What do you love most about traveling? Well… The different types of food of course!
It’s easy for us to ditch our healthy lifestyle while traveling. But if you’re not feeling your best, are you really enjoying your time spent away from home? It is totally possible to enjoy local cuisine, stay active and enjoy your holiday without depriving yourself of a true experience!
Although it may seem tough to stay healthy while traveling, we will share some helpful tips to feel your best while traveling!
On the Road!
Most people lose their diet resilience the moment they get on the road! Sitting in a car or an airport gets boring, so what do we do… We eat! Gas-station food, fast-food, drive-thru’s, airport food, chain restaurants. Cheap and fast!
- Pack travel snacks for the car or for the plane!
- Dried fruit, protein bars, nuts, crackers, veggies.
(Some of our favorite snacks to pack while traveling:
Epic Jerky, Grain-Free Granola or the Ancient Grain Granola Bars (Gluten-Free), Organic Fresh or Dried Fruit, Bulletproof Collagen Protein Bars, Emmy’s Coconut Cookies - Go to the local markets or grocery stores instead of fast food!
- Dried fruit, protein bars, nuts, crackers, veggies.
Cultural Cuisine
We love food. Who doesn’t love food? Trying new foods is all part of the cultural traveling experience! Don’t let your diet hold you back from enjoying the local cuisine while traveling! Some tips for feeling your best without sacrificing one of the greatest experiences!
- Don’t overeat!
- I struggle with this, A lot! (And so does John!) You don’t have to order everything on the menu! And you don’t have to eat the entire portion that is brought to you! Bring it back to your Airbnb or hotel. If you overeat, chances are you’re going to feel bloated, and have a lack of energy and not feel your best!
- Limit your drinks!
- I know, I know, everyone loves to drink while they are traveling. But drinking is also going to limit your energy and most likely lead to more snacking! And most boozy drinks are full of sugar and calories!
- Research!
- We all know France may be known for their pastries! But that doesn’t mean you have to go to every single bakery to see who has the best pastries! We’re allowed to have a cheat day, here and there, pick a well-known, highly-reviewed restaurant and appreciate it!
Water
Sometimes drinking water from other countries can be an issue and cause serious sickness. We bring our Sawyer Water Filter with us wherever we go just as a precaution. It comes in great when you’re hiking too!
Don’t go out for every meal!
It is so easy to eat out for every single meal, we were once there, it gets expensive, you might not be eating the best foods, and you’re probably lacking energy.
- Look for a local Farmers market, (France has amazing Farmer’s Markets!), or a grocery store and stay in and cook! We often find Airbnb’s that have a kitchen we can use, so we can cook healthy food while traveling!
Stay Active!
We know it’s easy to just sit on the beach all day and sip Pina Coladas… Well, maybe we don’t, neither one of us can sit still for very long! But stay active, walk the towns, find restaurants you can walk to instead of driving. Rent a bicycle. Walk the beach. Find a yoga or workout class! Take a hike! There are so many things you can do to stay active on vacation!
Pace Yourself!
I know it’s hard to pace yourself when you want to see the entire city, state or country! We have been there, from Airbnb to Airbnb, from plane to plane. It’s exhausting, and you’re probably not going to feel your best. Slow down!
STAY HYDRATED!!!
Hydration is so incredibly important! (Yet, I still have a very difficult time doing this myself!) Bring a reusable water bottle, and fill it up as much as you can! Especially if you’re out on the beach all day. Or at an all-inclusive resort sippin’ drinks all day! Drink 8-16 ounces of water between each drink to feel your best!
Sleep!!
Even though you want to see the world, sleep is incredibly important! Your body needs sleep when you’re traveling, changing time zones, carrying luggage from place to place! Traveling can be hard on your body! Get your rest!
Don’t Forget to Breathe!
I know, it sounds silly. But oftentimes we don’t even think about it. Take a break, take a breath. I often practice box breathing.
Box breathing is so simple yet so powerful! This breathing technique helps relax the body, clear the mind and improve focus. And you can literally do it anywhere!
- Breathe in through your nose slowly while counting to four.
- Hold your breath for four seconds
- Exhale through your nose for four seconds
- Hold for four seconds
- And repeat at least three times or until you feel relaxed!
Supplements!
We’re no doctors, but we often take a lot of supplements daily and while we’re traveling!
- Turmeric
- We take this daily! And I recommend it to everyone! It is a natural Anti-Inflammatory Supplement and has soooo many benefits!
- Lectin Shield
- Lectins are a protein present in many plant-based and many other foods we eat. Proteins that bind to certain carbohydrates. Beans, potatoes, grains, and nuts have high lectin concentrations. They can interfere with your digestion, energy, and overall health. A Lectin Shield protects us from Lectin overload and also lowers food cravings.
