Simple Hacks To Eat Healthy While You Are Travelling

Everyone has their very own reasons to travel. Some people travel for work, some travel for pleasure while for others  it is just a way of life.

 But when it comes to eating healthy while traveling—the struggle is real. The good news is, whether you’re traveling for work, vacation, or out of the country, there are some simple, yet effective strategies that will help you continue to eat healthy while traveling in order to maintain balance and reduce stress. 

When you think of eating on the road, chances are you probably think of fast food first. But just because you're traveling doesn't mean you have to eat foods that will leave you feeling depleted, bloated, and tired.

Making better food choices will have a positive impact on your leisure time. As athletes know, healthy food and plenty of water sustain your energy levels, fuel your muscles, and help you recover quickly. The food you eat on the road will serve as your traveling repair kit. 

How To Eat Healthy While Travelling

Here are some tips to help you eat healthfully while you're travelling or on a trip with buddies:

1. Healthy Eating Starts Where You Stop

If you're on the road and stop at a fast-food joint, your food choices will be limited to fast food. But if you stop at a grocery store that offers whole or healthy foods—fruits, bagged carrots, nuts, hummus—or a supermarket that features a salad bar, you quickly expand your choices (and reduce junk-food temptations).

2. Eat Frequently, And In Smaller Amounts

Eating small amounts of healthy food throughout the day sends a signal to your brain that the food supply is plentiful, so it's OK to burn through those calories quickly.

limiting your calorie load at a single sitting also gives you lots of energy. Eating too many calories in one meal—even if they're healthy calories—sends your brain the message that leaner times must be around the corner, so those calories will get stored as fat. Eating too much at one sitting can also make you sluggish and sleepy.

3. Eat Plenty Of Protein

Eating the right amount of complete protein—one containing all the essential amino acids your body needs—for your weight and activity level stabilizes blood sugar (preventing energy lags), enhances concentration, and keeps you lean and strong.

When you need energy for a long hike, a long drive, or a day at the beach, stoke your body with high-quality, lean protein.

4. Snacking In Between Meals

 Snacking in between the meals is an effective way to add those extra nutrients in the diet which are usually missing in our daily  intake. Eating snacks prevents you from overeating later in the day and boosts your metabolism which triggers weight loss. Dry snacks are probably the best thing that you can take long when on a long.These include very little oil and are generally baked or are in the form of a mixture. Storing and carrying your snacks wrapped in aluminium foil or air-tight containers will help manifold in preserving the quality of the food item and keeping it fresh for long.

Food To Eat:

1. Fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, strawberries and watermelon.

While traveling probably one of the best things to rely upon would be fruits. These are readily available and can be brought from almost anywhere. However, be very sure that you are not consuming cut fruits from anywhere. Fruits when kept cut for longer period of time and not stored properly may get contaminated and carry bacteria that may cause severe health issues. You can carry seasonal whole fruits with you and eat it on your way. They are light on stomach, easily digestible and can provide much required instant energy. 

2. Raw vegetables including carrots, celery, or broccoli, that can be served with a low-fat dip or dressing

3. Dairy products such as low-fat cheese, yogurt or homemade fruit smoothies.

4. Energy bars(protein bars, fruit/ nut bars, natural fruit bars or granola bars)

5. Oat or ragi biscuits

6. Butter milk

7. Coconut water

8. Dried figs

9. Roasted dry fruits

Foods To Avoid: 

(1) simple carbohydrates or high glycemic foods, such as fruit juices, sodas, refined grain products, or sugary snacks

(2) anything deep-fried

 (3) non-fat desserts and sweeteners, which are loaded with chemicals that your body can't easily metabolize

 (4) anything partially hydrogenated (this includes non-dairy creamer, Jiffy-style peanut butter, margarine, and most packaged baked goods)

(5) excess alcohol.

