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Traveling for spring break this year?
Being away from home for a whole week can really put a dent in your family’s great nutrition and all the resolve you’ve been sticking to since the new year to eat well and avoid the junk. Finding real food, healthy stuff, in restaurants can be incredibly tricky.
When you’re in an unfamiliar town, you might not be able to find the small eateries that sell local, organic foods, and if you’re hitting the theme parks, you know you’ll have a few mealtimes without a chance of that happening.
It’s always a good idea to pop into a health foods store and ask about the local fare, but in the event that you have to eat somewhere that’s not ideal, here are some tips to leave with some nutrients instead of a heavy feeling in the pit of your stomach:
- Look for Whole Foods. Not the grocery store, but real food, unprocessed. Whenever you can find a salad bar, a piece of whole fruit, or meat and cheese that’s recognizable, go for it. It’s better than the alternatives, even if it’s not exactly what you’d make at home. I find that looking for grain-free options tends to land me with more veggies and real food fare, in general, and avoiding white flour is always a good step to take anyway.
- Order it Naked. Not you. The food. If you can get a chicken breast without the sauce or seasoning, you can avoid the high fructose corn syrup and MSG that are almost certain to be included. Salad dressings are the same – they’re filled with soybean oil and sugars, so try using mustard and/or vinegar and oil, if the restaurant serves olive oil, instead.
- Avoid Deep Fried Stuff. Not for the reasons you’d expect – I’m all about eating fat, but it’s hard to find deep fryers who use real fats and not trans fats or industrial oils of some sort. If you see somewhere that cooks in peanut oil, ask if it comes as a liquid or solid when they open the package. Stay away if it’s solid, but feel free to indulge if it’s liquid.
- Think Plants. Fruits and veggies are more difficult to royally mess up than meats and dairy, mostly because it’s easier to get them without a ton of weird ingredients and you don’t have to consider hormones and antibiotics. If it looks like the way it’s grown on the plant, you’re off to a good start.
- Bring Your Own. The very best way to make sure you’re eating up to your family’s nutritional standards when you’re away from home is to figure out how to bring your own. I highly recommend spending a little more for a place to stay with a kitchen for the week, since you know you’ll save money by buying groceries and eating in. You can even pack a picnic lunch for a theme park: hard-boiled eggs and string cheese (with a bag of ice), nuts and dried fruit, whole fruits, cut veggies and dip or guacamole, and reusable water bottles.We did something similar at Disney two years ago and had no hassle getting it into the park, and we saved a mint on the budget and the tummyaches. We’ve also managed to eat real food on airplanes by bringing our own, like the homemade larabars from Healthy Snacks to Go, just no liquids.
I leave you with one bonus tip about portion size. Restaurants somehow think they’re feeding only 400-pound people or Olympic athletes nowadays, if you look at only their portion sizes. Split a meal, even as an adult. I bet you’ll still get enough to eat!