- Gluten Shield
- Gluten Shield is a blend of enzymes that help support people with gluten sensitivity. It helps break down and neutralize gluten. I don’t recommend taking this daily, but when you want to enjoy the French pastries, this will help you recover!
How we deal with food allergies or sensitivities while traveling
Food allergies and sensitivities are never fun, especially while traveling and wanting to experience all the flavorful cultural food! We always found that it was tough being gluten-free and having a lot of other dietary restrictions for someone with Ulcerative Colitis. But there are ways to ensure healthy and safe eating while traveling!
- Plan ahead!
- Nowadays it seems like everyone has dietary restrictions. Most of the time airlines or resorts will ask if you have any food allergies when you book and if they don’t call ahead.
- Ask for recommendations. Ask your host or the resort staff or the locals.
- Double-check with the waiter/waitress and let them know your allergies. And let them know ahead of time before they bring out that big basket of bread!
- Pack or buy your own food
- It’s hard to find paleo or gluten-free food on the road, so pack some car snacks, fresh fruit or dried, crackers, nuts
- Know the language!
- Know how to explain that you have food sensitivities or allergies in the language that is spoken!
- Glutenfreepassport.com and CeliacTravel.com have free gluten-free restaurant cards in many different languages!
- Do a search!
- Search for restaurants in the area that you are staying, look at their menu ahead of time, or call!
Check out our food blog and why we are on the paleo diet!
Please remember we are not doctors, nor are we nutritionists. All advice here comes from our own experiences on how we stay healthy while traveling.
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Probably can do all except not eating out. It is one thing i love about travelling. Checking out their authentic cuisines.
I agree with you totally, that’s my favorite part about traveling!! One thing I look for is quality food, local cuisine (not chains), and locally grown/sourced food! And trying not to overeat!
I suppose the biggest problem is that if you are in a foreign country you want to taste all kinds of things you don’t have at home 🙂
I agree with you! And we are going to Thailand for a yoga teacher training in a few weeks for 35 days, and the food they serve us is vegetarian and most likely loaded with carbs, so I am a little nervous about that!!
These are so many good tips here! I find it hard to stay healthy at times while I am traveling but I will keep these in mind.
I think everyone finds it hard to stay healthy while traveling! I love trying different foods!!!
These are some great tips. I love the one about not eating out all the time. We always go shopping to the local stores for groceries. It does get expensive, and I’d rather have more money for sightseeing. But I do love trying all kinds of local foods.
I agree Margaret! Eating out all the time gets so expensive! And I much rather spend it on sightseeing as well!!
Food is always a problem when traveling. Finding alternatives to fast food is a challenge. Thanks for sharing your tips!
I agree! One thing I often look for is quality food, local cuisine (not chains), and locally grown/sourced food vs. fast food! It might be more expensive, but if I feel good, then that’s worth it to me!
Those are some great tips here. I love local food so I try to savour as much as I can when I travel.
Us too Davindra! Thanks for reading!!
Thanks for all the tips 🙂 Sleep and staying hydrated are the most important things for me.
Thanks for reading! And I totally agree!!
Wow, you definitely gives us a great tips on how to keep and stay healthy while traveling. I will keep these things on mind for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading Gervin! Hoping they can help more travelers!
I love these tips, especially the one about the Gluten shield since I have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity. My favorite thing to do when I visit a new city is to take a food tour and it also lets you know where the best places are located 🙂
I am glad you loved them! Most of my family is Celiac, I have been tested, but it came back as negative, but still feel I have a gluten sensitivity too, and John has Ulcerative Colitis, so we find that staying Gluten-Free makes us both feel the best! A food tour sounds amazing!!! Thanks for sharing Razena, we are going to have to look into a food tour on our travels!
Sleep is what I really recommend. I remember we did not sleep on our first day of travel, the whole day next daw was wasted because we couldn’t hardly keep our eyes open.
Yes, sleep is so important!! And it’s so much harder when you change time zones too!! Thank you for reading!!
These are great tips and I agree with everything that you’ve said. It is so important to stay healthy and fit for us to enjoy every moment of our trip.
Thank you, Catherine! It is incredibly important, and I know it can be difficult for most! Like who wants to think about their health when they can be sippin’ a Margarita instead!!!?
It is so important to pace yourself when you are on holiday and take time to breath. There is no need to do everything on the list. Just give your body some time to rest, otherwise you will get sick.
I agree 100% and my husband struggles with this more than I do!! Doing too much you will just get overwhelmed and burned out!
