Ahhh travelling. Who doesn’t love a good holiday? The excitement of choosing a destination, planning your trip, making a list of things to do and places to see, and if you’re a foodie like myself that even includes foods to try. One of the most exciting parts about travelling to a new place is getting to immerse yourself in the culture and tasting a new variety of food. However, a common theme that comes up with clients about to travel (whether that be for work or a holiday) is whether it is possible or not to stay healthy whilst travelling. The answer is, absolutely!
The first step is to accept the fact that your usual eating routine and behaviour will be shaken up- and that’s perfectly ok. I promise.
After a recent trip through the UK and Europe I decided to take note and put together some tips to ensure your travels don’t leave you feeling completely out of balance.
1. Pack snacks
Being prepared with nutritious snacks on hand can help curb those “hangry” food choices and avoid overeating at main meals, particularly when you may be caught up travelling or exploring that the timing of your next meal may be unknown. Also, having some of your own food on hand could be a great back up if you aren’t a fan of plane food.
Think nuts, high fibre/protein muesli bars, trail mixes, or my go-to The Happy Snack Company’s roasted chickpeas/fava beans.
Take the opportunity to check out the local supermarkets to see what they have too to restock your snack stash throughout the trip. This could be a way to incorporate some fresh food like fruit and yoghurt as snacks too.
2. Keep hydrated
You can become quite dehydrated when travelling so have a plan to stay on top of this. Pack an empty reusable bottle to refill once you are past security and sip on water throughout your travels.
Be sure to also carry a water bottle with you as you explore daily to keep hydrated.
Extra tip- knowing that I may not be getting all the nutrients that I need through food whilst travelling as regularly as I would, I made sure to pack some Berocca or a multivitamin to have with water each morning to support my immune system.
3. Remain active
Regular exercise helps weight and appetite management and travelling can be a great way to change up your usual routine!
Walk or ride around exploring the new location.
Go for a swim and try some water activities to keep cool and active. Look up some popular hiking trails to see more of your destination. Find any excuse you can/want to be active.
4. Healthy eating out
Eating out when on holidays is your chance to taste and enjoy some local treasures,
so make sure you slow down when you eat and enjoy the local cuisine.
If you’re wanting to try a number of things or wanting to avoid overeating, consider ordering a smaller serve or entrée size, or even share your meal or dessert with your company. Order dressings and sauces on the side where you can so you can be in control of how much goes on. Opt to swap out fried side dishes for a side of vegetables or salad with the local delicacy to ensure you’re still getting that veg in.
5. Don’t mind cooking while travelling?
Try to book a place to stay that has a kitchen or a kitchenette
When road tripping through Scotland I loved the flexibility that booking an AirBnB with a kitchen offered. It meant that after a long day of exploring we could come back and throw together a meal that we enjoyed, or to start our day with a nutritious breakfast.
It gave us the ability to have some of the foods our bodies were craving after a lack of our usual food (eg. more veg and less fried food).
With all of these tips in mind, the key message to also remember is when you live the life of balance without limitations or restrictions there is room for everything in your lifestyle.
No need to restrict and definitely no room for guilt.
Just enjoy and embrace all that travelling (and all that food) has to offer.
For more tailored advice and support, book in to see one of our Accredited Sports Dietitians today.
