Some of us will be breaking free from our lockdown situation and setting out to explore other places across our state or nation. Weather you travel this summer by boat, plane or train. Take a day hike with a friend or drive along the coast. You can travel worry free and still maintain your healthy diet and Lifestyle. So I have put together a travel checklist to help you navigate: where to go, what to pack and what to eat – both in transit and once you reach your destination. I also included a few extra tips to help balance out a well packed bag, ready to support you during your time away from home.
It’s really not that difficult to maintain your healthy habits while away from home. So pack your bags, grab your maps and climb aboard your preferred source of transportation. Let’s get going!
Pack the Travel Essentials
1. A small Scarf. Not only does it add a degree of fashion, but it can be used for warmth, to cover your eyes when you need some sleep, or as a face covering in crowded places.
2. A Sarong. This item might seem a bit redundant when you’ve already packed a scarf, but sarongs are multi-functional in a different way. It functions nicely as a towel, but is much lighter, takes up less space in your bag and dries faster. It also makes a great beach cover-up or a nice wrap on a chilly night. It is also functions as a blanket or comfy pillow, which can stuff easily in your carryon bag. Choose a color that will complement several outfits.
3. Refillable water bottle and snack packs. Packing snacks for the trip is a not just for moms with small children. If you’re not flying you can take a BPA free water bottle with your own water, which can be refilled as you travel along on your trip. Taking a homemade trail mix which includes a good protein source like coconut flakes, seeds and nuts, will help get you from one destination to the next without feeling like you are starving. Want to get your vegetables while on the go. Again, making several bags of salty kale chips which are high in iron and other vitamins, can keep you from reaching for that bag of conventional chips containing no nutrition. Finally, a healthy (homemade or purchased) energy bar can be tucked into your carry-on as a mid-trip snack.
4. Healthy Sunscreen and bug spray. No since in adding additional toxins to your trip. If you have the need for sunscreen it will be best to choose one that has a zinc base. The zinc will block the harmful rays from the sun while letting through the healthy rays that your body uses to make vitamin D3. You might want to try the product recommended by Dr. Mercola. This sunscreen also comes in a small 1.5oz container with a carabineer clip. Bug/mosquito spray made from natural products is also important. Choose a natural product like doTERRA citronella added to fractionated coconut oil and put into a roller as a quick repellent. You can also use the Citronella in a diffuser to ward off the pesky little guys. TerraShield blend is another must have on this list as it provides a soothing relief from sunburn when combined with fragrance free aloe. Check into my website and look at what is available under the Resources tab http://livinglifestylechoices.liveeditaurora.com/resources
Eating Away from Home
Use the following as a guide for keeping healthy while you travel. Remember, it is only a guide so feel free to modify it to fit your style. The important part is to try your best to keep your diet similar to what you would have at home and avoid the large amounts of sugar and processed food found in restaurants and fast food places.
Restaurant Etiquette:
1. Choose restaurants that have whole food options. Most Thai restaurants are good options along with those found on the website, www.healthyvoyager.com or use the app, HappyCow ($2.99 on itunes). As a fast food choice, stopping at a Whole Foods Market, Farmers Market or Subway can be good choices.
2. Consider splitting your meal with another member of your group.
3. Choose the salad over soup and have the dressing on the side. That way you can add just a little at a time avoiding a large amount of transfats found in commercial dressings.
4. Ask for steamed vegetables instead of potatoes. Most places are happy to do this as many people have special diets. You can even ask if they serve brown rice instead of a potato.
5. For beverage, stick with a glass of water or decaf tea/coffee
6. Skip the dessert. If you just can’t help yourself, try to choose something that will have the least amount of sugar, sorbet or fruit pie (plain, not ala-mode).
Hotel Meals:
1. Pack small containers of nuts, seeds and flaxseed meal, along with raisins and apples to add to your favorite bowl of soaked grain. In some hotel rooms you may have a microwave to heat your cereal. If not, enjoy a raw porridge made of buckwheat, quinoa, and barley that you have soaked overnight.
2. Continental breakfasts may be difficult to maneuver. Look for hard boiled eggs, plain yogurt, and decaf coffee/tea. Cereals, breads and pastries/muffins are high in sugar and white flours which will really throw your blood glucose levels into a tail-spin.
3. You might also try skipping the hotel meal and grabbing a bite at a close by Starbucks. Many times grabbing a healthier breakfast sandwich or bowl of classic oatmeal, is often a good choice. Starbucks is also a good place to get a fruit or vegetable juice that isn’t from concentrate.
Lunchtime (In or Out?):
This is a toss-up. Personally, I like to take along options so that if we are traveling by car, we can pull over and have a picnic lunch. A cooler is always a good idea so that you can prepare homemade salad jars (will keep for 5 days in the cooler) with plenty of good proteins and rich leafy greens. You can also take along veggie sticks (carrots, celery, jicama) to have with dry salami (nitrate free) and hard cheese. I also throw in a jar of mixed olives and salty gluten free crackers. Finish up with a piece of fresh fruit like apples, grapes or cherries and you will be satisfied until dinner.
Remember you are on Holiday
Above all, remember that you are out on an adventure and you want to have a good time gathering memories and souvenirs. Making healthy choices does not mean you can’t have any fun or try new foods. Just realize that some dramatic changes in your diet and lifestyle while on holiday may cause you to have an upset tummy or irritated bowls.
An Ounce of Prevention
1. doTERRA Essential Oils - Take along your doTERRA essential 3 oils (Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint) and perhaps a bottle of DigestZen for those times when straying from your normal healthy routine leaves you feeling a bit under the weather.
2. Pack supplements – More important than ever you need to take along the supplements. These will help keep your immune system strong and give your body the nutrients you may miss in the foods you are eating.
3. Eye Mask & Ear Plugs – Along with your face mask, an eye mask and some earplugs are not a bad idea. Sleep is still important maybe even more so on holiday. The eye mask will help shut out the many small blue lights found in some hotel rooms and the ear plugs, well you know, people sometimes are not real quiet in the hallway. Better to have them and not need them, is what I say.
Your July Adventures Await
Wherever you venture out to this month, enjoy yourself, breathe in deeply and enjoy the break from your “at-home” routine. Capture special moments and perhaps keep a travel journal of all you experience. Then when you get home, we can talk about how to put it all back together. Just drop me an email at heathcoachkellogg@gmail.com or send me a text and we can hop on the line for a quick consultation.