Healthy travel is possible with a little bit of preparation

It’s not easy to eat healthy and not gain weight while traveling. Fast food places, airport restaurants, and airplane snacks result in an unhealthy diet. When we’re traveling or are just hungry and tired, it’s not always easy to resist a fast food hamburger, fries and a shake. To make matters worse, many of us experience stomach problems when we hit the road.

There are, however, many ways to plan ahead and keep your healthy routine going even for serious road warriors. There are great new products available that are not only healthy but can help boost your immunity to the germs and disruptions that you encounter while traveling

Pack a mini cooler of healthy sandwiches, filtered water and fresh fruit.  If you are flying, pack a brown bag lunch and buy bottled water after you’ve gone through security.

Choose healthy foods that are easily available on the road. Christine’s favorite “packaged” food is 0% or 2% Greek Yogurt, which offers a low fat protein and is easily made into a quick meal by adding granola, and fresh or dried fruit. Christine’s favorite brand is Voskos Greek yogurt because it has low fat varieties with fruit and honey that still offer a good serving of protein, something you will not get with regular yogurt of other Greek yogurt brands.  Look for Greek yogurt at JFK and in other airports. 

If you are not suffering from high blood pressure, turkey and salmon jerky are fantastic low fat “packaged” proteins.  Add to the turkey jerky some dried fruit and raw nuts and you have a healthy balanced “grab n go” snack.  Furthermore, if you are vegetarian you can enjoy veggie jerky.

Most importantly, be prepared with a healthy snack, although Christine recommends real food instead of “energy bars”, some bars that work in a pinch are Greens Bar, Cliff Builder Bar, Luna Sunrise Bar, and Go Organic Bar.  All of these have a nice protein/carbs/fats ratio and are available at Erewhon’s, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.

When traveling to other countries, one has a 50-50 chance of contracting traveler’s diarrhea.  The reason is the lower cleanliness standards for food and water than those of the US and Canada.  Another reason is the microbes are different in different regions. Although people are immune to those in their own neighborhoods, travelers have not had a chance to develop immunity to the pathogens in the places one may be traveling.  To avoid this it is very important to drink bottled water and avoid beverages with ice.  It is also a good idea to brush teeth with bottled water.  Ask you doctor about taking a probiotic, particularly when traveling. Christine believes a probiotic is a great way to strengthen the immunity of the GI tract. 

Green Tea is your life saver! Bring your own Green Tea bags when you’re on the road. Or, stop at a Starbucks and, instead of ordering a fappucino or latte, order a green tea. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants and healthier than coffee.  Green tea contains antimicrobial properties and has been proven to increase metabolism for better fat burning support.

Have healthy snacks easily accessible. Christine recommends combinations of lean protein sources with healthy carbohydrates to stabilize blood sugar for energy and fat burning. For example low-fat string cheese with fresh or dried fruit and/or wheat crackers or pretzels. Pack yourself a meaty turkey sandwich on toasted wheat with a piece of fruit such as an apple or some grapes. At airport restaurants, bypass the fast food chains and seek out a grilled chicken sandwich and a side salad topped with low cal dressing. If you are craving Mexican, look for chicken soft tacos and stay away from the cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. Instead, load up on the veggies and salsa.

Christine’s Website: http://www.christineavanti.com

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