A guide to eating healthy when you’re on vacation
Making healthy food choices can be a challenge on vacation. So, this summer when you’re planning which swimsuit to pack, also consider packing some snacks for your trip.
Katie Krieg, a registered dietitian in Dallas who’s also a travel agent, has learned to pay attention to what she eats en route so she has the energy she needs throughout her travel days. She often eats from a long list of healthy snacks that are fine to bring through airport security checkpoints. Her list of favorite fiber-rich foods includes whole-grain crackers, hard veggies such as celery or carrots, fruit such as apples or oranges, and unsalted popcorn.
She also recommends unsweetened dried fruits such as dates or raisins, ideally paired with a protein and fat source to increase energy levels and feeling full and to prevent blood sugar spikes and dips.
For healthy fats and proteins, she might reach for seeds, nuts or roasted chickpeas. For a long flight, she might pack a boiled egg, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a quinoa salad with cucumber, feta cheese and tomato.
Squeeze packs of nut butter make her list, but only in containers smaller than 3.4 ounces because the Transportation Security Administration considers nut butter a liquid. (Solid food items are not subject to that limit.)
If in the flurry of getting ready for vacation, you didn’t think ahead and now you’re stuck at a typical airport terminal or highway convenience store, don’t despair. You still have options.
“They might not be right there at the front, but sometimes if you go and look in the back, you might find a spare banana,” or a snack pack of fresh grapes, said Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Atlanta. “Most places will have peanuts, at a minimum.”
Meanwhile, don’t forget to stay hydrated when traveling.
“The first thing is to prioritize getting your water in,” Moore said, adding that refillable water bottles are worth the space they take in your bag. “Most large airports have water stations once you get past security, so you can fill those up.”
Krieg said she carries a collapsible bottle that lives in her backpack and comes in handy while sightseeing as well.
She said that if you choose to drink alcohol, hydration becomes extra important, so make sure you’re filling up on water – “and not just the water that comes from the melted ice at the end of the drink.”
Once you arrive at your destination, make that mini fridge your friend, said Theresa Gentile, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Brooklyn, N.Y., and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
For instance, when she and her family went on a trip to Walt Disney World, she ordered delivery of food items to the hotel to pack the fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables. The fruit helped her kids stay hydrated on a long, hot day without having to buy sugary drinks.
Fruits, vegetables and other fiber-rich foods are, of course, part of a diet that’s good for the heart over the long term. But they can also address a more immediate concern many vacationers complain about.
"A lot of people do suffer with constipation when they travel,” Moore said. Water and fruit provide fluid and fiber and can help alleviate that as a problem.
Kreig said she is a believer in ordering appetizers or in splitting dishes to get smaller portions. Not only does that leave room for a salad or vegetable side, but it also gives you the chance to sample more foods.
Managing portions can enhance your travels in other ways, she said.
“I don’t know about you, but if I go all the way to Italy, I don’t want to go into a food coma that is going to make me want to go back to my room midday to take a nap rather than making my tour to go see the Colosseum. I want to be able to keep going and have the energy to do so,” she said.
It’s true that those fresh-baked pastries you find in France might have more fat or sugar than is ideal, Gentile said. It’s also true that “you’re not going to go to Paris and not have baguettes and croissants.”
The experts caution against getting caught up in a cycle of blame about what you eat on vacation.
“People feel an immense pressure to eat perfectly,” Moore said. “And it’s just not realistic.”
If a favorite vacation haunt doesn’t offer ideal options or if you find yourself at a truck stop where the dining choices are limited, you make the best of it, she said. “And then the next meal, maybe you have a little more fruit and have a little bit more vegetables.”
Krieg also emphasizes balance and moderation.
“I think that’s the key to not only a healthy relationship with food, but the key to a healthy life. Have fun. Order these cool adventurous foods that you don’t typically try. Include some fruits and veggies. And then when you come back from a trip, continue to do the same thing,” she said.
