7 Tips on How to Eat Healthy while Traveling
Eating unique local food should, of course, be part of your bucket list when you're traveling. So is feeling energized and rested to experience your travels fully.
If you have trouble sticking to your healthy eating habits when discovering a new place, keep reading. Traveling also means eating out a lot and being totally disoriented with the new food options and not knowing what you should eat, especially if you’re traveling abroad.
You don't need to give up on your healthy eating habits during your travels! Let the seven simple tips below be your game plan on how to eat healthy while traveling.
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1. Go grocery shopping
Heading to the local market is one of the best ways you can keep your healthy eating habits even when on the go. Shop for seasonal and local fruits and produce here to make sure you get them fresh.
This also doubles up as an awesome cultural experience: If you’re abroad, you’ll have to buy from and talk to the vendors in their own language and try unique fruits and vegetables that can’t be found in your home country. Even in your home country, you can discover fun regional specialties if you remember to shop local.
2. Cook your own food.
When I travel, I love staying with a Couchsurfing host. It’s a fun experience that lets me meet locals and of course, cook with them and discover awesome local food. It's a good way to know what to do with all the local veggies you bought at the local market.
I also often choose to stay in Airbnbs with a kitchen. Yes, you can still choose to cook your own food even when you’re in a new place. That way, you know what goes into your food so you don’t have to worry about finding the right restaurant. Any home-cooked food you'll eat is often better than what you can find in a restaurant. If you're on your own try cooking with local ingredients, they are often fresher and will taste better.
3. Pack your snacks
Bring healthy snacks while traveling, it is a great way to make sure you eat healthy while on the go. The benefits of packing your own snacks start at the airport, especially when you go on a long flight.
You should do a bit of research on what can and can’t pass through security at the airport when researching the best food to carry while traveling abroad. In general, you'll be fine with anything solid that you eat on the plane. Don't even think about bringing produce out of your destination airport, you might get fined for this.
Dried fruits and nuts are excellent on-the-go healthy travel snacks you can put in your luggage or even on your carry-on. A mason-jar salad or a bento box are great options for healthy food while traveling and having reusable travel containers really helps too!
Once you’ve reached your destination, choosing local fruits and veggies from the market can also help you eat healthy while on the road.
4. Know how your food is made in restaurants
This here requires some research and even asking around a lot. More and more restaurants, however, are becoming aware of the importance of good products, so you can ask your server how the food is made or find out from locals what are the best products to eat and what to avoid.
Go for local options or shops that sell organic or farm-to-table food. In any case, do your research on where the ingredients come from, and don't forget to take into account that a lot of foods are seasonal which means you can't eat everything all year long.
5. Know a few words in the local language if you’re going abroad
The language barrier can be a real struggle when in a new country. You don't have to be fluent in the local language (although that helps!). Knowing how to say certain phrases related to your diet in the local language will be enough to help you stick to your eating habits and eat healthy while traveling abroad. For instance, being gluten-free, it is rather easy and rewarding to find food options that I can eat since I can just ask the locals about the food. Don't stop to "I'm vegan" or "I'm gluten-free" tough. Have a list ready of all the specific foods you are avoiding and be ready to show it if people are not understanding your accent.
6. Keep yourself hydrated
Whether you’re going far away, taking a road trip, or just going on a staycation, you don’t want to dry out and feel parched whenever you’re out walking and exploring places. There are many reasons why you should drink more water: it will boost your energy levels and immune system and I personally feel drinking a lot of water in the morning really wakes me up.
I always have my reusable water bottle with me and I urge you to do the same whenever you travel. By bringing your own bottle, you get to always have water with you and you’re doing your part in reducing the global plastic waste problem.
7. Plan ahead and don't stress it out!
Eating healthy while traveling for work or for fun comes with its challenges but it for sure can be done. With trial and error, you will eventually figure out what works well for you.
One last tip, planning ahead is the key here. Before you leave, take some time to be clear about what foods are strictly a no-no and foods you want to make sure you eat every day. That way, you won’t have to deal with the mental stress that comes with deciding what to eat and what not to eat when presented with options.
But don't overthink it! Accept the difficulties that come with being a long-term traveler, you are constantly changing places and you are doing your best to stay active or eat healthy while traveling.
I hope you enjoyed this article and you felt inspired to maintain your healthy habits while traveling. In short, eat real food that makes you feel good and enjoy it fully!