(6) packaged and processed foods as well as white bread and pastas

5.Drink lots Of Water

Yes, water is a food. The body needs water for virtually all of its functions. Drinking plenty of water will flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh, and help you eat less. It will also help you avoid travel lag, symptoms of overexposure to the heat or sun, and junk-food cravings. Have plenty of water and increase your liquid intake. If you are going to a warm place, then don't forget to keep energy drinks handy and keep a check on your glucose levels.

6.Dehydrated Food Should Be Added To The Diet

There are many remarkable reasons drying food can be amazing for your health, your budget, and your life.

Benefits Of Dehydrating Food

A food dehydrator benefits you by retaining the original vitamins, minerals, and natural enzymes of foods far better than other forms of food preservation or cooking. You can buy some of the best dehydrator from the market for this purpose. Dry fruits are probably the best snacking options that can help keep up the energy levels, aid in digestion and help you fuel up for the rest of the day. Dried fruits like dried cranberries, grapes, and plums have twice the amount of antioxidants as their fresh versions!

How To Dehydrate Food Using Dehydrator At Home

Drying fruits and veggies is an easy process with a dehydrator, but drying time takes from eight to 12 hours.

1. Start with fresh fruits and vegetables of the very best quality. Overripe and  deteriorated produce will not yield good results when dehydrated.

2. Clean  and slice all fruits and vegetables, taking care to maintain consistency in the thickness of the slices. This ensures that everything dries at an even rate.

3. Treat apples, pears, and other fruits prone to oxidation with citrus juice or ascorbic acid, if desired. This helps to retain the color of the fruit before, during, and after the drying process.

4. Blanche broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, corn, peas, and potatoes to speed drying time and to help maintain color. Three to five minutes in boiling water should be adequate.

5. Add salt, sugar or spices to flavor, as desired.

6. load your fruit and vegetable slices onto the dehydrator trays; be careful not to overlap them because it will slow the drying time

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7.Turn your dehydrator on immediately after loading to start the dehydration process. Check the owner's manual for recommended drying times but expect the process to take between eight and 12 hours on average.

8.Check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness as you       reach the end of the drying time. To do so, simply remove a slice from the dehydrator, allow it to cool, and then feel it with your fingers. If the slice feels dry to the touch, it should be adequately dried. To further evaluate the dryness of fruit, cut several fruit slices in half and check the cut edges for moisture beads. If any are present, the fruit is not yet dry enough and needs to be returned to the dehydrator.

9.Allow your fruit and vegetable slices to cool for 30 to 60 minutes or until completely cool to the touch before packing.

10.Place dried fruits in loosely packed jars and shake once a day for seven to 10 days to make sure the remaining moisture is evenly distributed among the dried pieces. If condensation appears on the jar, the fruit needs to be returned to the dehydrator for further drying. (Only fruits need this extra step.)

11.Place all dried foods in air-tight containers or freezer bags and store in a cool, dry, and dark place until you are ready to use them.

7.Healthy Home Made Foods To Be Packed While Traveling

While traveling many of us resort to buying snacks sold by local pushcart vendors. You can skip those and replace them with the ones made at home. Take a fistful of almonds, peanuts, pistachios, roasted Bengal gram and nuts of your choice and toss these together with some cornflakes, lemon juice, mustard/olive oil and local spices. 

Muffin and Cookies

Just in case you are fond of baking, don't hesitate, put on your baking cap and bake away. Baked items are extremely travel friendly. From snacks like biscuits, cookies to muffins and a lot more, you can try your hand or just pick some from the store if time is a constraint. These goodies don't get spoilt easily and can last for up to a week when stored properly. 

Indian snacks

local travellers have long been relying on some of the desi snacks to give them a tasteful company while traveling. They are tried and tested over the years and can easily be stacked and taken along on a journey. Matthi with achaar, thepla, papad, khakhra, fafda, papdi, etc.

 Popcorn and granola bar

Just in case you are fond of baking, don't hesitate, put on your baking ca popcorn is something that doesn't face the challenge of getting spoilt easily. You just have to ensure keeping it away from moisture and these fragrant delights can be had almost anywhere, anytime.