Definitely guilt of overeating ???????????????
Same girl, same!
I am guilty for eating out when Traveling! ? definitely will look for authentic food next time we go out!
Yessss! Authentic food is the way to go!!
This is exactly the post I need right now. It’s so hard to resist eating out for every meal!
It definitely is! I hope this will be useful for you!!
I used to find it so hard to travel and stay healthy.. But I also started doing some these things a few years ago. It makes such a difference.
That is great Farah!! We found it hard once too, but slow progress is better than no progress! And it most definitely makes a difference! Thank you for reading! 🙂
I have found that traveling entices me to save up for a good local meal – sometimes I find I eat much less! Of course, that also challenges me to stay hydrated.
Thanks for the tips!
We do the same! Or at least try to! Thanks for reading Penny 🙂
Tumeric is one of my staples as far as supplementation goes! I take this everywhere I go.
That is great! Us too!! I have a lot of my family taking it too! So beneficial! Thank you for reading Nate!
I love trying out cuisines while travelling but I ensure I carry medicines and keep sipping on water to avoid getting sick. Also, when eating street food, my rule is that it should always be hot 🙂
That is a good rule! And makes total sense! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for reading! 🙂
Great article thanks for sharing. I always carry turmeric with me when I travel! It’s such a useful supplement. Just add a bit of to coffee in the AM.
That is amazing!! I add it to my Chai Latte’s a lot! Turmeric is so beneficial! Thanks for reading Erin! 🙂
This is so important. Staying healthy while traveling is really important. We try to work out as much as we can even when we are traveling.
– http://www.itsasweetsweetworld.com
I agree! It is so important! Thank you for reading!
Thanks for the tips..! I will keep these in mind.. Especially the staying hydrated tips. I always forgot consuming enough water.
Hi Rose! That is one of my biggest struggles!!! Why is it so hard to stay hydrated? Trying to be better at that myself! Thanks for reading and hope you find these useful to your future travels!
I needed this post so much. I’ll be traveling soon to Turkey and I need all the tips to be healthy x
Laura
https://www.beautywithlala.com/
That’s amazing!!! I hope to someday visit Turkey! Thanks for reading!
I appreciate this advice because I have the hardest time staying healthy when traveling. Whether its not having my preferred foods or things that I need for my diet!
Us too Bree! We always had trouble as we are Gluten-free. But I think more and more people are becoming Gluten-free, so more and more restaurants and resorts are starting to realize that and offer more gluten-free options. I think this is hard for most people! Thank you for reading and I hope this will be helpful for you! 🙂
Love this post! I am guilty of over eating when i travel guess Im living up to my name. But glad to take note of the health tips next time on travel.
Thank you Erik!! Haha, that’s too funny! We’re guilty too! Thanks for reading! And you can still be a hungry traveller purchasing food at the local market 😉
Yup that’s me and my bf. If we’re traveling it’s because we’re on vacation and vacation means no limiting ourselves to anything. It kinda sucks cause we spend the weeks prior being so good with our diet and working out just before the trip. These are really helpful!
Oh, I hear ya!!! We do the same! We’re so healthy at home and then vacation comes around and we let loose and forget everything haha. So this is a working progress for everyone! Thank you for reading! 🙂
So important to remember this during the holidays.
It really is! My problem with the holidays is overeating!! Slowly working on that! Thank you for reading! 🙂
I think the big one here is to not go out for every single meal. That way you can ensure that at least one meal a day you know exactly what you’re eating!
Yes! I agree and I know that is hard for most people – even us!! We love food! Thanks for reading! 🙂
I love your points. And I couldn’t agree more. Even if we have only few days for vacation, we should slow down. Thus, we won’t enjoy the trip when we are exhausted all the way there.
I agree! We have a really hard time slowing down.. But I think this next trip we’re going to take a step back! Thanks for reading! 🙂
These are some much needed tips! I know I personally want to go out to every meal when I go somewhere new because I want to try different restaurants that I wouldn’t try otherwise. However I know shopping at a market would save me way more money. So it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to do.
I agree! That’s the best part about vacationing, is going out, trying new foods and not having to cook! But it gets so expensive depending on where you are and your body gets overwhelmed! I love finding a good local market on vacation though! 🙂 Thank You for reading Jasmine!
Having your own food is really important, when we are not aware of the local food spices and all.
Thanks for the list.
Thank you for reading Samar!
Yes. And things get worst when you are traveling solo. Getting sick on the go makes you feel alone. And this is exactly not needed at that hour. It is better to take precautions than feeling sorry.
I agree 100%! Better to be safe than sorry! Thanks for reading! 🙂