Enjoy your travels
Summer is often the time for extended vacations and long weekends. Our family recently traveled to Costa Rica for a week and have a few long weekends planned with friends and families out of town. For some, frequent traveling is a barrier to reaching or maintaining your health goals. Below are a few practical tips to help ease any stress around food and help you enjoy your time away.
Before you go
Pack easy travel snacks including nuts, fruit, protein or granola bars. Pack a refillable water bottle. If you’re driving to your destination, pack a cooler with yogurt, fruit, bottled or seltzer water, and cheese sticks and maybe sandwiches.
Before you head out of town, determine if you’ll eat most of your meals in or eat most of your meals at restaurants. Make a grocery list before you go or while traveling to your destination. When you arrive at your travel destination, hit the grocery store and stock up on essentials.
Vacation Time
When on vacation, we can easily fall out of our normal routine. If this happens, enjoy the change but try not to skip meals. This will help reduce mindless snacking and overeating later in the day.
Go for walks and hikes, swim in the pool or ocean, or go for a bike ride. Exploring your new surroundings is an easy way to get joyful movement into your day.
Be mindful of your beverage choices. If you are working to reduce your blood sugars, avoiding or reducing intake of sugary drinks, alcohol and fancy coffee beverages may be helpful to keep those blood sugars in range. Drink plenty of water. Traveling on airplanes and to higher elevations can cause dehydration.
Take the time to explore new dishes and foods. Order the foods you want at restaurants. Many cultures’ dishes are rich in vegetables, lean proteins, beans, fruits, and a wide variety of grains and starchy vegetables. Try new-to-you foods to expand your palate. Be adventurous. When you are served your meal, take your time to enjoy it. Eat slowly and enjoy the view and company. If you’re worried about portions, follow the plate method. The plate method helps you enjoy your favorite foods while also staying on track. Plate method: ½ your plate is non-starchy vegetables, ¼ of your plate is starchy vegetables or grains, and ¼ of your plate is protein.
Finally, remember to enjoy your time away and know that your normal routine of meals and exercise is ready and waiting for you when you return.
