Monday, June 30, 2008

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling - Part One

Traveling can make eating and living healthy challenging. What options do travelers have for choosing healthy foods while abroad? There are some great ways to still eat healthy foods and minimize your exposure to processed foods full of toxins while you are away from home:
  • If you are traveling by plane and you know you won't be afforded a substantial meal while in the air for several or more hours, you can pack certain types of foods in a cold-pack in your carry-on. Choose foods like pasture-raised eggs that you boil in advance, peel, and place in a plastic bag. Raw cheese, raw nuts, and certain organic fruits such as pears, grapes, apples, and even dried fruits are fine to consume sometimes as long as they are organic and do not contain chemicals like sulfur or preservatives. Bananas are not a good choice unless you eat them within an hour or so because they tend to soften quickly in containers and can make a big mess in your carry-on.
  • If you eat them soon, you can also carry fresh organic vegetables in plastic bags in your cold pack. Broccoli, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and even spring greens can be good choices. If you bring greens of any kind, try to place them away from direct placement against your cold-pack or ice pack of choice. Extremely cold exposure can cause greens to blacken and become slimy.
  • Good-quality organic, pasture-raised jerky is also a good choice. You can find beef, fish, and turkey in jerky varieties now in most health food stores.
  • Good-quality water is harder to come by since airlines do not permit bringing water from home. You will likely have to purchase bottled water in the terminal after you check your luggage and go through security. When you reach your destination, look for good-quality filtered water at a local health food store.
If you must eat food on the plane, avoid anything sugary or processed. While this may be difficult since airlines don't tend to provide much of anything in the way of healthy foods, saying no will benefit you in the end. You will be less tired and less short-tempered because you have provided your body with healthy food to keep going while traveling. In the airport, choose salads, cooked vegetables, and proteins as much as possible. You likely won't be lucky enough to find organic in the air terminal, but these are your best bets for health.

While traveling, always take probiotics, fiber, and digestive enzymes. These substances will help minimize gastro-intestinal distress and digestive issues. Also be certain to bring your regular supplements such as vitamins, essential fatty acids, and any other important tablets you take for health.

Please check back tomorrow for part two of our eating healthy while traveling series.

1 comment:

arLeNe said...

Thanks for your post. Nuts are a very healthy snack - as long as you enjoy them in moderation and avoid the salted varieties. Because they're high in calories, I limit myself to a handful per day of my favorites - cashews, almonds and walnuts. The monounsaturated fat that nuts contain is good for the heart and, in fact, can lower your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. So what are you waiting for? Buy Nuts Online