Eating on the Road: Avoid "Holiday Travel" Pounds

Are you like the thousands of people who are "model" healthy-eaters - attentive to portions, calories, and nutrient content - EXCEPT when traveling? It's one of the top questions I am asked this time of year. What should I eat on the road?

While it seems that 3500 calories (1 pound) is a huge number, these add up fast when you're traveling. Meal-deals and coffee breaks (drinks/pastries) weighing in at 1000-2000 calories, coupled with hours of sitting can be a recipe for hidden weight gain - and one you can easily avoid. It's so easy to get off track during holiday travel, which often are combined with high stress, airline delays, traffic jams, and the whole family jammed into a small space for hours on end (often going to a destination someone doesn't like!). We eat our way through that trip - and back home.

We're eating for comfort, to relieve stress, and even boredom. With a little pre-planning, and some zip-lock bags (more on that later!), you can eat right, and save those extra calories for your holiday festivities. Pay attention to those "travel calories", and you can enjoy more later on.

Check out these ideas, and let me know if they've worked for you....or maybe give some new ones a try.

Madelyn's tips for on-the-road eating

DON’T GET OVER-HUNGRY: BE A GRAZER:
Traveling is not the time to plan large meals on the road. Delays often making meal-eating unpredictable. Skipping a meal often leads to overeating. You’ll wind up supersizing fast food, or consuming a giant sandwich. Think smaller, mini-meals every couple of hours, to keep you energized and fueled during travel. When buying food, down-size to a kid’s meal, and divide up servings of most purchased items. Limit calories at each eating episode. Whether it’s a protein bar, or half a sandwich, take along some snacks from home, or at the airport, buy a large bag and divide it up for you and your family.

THINK SINGLE-SERVE, INDIVIDUAL PORTIONS:
We’re all distracted when we travel, and often eat mindlessly, ignoring portion size when eating from a big bag. When you have a single-serve portion that you can use the no-brainer approach with no portion "guesstimates" -you just eat the whole thing. Whether it’s a 1 ounce or 8 ounce bag of nuts, we all look at both of them as a “serving”. If it’s there, you’ll eat it, so just avoid the problem with the single-serve solution. Whether you pre-pack at home, or buy on the road, use the small zip lock bags to bring your own “100 calorie” snacks, or buy them pre-packed.

STAY HYDRATED:
Especially on a plane, it’s easy to get dehydrated – we either forget to drink, or don’t have access. Deydration leads to fatigue, and often overeating – since we often think we are hungry (and eat!) when we really are thirsty. Water is always best, - and available everywhere. You can get both cold and hot water to make a soothing cup of tea, hot soup, hot chocolate or a cold drink from sugar free powdered single-serve packets. Just add the contents to the water, directly.

THINK PORTABLE, EASY TO EAT FOODS:
Travel is not the time for messy sandwiches or squishy fruits and snacks. Protein bars, small boxes of cereal, pre-packed raw vegetables, 100-cal snack packs, dried fruits (not fresh); a peanut butter sandwich; mini cheeses in their own plastic wrapping (think part-skim mozzarella sticks or a "light" mini-bonbel), paired with a 100 cal pack of wheat thins. You can mix and match around 200 calories for a nutrient dense mix of protein, fat,a nd carbohydrates to keep your energy up, and the calories down.

CARRY SOME ZIP LOCK BAGS:
Zip lock bags are handy whether you pack foods from home, or buy them at the airport or highway service plaza. No one needs a giant two-fisted turkey wrap – eat half, and bag up the other half for later, or give to another family member. At the airport, where it’s harder to find single-serve products, but a large bag of trail mix, or dried fruit, and divide into mini bags for multiple servings.

WHEN IN DOUBT, ORDER A KID’S MEAL:
Sometimes we’re stuck in a sea of fast food, and giant cinnamon rolls at an airport food court or roadside service. Choose a kid’s size meal, at any of the chains - there's that portion control no-brainer! Replace the fries with carrot sticks or grapes if available. Select water or diet soda to drink. Downsizing saves many hundreds of calories. No kid's sizes avaiable? Go "halfsies" with someone!

KEEP YOUR MOUTH BUSY WITH NON-FOOD ACTIVITY:
It’s so easy to eat from boredom or stress on the road, so take along some sugarless gum or mints, to keep your mouth busy. The chewing action is also a stress-reliever for many people. Talk, or sing (only if you’re in the car!).

Safe travels, smart eating, and a happy holiday to all!!

Comments

Hi Madeline,
Though I appreciate the tips that you have provided to the traveller during this holiday season, your information should have included the critical fact that security personnel may not allow these snack foods through the security screening process. I learned this fact the hard way recently, when flying out of the Philadelphia airport. I had a set of sealed food snacks that were contained in unopened packaging, and all of these items, as well as the bottled liquids, were taken from my take-on bag and thrown in the trash during the security screening process. I was not suprised that the security personnel took the bottled water, but I did not expect to loose the food items as well. Since you did not address this potential issue in your piece,
I fear that many well meaning airline travellers acting on the guidance of your journalistic advice will simply have their food items taken at the security gate. Bummer.

Madleyn- I think your segment was great!

I think you have wonderful tips and tricks for portion control.

I also think that "Lisa from Philly" should have enough common sense that your snack tips do not supersede federal airline security regulations. 3oz or less in a ziplock bag!