Since moving away from my home state of sunny California, I travel way more than I used to. Meaning, I went from being on a plane twice in my lifetime to traveling via plane 4-5 times a year. Holidays, birthdays, and random visits have me on-the-go routinely, which is a blast, but it can also make eating healthy quite the challenge.
I know there are many people who travel monthly, or even weekly, for work and/or pleasure. So, by sharing what I ate in a day while traveling, I hope you are encouraged to work towards your health and fitness goals, even while on-the-go.
Before I go any further, I must, once again, point out the most important aspect of eating healthy (which is even more important while traveling): preparation! Do I sound like a broken record yet? Being prepared is the K E Y to staying on track, whether you’re traveling via car, bus, or plane. Make sure you have the necessary snacks and meals with you, so you don’t have to rely on airport food. And in the chance you do need to find a healthy airport option, I’m sharing my top tips to help you do that, too!
Home-Prepared Travel Snacks & Meals:
- Protein bars (RX Bars, Quest Bars, Oatmega Bars)
- Rice cakes with nut butter
- Trail mix (without M&M’s, candy, or lots of dried fruit)
- Mixed nuts
- Protein shake
- Cocoa Collagen Energy Bites
- Granola
- Paleo Banana Bread
Tips for Choosing the Healthiest Airport Options:
- Freshly prepared food
- Protein-packed salads (chicken, nuts, edamame, etc)
- Ask for dressings and sauces on the side
- Skip or limit the cheese and/or bread
- Low-sugar protein bars (again, Quest bars, Kind bars, Rx Bars)
- Trail mix
- Mixed nuts
- Veggie packs
Now that you know what to look for, here is what a day of eating while traveling looks like for me:
Breakfast (before heading out the door): Eggs, avocado, tomato, spinach, sweet potato, fruit, coffee
Snack: Peanuts on the plane
Lunch: Egg and sausage breakfast tacos from an airport restaurant (no cheese, no tortillas)
Snack: Rx Bar (my favorite flavors are: Blueberry, Maple Sea Salt, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Sea Salt)
Dinner: Chick Fila Southwest Chicken Salad (hold the cheese, black beans, and corn- I promise, it’s still delicious!)
And there you have it, my friends! Whether you’re at home or on-the-go, healthy eating doesn’t have to be stressful, boring, or bland. All it takes is a little preparation!
