It takes lots of effort and self-control to maintain a healthy diet while on vacay. To help you get the best on your trip and avoid future health problems, here are some of our top tips that you can use to eat healthily on your travels.

When traveling, staying on a diet with healthy foods can be challenging, because most of the places you will visit have different cuisines. Their deliciousness might tempt you to taste them without bothering to find out how nutritious they are. But with lots of temptations to encounter along the way, how can you ensure that you eat only healthy foods? If you want to keep fit or maintain your health regimen, watching your diet is essential.

1. Plan Meals

Lack of a meal plan is among the leading causes of eating unhealthy food. Planning what you need to eat, at what time and in what nutrient composition is very important in ensuring that you follow a healthy diet. If you fail to plan, it’s easy to eat anything available whenever you feel hungry.

When planning, always ensure that you put in place a meal schedule of at least two or three meals a day at regular intervals. Eating food at regular intervals provides your body with a food intake structure that it needs to keep you moving throughout the day. People who don’t plan end up overeating because immediate hunger drives them.

Avoid skipping meals because that can be harmful to your health. For instance, eating food with high calories for dinner and skipping breakfast or lunch the following day can slow down metabolism. This way, the body will burn fewer calories and store fats.

2. Eat Healthy

Good nutrition is essential for achieving a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy can help you to reduce the risks to diseases, and achieve your fitness goals. It’s important to understand that your food choices every day affects your health.

Keeping a healthy diet while traveling that enables you to get the results you desire can be difficult. You need to exercise some discipline to stick to only foods that are beneficial to your health and goals.

Here are some of the foods that you should consider if you belong to these special groups;

Bodybuilders/Workout Fanatics: Egg Whites, lean meat, fish, legumes, and slow-burning carbs.
Vegans: Seeds, nuts, tempeh, lentils, beans, honey, scrambled eggs, dairy products containing plant milk.
Gluten-free: Fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables, spreads and oils, nuts and seeds, herbs, grains, starch.
Paleo diet: Vegetables, eggs, meat, fruits, fish, spices, herbs, healthy fats, and oils.
Mediterranean diet: Seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, bread, whole grain, fish, herbs. Spices, olive oil, and seafood.
Low-carb diet: Vegetables, eggs, fish, fruits, seeds, nuts, fats and healthy oils.

3. Ask for Substitutions

During your trip, you may not be able to prepare your meals, which means you have to rely on restaurants. However, don’t just take any food in the restaurants. A great way to stay healthy is by asking for substitutions for unhealthy foods. So, ask for a salad or grilled vegetables instead of French fries.

Alternatively, you can ask the staff to prepare your food more healthily. Try to request for a grilled chicken in place of a fried one. You shouldn’t be afraid to give out special instructions whenever you visit a restaurant after all you are the customer. Besides, you can easily find a restaurant that is willing to serve you what you request with no restrictions.

4. Read Nutritional Information

Most people eat food without finding out their nutritional information in a restaurant. However, asking for nutritional information about your meal helps avoid making unhealthy choices. This is because certain vital elements can be lacking in most of the foods you’ll come across when traveling. For instance, it’s easy to neglect fiber in your meal, yet it is a crucial element that helps in slowing the digestion and keeping you full longer. Make sure to include fiber-boosting foods such as lentils, beans, whole grains, and vegetables in your meals. Choosing to take fruits as snacks is also a great decision.

5. Drink Lots of Water and Limit Alcohol Consumption

If you are spending the most time outdoors, then you need to drink a sufficient amount of water. Dehydration is a significant problem that you will encounter if you will be engaging in strenuous activities. So, make sure you carry enough water to take you through the period since you can’t trust any water source you come across.

Most people consume alcohol in celebration or to relax their minds after a busy day. When traveling with your friends who take alcohol, you need to be ready to handle the situation. While consuming alcohol is not bad, you should consume it in moderation. Considering that alcohol contains high caloric content in comparison with solid food, avoid drinking more than two standard-size drinks per day. Instead, you can drink water because it helps in reducing alcohol consumption while meeting the hydration needs.

Conclusion

Travelers have a hard time keeping their healthy habits when traveling. However, as a health-conscious person following your plan is beneficial. Mentioned above are some of the top 4 ways that you can use to stay healthy on your trips. If you are staying in a hotel, try to find out early the kind of food that they offer so that you can plan well. You can also make inquiries to know if they can make adjustments on their meals to suit your diet. Staying healthy doesn’t have to be difficult when on a journey, practice some discipline and stick to your plan.

About the Guest Author:

Kimberly Clark is a writer for numerous health and fitness publications. She has been working with many challenged clients for some time now with canadiananabolics.