A reader question for the community:
Dear Muffy,
Like you, I eat well. I buy and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables and mostly stay away from ultra-processed foods. This is a big problem for me on on trips. And I can't enjoy myself when forced to eat food I know is bad for me and will make me feel sick.
I know you have said that you make whole wheat blueberry muffins for traveling. What healthful food do other people pack in advance for a week long trip?
My family insists that we go into the various fast food places when we stop for gas and use the rest rooms. What are good strategies for navigating the typical chain food places? Are there safer options?
We typically go out to some nice restaurants for dinner, but am often let down by how food is prepared. Obviously I avoid "stuffed' anything, but again, what are safe things to order?
I also scope out local grocery stores for real foods that don't need much preparing.
Summer means travel, so any help would be awesome.
I don't think I fully understand the goal of the question.
ReplyDeleteSummer does not only mean travel for many people, it predominantly means heat in the northern hemisphere. So unless you are looking to bring a cooler of sorts, prepared food will simply not last for longer periods of time. Not to mention trying to cross borders with food items.
So packing for a week long trip is pretty much questionable.
So that leaves you with preparing snacks for the first day or so.
Anything that doesn't mind heat too much: fruits, veg, nuts, dried fruits/veg, bread chips/sticks, ...
You can of course bring a cooler (especially when travelling by car), just don't pack for more than a day. Think of it more as a picnic on the trip.
Regariding "safer" fast food or things that make you sick: do you have intolerances or allergies? I doubt anyone but a doctor can give you advice there.
Finally, it also depends on where you are staying. If you are in a hotel, then you are more or less bound to restaurants. Check local recommendations and make plans with your family, perhaps?
If you are staying at a house with a kitchen, then you have the option to cook but your family might not be up for that after a long day of sight-seeing or whatever you do.
I bring dried fruit and nuts for road trips and a big Yeti cup with ice water now to avoid junk snacks and soda.
ReplyDeleteWe’ll drive an extra mile or two to find a decent sub in lieu of the normal rest stop options. That usually works.
My spouse is a healthy eater and picks most restaurants when we travel, so we tend to do OK. On a recent trip to Durham, North Carolina, the great Asian Fusion dinner we had was balanced by some fairly irresistible comfort food, though. Had some great buffalo wings from a shack and bacon/egg/cheese biscuit sandwiches & fresh cinnamon rolls from a joint for breakfast. When in Rome…..
Have a caloric and nutritional values website on your favorites. Also learn how to navigate nutritional information on company websites. A McDonald's basic hamburger is much lower in calories than you would think (still plenty of sodium and high relative fat content). Calories do not tell the whole story. Take a big insulated tumbler of ice water with you everywhere and stay hydrated. Taking along your own bottle of proper vinaigrette is a good idea. Restaurant salads are often calorie and fat bombs.
ReplyDeleteWe're just about to leave for a trip tomorrow so I'm in healthy-food-prep mode right now! As mentioned by other readers, I always pack dried fruit and nuts, my daily Cadbury's ration, hummus and pita bread, and if staying in a VRBO-type place, I'll bring my breakfast staples for a large bowl of oatmeal/fruit and almond milk that'll keep me going for hours. For many years I've also referred to the website: https://www.happycow.net/ for healthy eating possibilities in the various towns we'll be passing through or staying. The listings are far from vegan-only, just places that offer some vegetarian options among the usual menu fare. So everything from the hardcore granola eateries to the standard Mexican/Chinese restaurants. Despite having to pack a bit more (food), keeping the cooler topped up with ice, and a visit to a local grocery store at some point wherever we are, I feel it's definitely worth it. If we absolutely can't avoid fast food on the highway, we try to find a Taco Bell if possible. A veggie-bean burrito somehow seems slightly less unhealthy than burgers, etc, but I might be deluding myself!
ReplyDeleteVariety is the spice of life! If you are a tea drinker, travel with your own preferred tea bags. If you are going out for 3 meals as can happen with travel, a bigger breakfast and skipping lunch can be a good trick - easier to get those wholesome Foods at breakfast. I use an app called MacroFactor to track everything - opens your eyes that there’s multiple ways to high your calories, carb, fat, and protein goals. A simple order at Chipotle can be a help. At McDonalds a Filet O Fish with no cheese it’s pretty reasonable and again the locations that have all day breakfast can offer some easier on the stomach options as well. A protein shake can be a good way to smooth over gaps that happen when you are off your routine.
ReplyDeleteI use the YELP app a lot when traveling to find good restaurants that don't break the bank.
