When it comes to eating healthy while traveling—the struggle is real.
Traveling is fun, exciting, tiring, and sometimes hard on our digestive system. We are often drinking more alcohol, consuming more sugar, eating a ton of bread (—me!), and most likely not eating vegetables. I get it, why would we… this is vacation we are talking about.
When planning that epic vacation, most of your time is dedicated to where you are staying, your transportation and what excursions or activities you are going to do. All important stuff, but groceries, food, menus or cooking tends to be lower on that list. However, if you want to maintain a healthy lifestyle while in travel mode and keep that body of yours nourished, then some advanced planning and prep is definitely needed.
The good news is, whether you’re traveling for work, vacation, or out of the country, there are some simple, yet effective strategies that will help you continue to eat healthy while traveling in order to maintain balance and reduce stress to our bodies. In turn that means you can enjoy more of your vacation.
If you are someone who wants to stay on track, enjoy an occasional treat, but still be able to feel comfortable in your bathing suit, then keep reading. This is for you!
As I type this info out, my family and I are somewhere over the Atlantic ocean traveling from Iceland all the way to Los Angeles. I have a good amount of time to lay it all out for you so that when you head out on your next adventure- big or small- you have all tips to help you stay on track.
Side note: this is going to be heavily geared towards life in a camper van. However, these tips can apply to any sort of traveling you do.
In this article I will cover the following:
- How a family of four lived in a camper van for 10 days with only eating dinner out twice
- How we managed to still eat a well rounded diet
- What we indulged in
- What to look for on menus
Plan Ahead
Before we even started packing our bags, I made a tentative menu. I wrote a grocery list of things I needed to buy beforehand and also a list of things I would buy in Iceland. This may seem like work but planning ahead is the best thing for your wallet and your sanity while on the trip.
Pro tip: Our camper van (and most I am willing to bet) had a small cooler. Plan on stopping every 2-3 days to restock that.
I bought boxes of soup, dehydrated meals (this was our
I had enough meals planned out with the exception of two dinners and one lunch. We like to eat the local food when possible and that allowed us the flexibility.
At the grocery store, we would stock up on fresh fruit and veggies to accompany the dinners.
Grocery shop immediately when you arrive
As soon as we got our camper van we went straight to the grocery store. I was looking for fruit for breakfast, cucumbers, carrots, and peppers to snack on, and broccoli or cauliflower to go with dinners. Avocados are a great purchase too if not too pricey wherever you are.
We also looked for freshly baked bread, chips, dips, and yogurts.
Pro tip: Bring your own Ziploc bags (gallon and sandwich sizes) to store food in along with chip clips. It will help keep everything fresh.
Traveling and Eating
Here is how we did it.
My husband and I don’t eat meat while our kids do. We managed to cook all our meals on one burner in less than 20 minutes each time.
Breakfast: The girls ate muffins and or yogurt (bought from the local bakery) or granola bars (from home) with cut up fruit. My husband and I ate mostly oatmeal which just required hot water. We always added a fresh cut banana to it. We did do a
Lunch: Raw veggies were cut and laid out (if they are in site – they will get eaten. Just don’t ask if they are wanted, no one wants them, just serve them) crackers with nut butter were out, and usually an apple to share. I also purchased pumpkin seeds, plantain chips, and roasted chickpeas ahead of time for lunches and
Dinner: First, we would boil water if needed for anything dehydrated and then let that sit. Next, we would start cooking the kids meat- mostly a bit of steak. Once that was done they would start eating that and more raw veggies laid out (of course), and bread from a local bakery.
Pro tip: as mentioned above, always have some kind of veggie or two
Embrace the Sweet Tooth
You are on vacation after all. Enjoy it and don’t feel guilty. In Iceland, the kids ate ice cream while we ate some vegan sorbet. When we came across a bakery with vegan desserts we shared something while the kids ate what they wanted. We decided not to do this everyday though… Nothing is worse than being put in a camper van with kids on a sugar high and then watching the melt down occur. We avoided that mess!
Eating Out and What to Look For
If you can look at the menu before hand that will be very helpful. Staying away from anything in a cream sauce or fried food will help you feel better after any meals. Even if you are not vegan, look for the vegan symbol for a (usually) healthier option.
If you can’t read the language, download google translator. You are then able to hold the phone up to the menu and it will translate enough for you to know what is available.
We were able to find options for all of us at every restaurant making everyone happy.
Pro tip: Animal products take on average 5-7 hours to digest while a plant based meal can take 2-3 hours to digest. Those heavy meals will take your energy away from doing activities you love and direct it towards digesting your food.
With the preplanning ahead, we were able to save a ton of money and eat food that we all could enjoy.
In short, enjoy your self and your travels. Take some time to explore the cuisine of where you are. A little bit of preparing ahead of time will be the key to eating real food while traveling.
What would you add to this list?
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