On the Road: Eating Right on the Go
Business travel isn’t exactly the most conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Between fast-food stops at the airport, steak dinners with clients, and post-conference drinks with co-workers, the vices of fatty foods and alcohol seem to be lurking behind every corner while on the road.
Any athlete could tell you that healthy foods and proper hydration sustain energy, fuel muscles, and improve recovery time. In other words, the food you eat on the road can impact your energy levels and productivity. Stay healthy on the road, and consider the following tips to eat right—on the go.
Plan Ahead
A little pre-planning before the big trip can help you stay in shape and avoid guilty slips. Apps like AroundMe quickly locates nearby restaurants and coffee shops, while LocalEats highlights the best independently-owned restaurants across the country.
Planning ahead also involves allocating time for some extracurricular activities to help you break a sweat. Looking to stay nimble? Stay in a hotel with a gym, or reserve your spot in a morning class at a local yoga studio. Trying to get your cardio on? Look how close your room is to parks or trails and squeeze in a jog.
Snack Frequently
Eating small amounts of nutrient-dense foods throughout the day sends signals to your brain that your food supply is abundant. While eating too much in one sitting can result in calories getting stored as fat—which will make your body feel sluggish—limiting and distributing caloric intake throughout the day results in sustainable energy.
Eating snacks every 2 to 3 hours not only satiates your appetite and sustains your energy, it helps you avoid desperate hotdog or potato chip situations.
BYO…Food
It can be tough to meet your seven-serving quota of fruits and veggies on the road. So instead of completely eliminating them, pack powdered or freeze-dried versions. Eating frequent snacks on the road isn’t always impossible. It does, however, require a bit of effort.
Pack your bag with non-perishable snacks such as dried fruit, oats, nuts, and single-serve peanut butter packets to ensure that you have sustainable calories at your disposal. Another invaluable insider tip involves hunger-taming protein powder. Bring your own whey protein powder and mix it in a smoothie or your coffee for an appetite-quenching boost.
Hydrate
Water is food. Not only does it help you eat less, but it also flushes your body of toxins and keeps your skin fresh—two big perks for road warriors. You may already know that the air in an airplane cabin contains lower humidity, which can cause dehydration. To avoid fatigue right off the bat, make like a camel and store some water in your system during the flight.
Carry an empty glass or reusable bottle with you at all times and drink about 8 ounces of water every hour. Many of our unhealthy cravings can be subdued with a sip of some high-quality H2O.
Just as it’s crucial to consume copious amounts of water, it’s equally important to regulate your alcohol intake. While business travel can encourage consumption, abide by the two-drink limit to be on the safe side. Booze impairs your judgment and impacts self-control, leading to an average increase of 433 calories when the two work in tandem.
For more tips, read this: 11+ Healthy Travel Tips for Business Trips
