to drink more water while traveling instead of reaching for coffee that can leave you jittery, or sodas and juices that can be loaded with sugar. It will improve your focus, alertness, decrease feelings of sleepiness, and keep your digestive system in good order — and help you avoid empty calories.

   Pro tip: Invest in a reusable water bottle or thermos (or two) and make your own designer waters. Add springs of mint, lemon, cucumber, basil or any other combination.

3.Don’t get hangry.

Start your day by eating breakfast and plan to eat a healthy snack every 3-4 hours. This will not only set the tone for your travel day, but ensure you don’t get caught having to choose unhealthy options that will likely leave you with a sugar crash later — or bickering about something that doesn’t really matter.

4. Be portion aware.

1. More doesn’t always mean better. If you’re ordering at a restaurant you’ve never been to, ask what the portion sizes look like. It might make sense to share, or order something extra so you’re not left staring at sad looking salad. Work to fill 1/2 your plate with veggies, 1/4 with whole grains, and 1/4 with some sort of heart healthy protein like beans or tofu. Order fruit for dessert and split something sweet for a special treat.

5. Eat colorfully.

Take note of what colors of foods you’ve been eating and add items to make the meal as colorful as possible to get all the nutrients you need. Think more greens, oranges, reds, and blues and less gray, white, and brown.

6. Watch out for unhealthy sugar and salt loaded “healthy” options.

Read package labels, choose whole foods, stay away from heavily processed meats and meals. If you order a soda, stick to just one and don’t do refills. Order you dressing on the side.

7. Choose nuts and fresh fruit instead of Granola Bars or cookies on a Plane.

Loads of sugar can be hiding in what seems to be healthy options. Look for dries fruits that have no sugar (or sweet juices) added. Avoid granola bars with high levels of sugar, or fruit juices (like apple or orange juice) that can often have just as much sugar as a can of soda. Instead, opt for whole food snacks, like apples, bananas, oranges and nuts.

8. Put healthy sides together to create your meal.

Can’t find any “healthy” options on the menu? Check the list of appetizers or sides. Often you can put together a delicious meal by ordering several sides and mixing them together on your plate. For example, order a side of rice, beans, veggies, guacamole, and a leafy green salad. Ask for a wedge of lemon or lime for your dressing and you’re set.

9. Bring a cooler and your own snacks.

One of the best ways to ensure you eat healthy on a trip is to bring your own food or snacks. While it takes some planning (and often some chopping) having hummus and veggies, peanut butter and apples, a low-sugar trail mix, nuts, or just some whole fruits or veggies can make a trip a lot more enjoyable. You might even pack a protein power, like Vega, to have an easy way to fuel your day.

Pro tip: Pack more than you think. Then you can share and won’t be tempted by convenience store options.

10. Check out the local grocery store.

While it can be hard to find fresh and healthy snacks in convenience stores, more and more grocery stores have pre-prepared healthy meals (or meal bars) to choose from. Fill up your cooler, or your hotel mini fridge with healthy snacks or meals when you get to your destination. If you will have the time to cook — or even make breakfast — think about renting an Airbnb or a hotel with a small kitchen.

11. Be compassionate.

If you end up eating something not-so-healthy, don’t beat yourself up about it. Travel can be difficult and sometimes we don’t access to the options we want and sometimes we really want a chocolate lava cake. Be curious about why you made the decision and how or if you’d make different choices — without judgement of yourself — in the future! You could also use Gretchen Rubin’s tip and divide the day into quarters. If you “mess-up” in one quarter you still have 3 more to make healthy choices. Every bit counts!

Check out more mindful living articles.