Eating Healthy While Travelling

Be it a business trip or a long awaited holiday, eating right while traveling will make a huge difference to your energy levels and your overall freshness when you reach your destination. While it may be very challenging to make healthy choices on the road, in an airport or on a plane, there are a few ways to get round this:

 
1. Eat as healthy as possible a day before you depart

Make sure your meals consist of as much vegetables and fruit as possible. Include lean meat or fish and wholegrains and go easy on the salt, sauces, sweets and alcohol. Your body will need to be prepared for a long way and it will need a lot of energy.

 
2. Check the inflight meals menu with your airline 

If you have any special needs, for example you are vegan, vegetarian or suffer from food allergies, you can make a prior request with your airline company and choose a meal that suits your needs. You can also call your airline to find out about the ingredients in the meals they offer.

3. Pack some fresh fruit and vegetables with you
 

Raw foods are a nature made catalyst of all the processes in our body. They are a true fount of vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals and enzymes that speed up processes in our body, including healthy heartbeat and digestion, and make us stronger and healthier. Unfortunately, not all plane foods are rich in raw vegetables and fruit and the chances are that a description on a menu will not meet your expectations. A meal can either turn out to be deep-fried, too greasy or too spicy or you may simply not like the taste. My suggestion will provide you a back up plan if such frustration is a case. Other things you can take with you are: nuts, dried fruit, sliced wholegrain bread or home-baked grain bars, yoghurt pot, sliced cheese, peanut butter, hummus and carrots. Liquids up to 100ml in volume are allowed to be taken in a cabin luggage, so you can safely put liquid foods into a clip lock box. A yoghurt can be carried in a small plastic bottle. 

4. Prepare some healthy snacks or meals to take with you to the airport or to eat onboard

I frequently find myself in a situation, where I have a very busy morning before traveling to the airport  and then a hunger hits me when I'm pass the customs or the plain takes off. The worst thing is when there is a poor choice of snacks and meals available on a plane. Taking a pre-packed healthy meal or snack is also a good idea if your kids are traveling with you. Apart from the foods I mentioned above, you also take with you sliced avocado, boiled eggs, or sandwich with lean meat. These foods are safe to store outside a fridge for up to two hours. As a drink, unsweetened almond milk or juice is a good option too.

5. Have a bottle of water in your cabin luggage 

Staying hydrated during your flight is a crucial task. To put it simply - it enables you feel fresh and strong, promotes a good digestion and sound sleep. Believe me, flying is stressful for your body so we have to make this experience as easy and harmless as possible. Be prepared to drink more water than usual during your flight as dehydration during the flight is massive. To promote hydration, take 2-3 dried apricots with you or a clip lock box of sliced fruit like cantaloupe melon, banana, kiwi, citrus fruit. These fruit are rich in potassium that promotes hydration, enhances energy levels and boost your body's endurance, supports normal acid-base balance, nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.  If you suffer from high blood pressure or any cardiovascular decease this is step you cannot ignore. Remember that drinking tea, coffee and alcohol or eating salted nuts, crackers, potato chips and chocolate dehydrates you even more. Having a glass of wine a night before your flight or onboard a plane is not a good idea, but if you do make sure you have an extra glass of water and include raw vegetables and fruit to your diet. 

6. Avoid fast food restaurants and do not overeat

Needless to say about the havoc that fast or junk food does to your body.  Not only internally, but you'll also simply feel lousy. Same is with overeating - it creates an extra stress to your body and will make you feel irritated and exhausted.