Making Healthy Food Choices on the Road

I talked in my last post about my experiences eating out while following my diet, the auto-immune protocol. Although eating out is fun once in a while, as a rule I am much less stressed and happier when I am prepared with my own food as I travel. But planning ahead and packing myself a meal or two looks much different than it used to before I was following the protocol.

Back when I commuted 45-60 minutes each way to jobs across southern NH, I kept bread, peanut butter and apples or bananas with me. That way I didn’t need to be tempted by fast food. Filling, relatively healthy meal on the go? Done. It also seemed like a bit of a treat as I rarely ate peanut butter or sandwiches normally if I wasn’t traveling.

Currently, I can’t eat nuts or bread, and I need to limit my fruit intake as well – I try to avoid more than two servings in a day, although I definitely cheat sometimes. So when I will be traveling, here’s what my planning looks like.

1. Pack a cooler and ice packs. I have one large enough to fit 5-6 Tupperware if needed, which covers me for two meals easily.

2. Keep silverware, plastic or otherwise with you at all times. If a meeting runs over or you forget to pack a fork in the morning you won’t be stuck eating salad as a finger food. Plates and napkins or paper towels help too.

3. I now keep an emergency box in my trunk. It has coconut butter, olive oil, some kind of canned meat that opens easily and a package of seaweed. If needed, I can improvise or supplement a meal with these. My next goal is to buy a can opener for the car.

4. I never leave home with an empty purse. At the minimum, I have a fruit bar and an Epic meat bar with me at all times. Between protein and the fruit I almost have a meal and I can go many more hours without eating at the drop of a hat. (Epic bars are great. I buy them by the case on Amazon. Full of protein from great sources without any fillers or weird ingredients.)

5. Pack yourself legitimate, satisfying meals and use that cooler well. Some of my favorites this season? Chicken salad made with avocado instead of mayo, sometimes on a cabbage or lettuce wrap, approved deli meat sandwiches with avocado on lettuce, AIP approved tacos or salads, make your own sushi with smoked salmon or lobster, avocado and seaweed and much, much more. Even just a fancy salad will leave you satisfied without the fast food regret! And with my sweet tooth, dessert is usually essential. A maple candy, date roll or dried banana help me turn down the ice cream.

I spent the last week traveling in an RV and sight-seeing. To make sure I stayed on track, I packed easy to prepare foods like frozen shrimp, chicken sausages and salmon and I pre-cooked sweet potatoes, veggies and squashes to make things easier. I had an awesome week and didn’t feel deprived thanks to the tasty food options I had on board!

What tips do you use to avoid temptation or frustration while traveling?