10 Tips for Healthier Eating When Traveling + My First GIVEAWAY

As you may (or may not) know I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Hawaii.  If you have never been, you really must go!  It is like nothing I have ever seen before.

As someone that takes a lot of care in what they eat, traveling can be a bit of a challenge.  I love to travel and would never want to stop myself from going anywhere just because I was concerned about what food they would have to eat.  I am also one that loves to try the culture and the local foods the location is well known for (even if it may not be the healthiest).  So given all of that, I want to give you some tips on how to eat a little more healthy when traveling (notice I didn’t say completely healthy, I do splurge too).

When traveling to different places, things may or may not be available (or possible) depending on where you are going.  Your best bet is to do as much planning and research as you possibly can before you even start.  Here are some things that I did I my recent adventure that will hopefully help get ideas going for you.

1.  Bring travel friendly reusable containers.  I knew this would be a beach trip and purchased a collapsible cooler that I could easily pack in my suitcase.  This way I could keep food cold on the beach (or while driving in the car) and not worry about spoilage.  I also found this amazing Eco friendly lunch container from Smart Planet.  It is BPA free and collapsible which really came in handy.  When I was done eating I could just collapse it down and put it in my backpack and it took up very little space.

I was a little worried it might leak so I put it in a plastic bag just in case.  I am happy to report that it did not leak, not one drop.  No matter what I put into it, it was completely dry.  It also comes with a spoon and fork which was really helpful and passed airport security (no weapons here).

They come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.  The one I used fit a ton of food so I didn’t have to worry about going hungry.  It was all in one easy container.  I took it everywhere.

2.  Don’t eat airplane or airport food.  Even though some airport food is getting better and better I find that you can never guarantee that every airport will carry healthy food options.  I never want to get caught somewhere forcing myself to buy a candy bar because I am desperate for food.  I always bring my own snacks.  Larabars, whole fruit, or nuts (not peanuts) are great options.  The food that you can purchase on the airplane itself isn’t much better.  They sometimes claim to have a healthy pack with cheese or trail mix included but those still full of refined ingredients.  I used my Smart Planet container to pack my own lunch for the ride.  Keeping in mind that I still had to go through security so I made sure not to pack anything paste or liquid like (so no hummus or separate salad dressing).  I made a kale salad and put the dressing right over the lettuce (kale is a sturdy green so it can holding dressing without getting soggy).  I also had a side of some quinoa tabbouleh with cucumbers and tomatoes.

3.  Bring an empty water bottle.  I bring my Clean Kanteen with me for every plane ride.  I carry it empty through security and then fill it up before I board so that I am sure to stay hydrated during my flight.  I don’t want to have to wait until the attendants come buy only to give me one small cup of water.  I only ever drink water when flying.  No soda, juice, or even tomato juice..nothing but sugar and salt.  Hydration is really important during long flights.

4.  Pick your hotel wisely.  Staying at a hotel with a kitchenette makes it easy to make some of your own food.  Not only is this healthier but it can also save you so much money not having to eat out for every meal. We were able to make oatmeal for breakfast and have some nice tools available to make on the go lunches.  Now this may not be possible every time but at the very least even a small fridge can be helpful.  Our last hotel even provided us with a blender which was great for making green smoothies in the morning.  I have even thought about packing a small Magic Bullet to take with for smoothies if a blender is not available.

5.  Stop at a local grocery store.  The first stop after we got off the plane was to the store.  We got bread, spinach, apples, bananas, lemons, avocados, oats, pineapple, ginger, hummus, carrots, cucumber, non-gmo chips, eggs, milk, and coffee.  Just a few foods can make some great meals.

6.  Check out the farmers markets.  Let me tell you Hawaii had one of the best farmers market I have ever seen.  It wasn’t even that big but offered some delicious local foods.  We picked up some papaya, lychees, and pineapple.  Farmers markets are so popular right now and a lot of places have them, especially in the summer months when a lot of people tend to travel.  Look online for markets in the area where you will be staying.

7.  Pick up some individual packets.  When you don’t want to bring large bags of food and separating into zip lock bags is too much trouble, then look for individual packets.  I love chia seeds, almond butter, and hemp seeds this way.  So convenient and easy.

8.  When in doubt go meatless.  We went on a boat trip and lunch was provided.  They offered up a great spread of food including lunch meat and cheeses.  I skipped those and just loaded up the sandwich with the vegetables that went along with the meat.  I at least avoided the nitrates that were likely in the lunch meat.  So many people are going vegetarian or vegan these days (not to mention food allergies) that places are likely to have something to offer.  You may even be able to call ahead of time to make sure they have something for you.

9.  Pack a lunch.  Bring your own food if you can, especially when the lunch isn’t anything special.  We went hiking to a waterfall one day and needed lunch.  The company we were going with offered to provide lunch at an additional cost.  Maybe if they were going to provide a local specialty lunch I would have gone with it but our hike to the waterfall came with a basic deli sandwich.  Eh I can get that anywhere so I opted to bring my own with hummus, veggies, avocado, and pineapple.  I took my Smart Planet container in my backpack.  It really hit the spot after the long hike and gave me the right energy to hike back.

10.  Look online.  Online is a wonderful resource when finding healthy food.  You can search for words like organic, juice bars, vegan restaurants, etc and find some great places.

First and foremost, have a wonderful trip!  Great memories and experiences out way having to travel all over to find healthy food.  Just do the best that you can and have fun.  Now its GIVEAWAY TIME!

Now in honor of my one year blogiversary coming up in July I wanted to do a giveaway.  This Smart Planet container was so helpful in my healthier travel experience that I wanted to give one away to a lucky reader in hopes that they can have the same.  All you have to do to enter is like The Organic Dietitian on Facebook or tell me in the comments or on Facebook what you would use your Smart Planet box for.  That is it!  How easy is that?  If you already like me on Facebook then convince a friend to like me and if they win then they owe you.  Please share this giveaway to your friends and family.  Thank you for your support

*This giveaway has now ended.  Thank you.