Travel, Well Nourished
Travel is huge part of our family’s life and we have had our fair share of travel adventures. If we are lucky enough, we have all been jet-lagged and zonked; sleeping in different spots—sometimes a different bed each night—and experiencing new foods, other people’s timelines; out of sorts and in a time lapse; outside our comfort zone and completely off our daily routine. But the reality is, travel is the best form of personal growth, even if that means sometimes sacrificing what makes us feel our best—eating as Nourished as we can and getting regular sleep. So even if you are travelling now when it’s not the easiest in means of what is open and availability, with a little ingenuity and know-how, you won’t stray too far off track while exploring …
Go Prepared
Stay Nourished during travel by preparing as much as possible before you leave. Spend a few minutes researching healthy restaurants and farmer’s markets at your destination. Supermarkets, specialty stores, farmer’s markets and local markets are also all great places to get a pulse on a new area. These are sometimes the best ways to experience the city’s pulse and local culture. Look for clean foods like fresh local fruit and veggies, avocados, nuts and seeds. Take a food tour, a walking tour, a market tour, even a local cooking class. Even if you are staying close to home and in a known area, I bet, with a little research, you will be surprised and find one new thing or so. At the heart of every culture is their labor of the land.
Knowing about healthy eating and shopping options can ease stress and provide amazing opportunities to try something new. Here are a few resources:
- For vegans and vegetarians, try: www.happycow.com
- For local farm enthusiasts, try: www.eatwild.com
Bring Your Tools
Every adventure requires the right tools and it’s no different for healthy eating. The world is not built to provide you the best food for your health, so a little creativity is needed. These can help you feel prepared in almost any situation
- Water Bottle: Arm yourself with a stainless steel or glass water battle. These are my fav. Make sure to keep refilling if you are going somewhere where drinking water from the tap is safe. Staying hydrated is a huge key to staying healthy. If you are already thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
- Cutlery: Bring your own. I love bamboo cutlery. They are compact and versatile. After eating with these you will never want to use disposable plastic cutlery again. Going to farmer’s markets and open markets is the best way to discover local cuisine and culture and if you have your own cutlery makes trying new foods that much easier.
Get Your Snacks
Arming yourself with some smart snacks and supplements can create a sense of comfort and regularity while venturing out.
- Travel with small bags of chia and hemp seeds. These little seeds pack in a nutrient punch and can be added to almost anything and provide extra protein and fiber.
- I love packing single servings of green powder like Amazing Grass to provide boosts of energy, protein, and phytonutrients that might not be easily available otherwise. I seriously drink 2-3 of these while I fly.
Don’t skimp on the snacks. When you find a good place to purchase them, stock up on more than you think you will need. You will be happy you did when you’re exploring a museum or walking a new city with no food in sight. Here are a couple of my go-tos:
- Nuts
- Dried fruit
- Seaweed snacks
- Whole fruits that travel easily
- Healthier bars—my go to is a Lara Bars
A Few Supplements
It can be annoying to carry a lot of supplements while travelling and I personally believe our bodies need a break from them. But these are my essentials:
- Multi: a high-quality, whole food based multi vitamin is useful to make sure your bases are covered because you may not be eating as well as you do when you’re home.
- Probiotics: These are a serious life saver. I take them everyday, but while travelling I double up and have my children take them, and we seriously never have any stomach issues, no matter what we experiment eating. Super important to keep your microbiome strong especially while on the road.
Take Care
Self care is a essential when traveling. It’s very easy to get out of our routine and our health can quickly suffer. If you’re changing time zones, your internal clock will need a little help to get you back on track.
- Sleep—Find rest and make sure you keep on the 7-8 hours.
- Get that sweat on. It seriously helps jetlag. When you arrive at your destination, do some light cardio, yoga or weights. I always have my yoga app on my phone and while travelling bring a jump rope. It’s the perfect ultra light exercise tool and my girls and I have so much fun with it. We often eat more when we travel. Try doing a workout before you have a big meal. This will help increase insulin sensitivity, encourage healthier eating, and keep you from packing on the pounds.
Do Your Best
Sometimes we may try to eat really clean while traveling and then we end up not eating enough. The added stress of travel can result in hangry binge episodes. To keep this from happening, make sure to eat enough Nourished food each day.
- Fast Food Joints: If you’re stuck in a place containing only fast food restaurants, most have oatmeal for breakfast, and something that resembles a salad.
- Gas Stations: You can often find fruit, nuts and seeds, protein bars, hard-boiled eggs and teas.
- Airports: It’s a new age for airports. Most have decent healthy items like salads and cut up veggies, baked potatoes, tacos, fruit cups, juice joints and quinoa cups.
Final Thoughts
Nourish Yourself while traveling is all about continuing the good habits we have instilled for ourselves already. Use this time not only to explore the world around you, but to discover and dive into your self-care practice. A little prep and planning can turn the challenge of healthy traveling into an adventure of a lifetime.
- Returning from your trip is the perfect time to consider doing My A to B Foundation. It will get you back on track. Promise.
- Sometimes after returning from a fabulous trip, you take stock in what you want to change in your life. Work with me, and I will make your wellness goals your reality. There is no other time like now.