What to eat when you travel?
Eating clean yesterday, today, and for tomorrow can be hard enough on a day to day basis even when one has the convenience of his or her own kitchen, favorite restaurant, or local grocery store.
But what about if you travel for work or are consistently away from home?
It seems every other day I am asked by my clients and friends, what the most efficient way is or what secret ninja methods I might have up my (gi) or sleeve to stay on track nutrition wise. I feel lucky that over the years my career and life have allowed me to travel extensively. This lifestyle has come with many layovers at airports and hotels, many of which were not expected, and through these travels I’ve come up with a couple easy ways to continue eating clean and stay true to quality choices. Most people are surprised that my response is so simple and would be easy to put in to action. They are two fold;
1. Be prepared
Whether you’re driving or flying, this means pack your meals with a menu and time frame in mind well before you depart on a trip. If you know what the obstacles are ie… “oh but you can’t take liquids through security”. then that is one issue we must be prepared to tackle and be ready for. Here is an example of a typical 5 hour flight from A to B assuming you’re not seated in first or business class or have lounge access where choices may or may not be more healthy.
I would begin by eating a full meal right before I left to the airport, assuming a 20-40 min drive plus early check in for the flight (typically 45 min-2 hour advance arrival). I would take in my carry on bag (IMPORTANT) a shaker cup with protein powder in it or a travel meal replacement pack placed inside it. Once you take off about 45 min in to the flight or cruising altitude (10,000 ft….I think), the wonderful flight attendants begin the beverage service. This is where I would then ask for water to be added to my shaker cup, maybe orange juice or apple juice (if I had vanilla flavor for example), or milk. Disclaimer…..airlines do NOT offer chocolate milk so bring chocolate flavored protein powder if that is your flavor of choice. *ninja secret….if you are super polite, sometimes they do offer fat-free milk (usually only for first class passengers) but if you ask nicely, they may or may not go out of their way to accommodate skim milk for you. This method of preparedness, keeps me away from even wanting to eat the meals or mixed snacks (usually pretzels now) they offer or sell on board and helps keep blood sugar levels in line. Remember, it has been approximately 2.5-3hours since I last ate, and will satiate my food cravings until I land. Once I land, I may have a packed meal or snack or even another protein powder pack that I can consume at the airport. This helps keep my insulin levels steady and also (this is the trick) allows for any slow down renting a car, waiting for baggage, getting to the hotel, finding a restaurant and any other excuse that may cause me to fall off my clean meal routine. It also allows me to make smart choices like where to eat, or hit the local grocery store and pick up something more nutritious or beneficial to my lifestyle or goals. This brings me to my second piece of advice.
2. Be creative
Pack enough food, snacks, or meals that can pass through TSA. Just because you can not bring a protein shake or bottle of water or juice doesn’t mean one can not buy it once you’re through security. Most vendors inside the terminal offer a variety of nutrient packed or protein packed drinks or snacks. When traveling on the road, most people forget about grocery stores as options to feeding one’s food requirements. Even convenience stores now offer protein shakes or other healthier snack options such as beef jerky, unsalted nuts, fruit, skim milk, trail mix (chocolate and yogurt covered chocolate free), and protein or energy bars.
If you have a food cooler or travel pack, there is no reason you can not bring real meals on board or in the car with you as well. I often pack tupperware with at least one meal (ie. chicken breast or steak and veggie mix) with me if not more depending on length of travel. Hard boiled eggs are great too, and easy to take out the yokes if you’re really concerned about calories.
There are also many options available at the restaurants at the terminal or on the road. Order with a closer eye and do not be afraid or embarrassed to ask for substitutes or changes to your meal. I might get a whole wheat bagel with double egg, or turkey slices without cheese to-go for a snack on the plane if I forgot to pack something for the flight, or I might eat at it on the spot if I didn’t have the chance to eat before I left. Now, many airports have protein smoothie shops, that if one orders a low cal high protein option, there are great choices. I also might, depending on time of day, get breakfast with extra eggs and whole wheat dry toast or plain oatmeal. *Ninja secret…..most granola and yogurt combos offered are packed with empty calories and sugars, so not to throw all brands under the bus, but personally I would stick with other options.
These ideas may sound boring or even ridiculous packing these items around, but I promise it is not only a cheaper option but also one that will result in you reaching your goals faster. They may also seem easy to do but putting it in to action and walking the walk is the hard part. It is also the part that I challenge you to begin putting in to your own travel routine.
Good luck, start packing and be prepared. Be creative and let me know if you have any favorite healthy options. **** And just a quick suggestion, from personal experience, don’t be the guy or girl to bring on board certain foods or meals that may or may not cause airbags to drop from above or require the plane to make an emergency landing for immediate evacuation for ventilation purposes. (ie boiled/steamed cauliflower)!!!
