Healthy Eating on Road Trips

Many of you will be hitting the road this summer for some much needed vacation time. However long hours in the car,  boredom, traffic, screaming children and tempting fast food restaurants can lead to trouble for some of us…bad car snacks and unhealthy choices at fast food restaurants. Read on to learn tips to slim your road trip.

I recently took a trip to Cape Cod and had the opportunity to observe my traveling companion’s eating habits. Due to traffic, I had 6 hours of observation time! Since I don’t spend too much time in the car (many city girls don’t drive!), nor do I own a mini cooler,  I was actually quite impressed with his food planning skills. I decided to do an impromptu “roadie interview” . Check out my interview with Rick and learn some healthy “eating on the road”  tips:

Tips to slim your road trip
1. Bring your own healthy “car snacks” such as nuts, fruit, beef jerky (good source of protein, though it is high in sodium), energy bars, pretzels. Check out my Snack Survival Guide #1 and #2 for  more ideas. Snacks containing protein such as nuts, beef jerky or yogurt are good ideas as the protein helps to keep you feeling full longer.

2. Pack a cooler with healthy sandwiches, fruit, string cheese and yogurt. Fruit is a great snack as it is filling, contains fiber and water.

3. Stay hydrated and pack plenty of water in your cooler. The warmer weather can cause dehydration. Being dehydrated can lead to headaches, as well as the urge for “watery foods” such as roadside McDonald’s ice cream or fattening cold coffee drinks (McDonald’s caramel coffee frappe with whipped cream = 540 calories!). In addition, dehydration can increase risk of constipation.

4. Be careful not to turn your road trip into a food frenzy. Long hours in the car can trigger the urge to eat due to boredom. Even healthy snacks can pack in the calories. If you have trouble with portion control of certain foods, you may want to buy mini bags of nuts, pretzels, string cheese, popchips, Pirates booty, etc. Portion control!

5. Stay tuned for suggestions on making healthy choices at road side fast food restaurants.