HEALTHY TRAVEL ARTICLES

By Barbara Howard

I just returned from a trip where I spent time in several major airports. I watched as people lined up at the take-out restaurants ordering their burgers, fries, pastries, etc. I looked for some place where one might purchase healthy food. There certainly aren’t many restaurant choices in airports these days. In fact, except for a couple of cocktail bars where you could have an alcoholic beverage and order a pre-made white bread sandwich with processed cold cuts, I could not find a sit-down restaurant where one could get a good meal. I did see a couple of pre-made salads (don’t know how long they had been there), and one food stand had apples and bananas. But that was pretty much it.

Once onboard, attendants serve lots of free soda, juices full of sugar, and unhealthy sugary/salty snacks. Whoopee. (Though, I do appreciate the bottled water.) On some flights, a meal may not even be an option. On the last leg of my flight, (Chicago to San Francisco) it was announced that there were only a few pre-packaged meals passengers could purchase, but not enough for everyone, so if you have diabetes or other health problems where you NEED to eat, tell a flight attendant and they’ll make sure you get first dibs!

So what are people supposed to do -- buy a burger, fries and coke and take on board? People don’t have much choice. I was shocked to see a couple feeding their 11 month old child French fries!

Eating healthy while traveling is truly a challenge, but need not be impossible. If you plan ahead and control the situation, rather than be at the effect of airport/airline food (or non-food), you will be far better off.

It is important to know that while traveling, you should eat light, drink plenty of water and skip alcohol and caffeine.

Hint: Bring your own food! I like to take along some of my favorite healthy snacks – easy to fit in a carry-on or in my purse – like brown rice crackers, almonds, dried fruit, high quality meal replacement bars, fresh cut veggies, etc. I also bring all my supplements with me. I drink plenty of bottled water. I ask for more if I need it.

Then, when I arrive at my destination, depending on the time of course, I may go to a restaurant and eat the most nutritious meal I can find on the menu. Or, I might make a healthy shake in my hotel room with my little portable blender that I travel with – I add bottled water and a packet of nutritious shake mix I’ve packed. I even add some flax seed that I brought along in a zip lock baggie.

Another tip: I try to have a full healthy breakfast before leaving home as well as when I leave my hotel to travel back home.

For those travelers who go on cruises, there are other challenges. I wonder, “How does one resist the temptation to ‘pig out’ and eat unhealthy foods while cruising?” For someone with diabetes or sugar control issues, this certainly can be a problem.

There are new educational travel programs where you can have a great time and eat healthy! For example, during the upcoming “Living With Diabetes” Caribbean Cruises, you will learn how to eat healthy while traveling so you can have a great time without suffering the consequences of unhealthy eating – bloat, constipation, water retention, lack of energy, mood swings, weight gain – all those symptoms which rob you of feeling great every day while you are on vacation!

You don’t need to sacrifice good nutrition to have a good time! You can choose to eat healthy when you travel.

Fulfill your most passionate healthy travel desires and educational quests today with a meaningful, learning vacation!

Learn more:
www.mindbodytravel.com

Or call 1-800-504-3557 to develop your own program.

Barbara Howard can be reached at writermarketer1@yahoo.com

© 2004 Barbara Howard. All rights reserved.