Ah, summer travel. It's fun and so good for the soul to get out and see new sights.
I've just returned from a three-week trip with my family. The first week was an anniversary celebration (happy 20th anniversary to my husband and me). We camped along the Oregon Coast and northern California. Our teen sons then joined us for the last two weeks. We spent an on-the-go (but in a good way) week at the Sunriver Resort in Bend, Oregon. We then visited friends in Idaho.
Throughout our trip, we got re-acquainted with old friends, swam in lakes, ran in forests and on beaches, kayaked and river rafted on a couple of rivers, explored new towns, bicycled endless paths, and played at water parks. And we worked up an appetite.
Traveling is certainly fun, but poses significant challenges to a person attempting to eat in a healthy fashion. I am one such person.
I get out of my regular routine, and somehow I think the regular laws of nutrition no longer apply. I can eat whatever, whenever, whyever without consequence. Right? Of course not.
While I did indulge in some things I haven't touched pretty much since last year's vacation (pizza, potato chips, candy (and had a headache afterward)), I tried to eat mindfully most of the time. And really, it wasn't that hard. Fortunately or unfortunately, I quickly ran out of excuses of why I couldn't maintain a healthy diet while traveling.
Fruit stands and grocery stores were our friends. Our road trip took us by many, so we'd head in to purchase fruit, nuts, and pre-made salads. We usually had fruit and nuts for breakfast, except for when we were in podunk little towns where it just seemed right to head to the nearest greasy spoon diner for eggs and bacon. Yeah, I said it. The "B" word. Oh my. It's what you do most of the time that will make or break your health. Most of the time I would like to eat bacon, but I think it would be my undoing.
For lunch we often ate salads and fruit. One grocery store yielded individually-wrapped containers of hummus, into which we dipped carrots. It wasn't gourmet, but it was satisfying. It's important to have some protein and/or healthy fat at every meal, which really helps curb cravings. It seems we always had a bag of nuts or seeds to sprinkle on our salads or in our dairy-free coconut yogurt, or just for between-meal munching.
Apparently we're too lazy to cook when on vacation (the campstove was buried in a duffel bag somewhere deep in the trunk of the car), so we frequently ducked in to restaurants. But we're also cheapskates, so going out to eat often just looked like picking up a burrito (or a burrito "bowl" which is burrito fixin's without the tortilla).
Though I couldn't subsist on food from gas stations, I did find at least a couple of less-bad snack options: bananas, apples, nuts, seeds.
The week we spent at a vacation rental home in Sunriver was easy. We had a full kitchen and a trip to the nearby Costco provided us with everything we needed to maintain healthy eating. (They also happened to have chips and other goodies. Remember, it's what you do most of the time that will make or break your health.) We even had smoothies for breakfast, which are somewhat of a staple in our home, back in our real life.
Additionally, we stayed a few nights with friends. They are health-minded as well. One family had a homesteading mindset and supper included offerings from their gorgeous garden. Meals eaten in the company of good friends have unseen health benefits that are very real.
Though it's much harder to eat healthy on vacation, it is not impossible. It took being mindful of the choices before me. Most restaurants have salads or are willing to accommodate your requests to alter an item to make it healthier. Don't be afraid to ask.
With a little thought and planning, you don't need to come completely derailed during your next vacation. A little bit of bacon or pizza eaten in the company of friends might actually be good for you. Maybe.