ReplyDeleteAlso when traveling by car I scope out where the grocery store is in town or along the way so I can grab fresh salad and fruit.
That said I do love me some McDonalds coffee in the morning and an egg mcmuffin.That's my daily indulgence when traveling here in the US.
An absolute no no is gas station sushi. (HAHAHA)
Safe travels!
At the risk of running off the rails here: I ate my first one in 1979. Now I treat myself maybe three times a year. It’s a sample of true form road food. And it’s very tasty. Splurge on one; Burger King. The Original Chicken Sandwich..
ReplyDeleteYeti makes a soft-sided cooler that can easily hold a day's drinks, fruit and snacks in the back seat. Each morning, reload the cooler at a grocery while the fuel is getting topped off in your vehicle. Encourage the driver (husband?) to plan out rest/gas stops "so you get to the day's destination and relax". Then if kids are involved, stay at hotels/motels that have pools; the more time in restaurants the less time in the pool.
ReplyDeleteCoolers have come a long way since Scotch coolers in the backs of family station wagons. Yeti has become a household name. RTIC is quite similar but much less expensive. Yeti and RTIC will each keep things cold for days. The hard sided ones can be pretty heavy. The soft sided ones are incredible.
DeleteThe best approach to eating healthy while traveling, which is also the most frugal, is to stay somewhere that has a kitchen and buy groceries for at least several meals a day. The food can be different from what one would normally eat at home, taking into consideration the local climate. This can a fun activity that helps everyone bond, although it can be difficult to follow for those who aren't accustomed to eating that way on vacation.
ReplyDeleteThis can also be perceived as cheap or time-consuming, especially for short trips. However, if done well and with high-quality, fresh produce, it can be much more pleasant than eating at a restaurant.
Pack a small cooler and you have lots of options....yogurt, hummus, cheese sticks, fruit, cut up veggies, hard boiled eggs. I almost always pack a PBJ when traveling, also nuts and dried fruit. A lot of hotel rooms have small refrigerators too, so you can purchase milk and have oatmeal for breakfast.
ReplyDeletePlease, You might find yourself travelling in an Italian neighborhood that has a good Italian grocery or deli, not a sandwich shop.. The cherry peppers they sell may be stuffed, but they’ll be stuffed with quality prosciutto and provolone. Enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWe always travel with a small picnic lunch and stop at a rest area along the way. Dinning outside in the fresh air is more enjoyable than sitting inside. Once we arrive we check out any local farmers markets or small business shops, to stock the hotel mini fridge with snacks, etc. My husband and I tend to only eat out once a day while traveling, normally a late lunch early dinner, so the snacks come in handy when we feel a little peckish later.
ReplyDeleteOn the road and at home we are fans of Ball canning jars of all sizes. Inexpensive, versatile and reusable. Made in USA. Crackers, cereal & chips stay perfectly fresh for weeks. No more throwing away a half box of stale anything. Make some carrot and celery sticks, put them in jars and throw jars in cooler. They are airtight so no problem with leakage in either direction even when submerged in melted ice water. Fruit salad, sliced cheese, pickles, salsa, chutney, peanut butter, the sky is the limit as what you can do with Ball jars and a cooler.
ReplyDeleteA good hearty pint of Guinness will get you on your merry way! Nutritional value aplenty in a non-fat, low cal & low carb meal! Cheers!!!!
ReplyDeleteHear, hear! Well spoken! Cheers!
DeleteBest idea I have heard all week! Prost!
DeleteWell, sometimes I use a fork, sometimes a spoon, sometimes my fingers. It's a matter of what I'm eating.
ReplyDeleteWe have had good luck with buying hot dishes, salads, etc from larger health food stores at our destination, such as Whole Foods. These can be eaten as a picnic, or back at the hotel. Many restaurants have healthier options than in the past. - Lollyg
ReplyDeleteI make a dry cereal mix out of oats, wheat germ, and powders and pack it in mason jars. Throw a frozen fruit mix of berries, pumpkin, and cranberries in the cooler and all you need is a jug of apple cider and a microwave. Canned fish and kombucha round it out. Happy tummy, happy vacay.
ReplyDeleteI don't eat healthfully when I am on the road for a vacation (work is a different story and it is just me). I eat at steakhouses and get a good cab, hit every local restaurant recommended by friends or online, and I would be telling you a blatant lie if I didn't say that on girls trips it is Doritos, pistachios, M & Ms, and whatever else looks good at CVS and we take it back to the room and eat all of the junk food for dinner and breakfast. YOLO.
ReplyDelete