The holiday season is upon us! And odds are, you’re going to find yourself hitting the road at some point to visit family or friends.
Traveling doesn’t have to disrupt your healthy eating routine. In fact, traveling can be a PERFECT time to implement mindful eating habits and take them back home with you!
Here are our top 5 tips on how to mindfully eat while traveling:
Check your gas tank.
Think about it… you wouldn’t pull into a gas station to fill up without first checking how much gas you have in your car, right? This can be similar to tuning into our hunger cues periodically while on vacation. How often do you eat just because it’s there? Periodically ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” You might be shocked to discover how frequently you feel like eating simply because you’re bored, tired out, or stressed.
Bring nutrient-dense snacks that are easily digestible.
Be prepared to honor that hunger when it comes to having healthy snacks on hand! Whether your flight gets delayed, you’re having a busy day, or you need a bedtime snack at a hotel, it’s always a good idea to bring snacks. Some snack ideas include: (These work great for kids too!)
- Meat sticks and jerky
- Fresh or dried fruit
- Nuts or trail mix
- Whole grain crackers with nut butter (peanut, almond)
- String cheese
- Pouches of ready-to-eat tuna
- Packets of oatmeal
- Granola or protein bars
- Popcorn
- Individual portions of sugar-free applesauce
- Sliced veggies with single-serving containers of hummus or guacamole for dipping.
Look ahead at restaurant menus.
Once you’ve decided on a restaurant to eat at, check out the restaurant’s menu online ahead of time for nutrition and ingredient information so you can plan your order. This will help you make more balanced eating decisions rather than relying on an impulse.
And for those with food sensitivities or allergies, looking ahead at restaurant menus can help take away some of the stress of eating out and help you come up with a better idea of what and how you need to modify certain menu items to make it work for you.
Honor your cravings.
Remember: All foods can fit into a healthy diet. Having a food craving while traveling? Honor it! Those that honor their cravings enjoy their food more, feel more satisfied, and even tend to pursue healthier foods for the rest of their meals. What usually happens when individuals don’t honor their cravings is that they look to other foods to give them this satisfaction their looking for. This leads to them actually eating more calories than if you just gave in to your craving in the first place.
Enjoy new foods and flavors.
Having the opportunity to try foods you wouldn’t often have access to is one of the best things about traveling! Try out the local cuisine if you’re visiting a place with a unique cuisine and take time to appreciate the aromas, appearance, and flavors of the meal by minimizing distractions.
Traveling, especially around the holidays, offers many new opportunities to practice mindful eating. Practicing these tips while traveling takes some extra effort, thought, and awareness but is SO worth it!
Safe travels!
