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Healthy Eating While Traveling

May 16, 2008 Send this Article to a FriendPrint This Article

Traveling is a major diet pitfall for most people. The convenience and ease of fast food is quite tempting, but as we all know, eating fast food comes at a cost! People who go on frequent business trips are often the most challenged when it comes to sticking with a diet. Most airlines do not offer meals, and the ones that do have high calorie meals. The allure of the expense account can derail dieters because they can eat on the company’s money, so all of a sudden that 12 oz filet mignon is a must-have! Planning before you travel is the best way to avoid diet derailment.

Call the Airline
If the airline is serving a meal on the plane, if you call early enough, sometimes you can get a low-fat, low-calorie meal. You can also opt for a vegetarian meal, if that is an option. If no meal is served, make sure you pack some snacks like fruit, vegetables, or granola bars. This way you don’t end up eating 6 bags of peanuts because you’re struck with hunger halfway through the flight!

Explore Your Surroundings
For those on a business trip, after you get to the hotel, walk around the area or ask the front desk to find some healthy eating locations. Instead of settling for the fast food that’s right across the street, walk a little further and you might find a little café that sells healthy sandwiches and salads.

Doing a little exploring is also a good way to find a little grocery store where you might be able to pick up a few things. Pick up some fruit or vegetables that you can eat before going out for that big business dinner. Or you can even pick up some options for breakfast, like cereal bars—eating breakfast will give your metabolism a big kick start for the day.

Skip the Alcohol and the Minibar
Alcohol consumption tacks on a significant amount of calories. When you’re at dinner, skip the glass of wine, or just limit yourself to one. If the hotel offers you the key to your minibar, simply decline it. There is usually nothing in there that will help you out with your diet.

Exercise
Being away on a business trip is no reason to skip out on your workout. Many hotels have a fitness center, which is a great way to get in your workout for the day. Make sure you pack your clothes and your shoes beforehand so there is no reason not to work out. For those who do not want to work out in the fitness center, but would prefer working out in their room, HyperStrike has a no equipment workout that you can do anywhere.

Get Support
Tell the other people you are traveling with about your desire to stick to your diet. This will more than likely lead to healthier dining options. You may even find someone who didn’t speak up, but also wanted to stick to his diet.

Traveling does not have to mean eating every meal at a fast food restaurant. Planning ahead of time can save you a lot of headache later, and probably a few extra pounds!
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