Daily Dish the Sonoma Market blog
Eating Healthy on Vacation
Health Notes by Dr. Liz
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Whether you’re heading to the beach, escaping to the mountains or enjoying an amusement park, vacationing often means throwing out any thought of healthy eating. Between fast food on the road and airport eating traps, many people feel lethargic on trips and come home with unwanted pounds. Make this summer’s vacation a fun and energetic one (not to mention healthy) with these simple strategies for on-the-road eating.
Whether you’re heading to the beach, escaping to the mountains or enjoying an amusement park, vacationing often means throwing out any thought of healthy eating. Between fast food on the road and airport eating traps, many people feel lethargic on trips and come home with unwanted pounds. Make this summer’s vacation a fun and energetic one (not to mention healthy) with these simple strategies for on-the-road eating.
Bring a refillable bottle: You can easily save a few hundred calories daily by opting for water instead of sweetened beverages. Most airports provide water refill stations giving you the option to sip on water rather than a caloric coffee drink while you wait for your delayed flight. In the car, bring your bottle and refill at rest stops.
Use your phone: As you travel, use a phone app such as Yelp to identify a healthy eatery nearby. This way you may be less inclined to pull over to fast food joints when there’s a fresh food style restaurant or sandwich shop literally a few blocks away.
Bring healthy snacks: If you’re on a road trip, taking a few bags of cut up fresh veggies and hummus dip along with grapes, cherries or other bite-sized fruit will satisfy the munchies more healthfully than chips.
Eat local: Wherever you travel, most likely the destination will have a farmers market or local café that feature local summertime produce. Pick up fresh fruit or veggies for snacking (rather than a bakery cookie or ice cream) and take some extra for eating while you travel.
Build in healthy activity: Once you get where you’re going, eating at famous burger joints or five-star restaurants may well be on your itinerary. If you’re planning to indulge a little, don’t forget to build in some healthy activity around your eating plans, too. Plan on walks, hikes or even renting a bike so you can see the sights along with experiencing the food.