5 Foods For Healthy Travel
Whether you’re going by plane or by car, you’re more susceptible to illness, digestive upset, and weight gain when you’re on the road. Insure you eat the right foods for healthy travel by following these five tips!
Hydrate Correctly
Water is the first food for healthy travel. Fatigue, cramps, and headaches are all early signs of dehydration. While it’s tempting to grab pop, coffee, or tea, you will have to drink extra water if you do. Your body has to dilute sweetened beverages. In addition, caffeinated drinks are diuretic, so your water ends up in the toilet.
But water is not enough. Electrolytes – traces of potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium – are important, too. So, an easy solution is to carry herbal tea bags. After you have passed security with your empty water bottle, you can fill up at the water fountain, slipping the tea bag in to cold infuse into the water during your flight. Peppermint tea is a refreshing choice.
Bring Portable Protein
Travel means stress. That stress triggers blood sugar instability and creates “wear and tear” on the body. Therefore, protein is the third food for healthy travel. It balances your blood sugars, staves off cravings, and rebuilds your body tissues. Increasing your protein can boost your energy, too, reduce agitation, and improve your sleep. For a great protein that requires no cooking and is portable, try foil packets of wild-caught salmon or salmon jerky. At the hotel, you can boil eggs in the coffee pot to take with you on your sightseeing adventures.
Remember Healthy Fat
Subsisting on sandwiches, chips, and crackers is a quick ride on the blood sugar roller coaster. Though an amusement park may be part of your itinerary, blood sugar dysregulation can make you “hangry.” No one wants to be irritable, shaky, or foggy during their vacation. Natural fats can keep your moods and energy levels stable. Try olive cups, whole avocados, and raw mixed nuts as packable snacks. Amp up your breakfast by adding nut butter to oatmeal cups.
Eat Loads of Antioxidants
You are much more susceptible to viruses when your travel because of the extra strain on your body. So, you need antioxidant food to keep your immune system strong. That means eating lots of brightly-colored fruits and vegetables. If you are not near a grocery store, bring a cooler from home. You can pack an insulated lunch bag inside your checked luggage to keep produce fresh. Berries, cherries, grapes, beetroot, and bell peppers are all great choices. Live sprouts are a gold-mine of antioxidants if you can find them fresh in your local grocery store.
Plan Substitute Foods For Healthy Travel
You know you’re going to be assailed by the travel mart convenience foods – candies, cookies, and chips. Why not prepare in advance with your own appealing alternative? Munch on crunchy, savory dehydrated vegetables or high-protein cookies before junk food tempts you. My Peanut Butter-Jam Cookie recipe requires only 4 ingredients!
High-Protein PB&J Cookies
3/4 c. all natural peanut butter, no sugar added
1/2 c. all-fruit jam, no sugar added
1/4 c. collagen protein powder
1/2 c. almond flour
Combine all ingredients and mix well. If dough is sticky, add 1/4 c. cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes, until set and lightly browned. Makes 2 dozen.