By Lisa Corrado, MS
We just got back from a trip to Florida where we enjoyed sunshine, golf and good food. If you’re not careful, travel can put a real ding in your eating habits. With the right planning, your healthy habits will join you on vacation.
One of our goals for this trip was to not have to eat every meal in a restaurant. It just seems that no matter how hard you try, your gastrointestinal system can take it’s own vacation when you eat every meal in a restaurant. Plus you’ll bring home an unwanted souvenir: a few extra pounds. We wanted to enjoy the restaurant meals plus feel good about what we ate. Here’s our game plan:
Pick the right place
We booked a room with a kitchen. Every morning, we had cereal, fresh fruit and coffee on our balcony. It was a relaxing way to start the day. If a full kitchen isn’t an option, ask if you can get a mini-refrigerator in your room or if it’s possible to store some stuff in the minibar.
Shop like a local
Before we left, I located the nearest Whole Foods. We stopped there on the way to the hotel and loaded up our little convertible. Not only did we get food for breakfast (cereal and fruit makes that easy), we bought a few salads to have for lunch plus bottled water, tea and a couple of bottles of wine. One night, we stopped there to buy prepared food for dinner instead of going out. We probably spent half of what we would have had we gone to restaurants more frequently.
Pack your snacks
Even though we planned to grocery shop, I packed a few fruit & nut bars for the trip. Dry cereal, fruit, nuts and seeds also pack really well. It’s nice to have something on the plane or in the car, especially if you’re delayed and have to skip a meal.
Plan & prepare
I once helped a client who was driving from Connecticut to Georgia. He outlined his driving route and we found fast-food restaurants for him along the way. Before he left, we checked out each restaurant’s website to find the healthiest items on the menu so he knew what he’d order. Plus he packed a cooler of water and fresh fruit. For your next trip, think about where you can stop and what you can bring.
Enjoy meals out
When we did eat out for dinner, it was more of the special occasion that it should be. We splurged a bit on the restaurant choices because our other meals were “normal” and cheaper.
Now that we’re home, there’s plenty to catch up on. The nice thing is that getting back to our regular eating habits is not one of them. And the scale told me that the only souvenirs I brought home were the ones I bought.
Written by: Lisa Corrado, M.S. Lisa makes busy people healthier by combining clinical nutrition and culinary training. www.LisaCorradoNutrition.com
Tagged: nutrition , planning , vacation eating
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