Four Proven Guidelines to Eat Healthy When You Travel

 

Henry travels a lot for work. He loves new cities and new experiences not to mention the restaurants. Oh the restaurants. And the dessert. And the wine.

And it’s also his number one struggle. He does well at home when his wife prepares the meals. But when he’s on the road he’s a kid in the candy shop. Sometimes literally.

He justifies his behavior and can cite excuse after excuse. Quite the experienced skill now.

One of the questions that I’m asked the most when I’m on the road is “how do you eat healthy?”

Since I travel a ton for my job, I could have odd travel hours, flights, lunch and dinner meetings, etc.

As a result, I’ve found the road could be the hardest or easiest place to eat healthy. I want to give you hope. It can be done. I’ve learned some hard-earned secrets. And it’s also worth learning how to do it.

Here are Four Proven Guidelines to Eat Healthy When You Travel

 

1. Choose a Hotel With a Healthy Breakfast

My first meal of the day often sets the tone for the rest of my day. And this is no truer then when you’re out of your natural habitat and on the road.

If you have the option of where you choose to stay, take the extra effort to find a place with a good breakfast.

Many hotels offer a free breakfast but it’s more continental style (cereal / toast / donuts / coffee) and not for me.

I prefer a hot, buffet style breakfast which is ideal to make healthy choices such as a veggie omelet, sautéed spinach, and fruit.

For example, I choose Embassy Suites for their free breakfast buffet which includes an omelet bar. I also like Marriott or Hyatt for a similar breakfast line-up just the paid version.

If you can begin your day with a strong healthy meal, your odds of succeeding nutritionally the rest of the day dramatically increase. So, choose the right hotel or at least one close to a good restaurant.

2. Bring or Buy Healthy Satisfying Snacks

Often it’s the in-between meal times that can take you down. It’s my road achilles. Know thyself, right?!

When I’m really hungry it’s an opportunity for me to make a bad choice. But most of the time, this is preventable.

How? By bringing or buying healthy snacks. Now, I’m not a big “snack between meals” kinda guy but they’re available if and when I need them. Check out How to Beat a Snack Attack HERE.

For example, I usually bring a small stash of individual packs of mixed nuts from Trader Joe’s which are ideal to have in my computer bag.

I also snag some fresh fruit at breakfast and possibly some granola by putting it in a coffee cup with a lid. This ends up being a great mid morning or mid afternoon snack on the road.

Most of the time I have a rental car and will find the nearest Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods to find some healthy snacks especially if it’s a multiple day trip.

I pay the price when I get lazy on this one by over-eating or making poor choices. Again preventable and worth the effort to me. 

3. Define Healthy to Others That You Meet or Travel With You

It’s absolutely amazing to me how people can define healthy.

I’ve been on the road and someone would ask me what type of restaurant I would like to and in the early, naive, and trusting days I would say, “somewhere healthy” assuming we mean the same thing. Holy Way Off Course, Batman!

I would end up at a place that offered a lettuce-based salad with two paper-thin cucumbers and one grape tomato smothered in fat free ranch dressing. Somebody stop me.

When someone doesn’t know me and my healthy food issues, I’ll let them know I’m on a restricted diet and ask if they would be willing to work with me.

When asked in such a manner, they always are more than willing to accommodate. They just don’t know and will do business as usual unless otherwise requested. The same is true for any server at a restaurant. Just ask and let them respond.

If I’m buying lunch or dinner for someone I can define healthy and give them choices. This leads to the next point.

4. Do Intel on Meal Locations

If you have the ability to give your opinion on where to eat by all means seize the opportunity!

Let me give you an example. I was attending a group dinner one evening and asked if I could do some research and give the group options. They completely took the bait, I mean obliged.

I went for a run late afternoon and found a couple of different restaurants that would work for everyone. I knew exactly what I would order ahead of time no matter which restaurant they would choose. It was a win / win for all involved.

Sometimes I’m eating by myself and have complete control of the location. But it also takes self-control since no one else is with you.

If you choose a chain restaurant, you should know ahead of time what you’ll get. I absolutely love Ruby Tuesday because of the large salad bar with a ton of dark greens and vegetables. Great option!

I prefer to eat at a location that has a local flavor (literally) and specific to the city. But this could be dangerous if you don’t do your intel.

Lastly, if it’s going to be a non-healthy choice that wasn’t your pick, I highly suggest eating a snack before you go. Throttle back that appetite any way you can to avoid collateral damage. Or if you’re caught off guard, you could always have a healthy snack after the meal to avoid going hungry or “feeling obligated” to eat more at dinner.

Closing Challenge…

Remember, this is a learned skill. It’s going to take time and practice.

But if you abide by these four practical guidelines you will see immediate and tangible results.

The first decision is to get over the victim role and realize you have more power than you’re convincing others and yourself.

It’s a daily choice to “make the healthiest choice“, four words you must commit to especially when you travel.

If this is a priority to you, then you’ll find a way to implement these guidelines.

Motivated, busy professionals who want to discover and develop their potential will take this on as a challenge. Is this you? Are there ways you can improve your travel health?

Closing Question…

What is one change (or more) you can make while traveling to make healthy choices?