It's easy to get caught up in the moment while traveling, too excited about sights or too lazy to find decent food. It can lead to making bad food choice after bad food choice because you don’t know local diets or just eat your way through convenience store snack food because it’s easier.
Being a foodie and being lucky enough to have traveled pretty extensively this year has taught me how to prepare for going away, what foods I really can’t live without (mainly decent coffee) and how to stay healthy even if you are eating out two meals a day.
So, here are my 7 tips to staying healthy while travelling:
1. Keep snacks
Sometimes you don’t have the time to stop for breakfast or are running around lost and the next thing you know you have skipped lunch. Most countries will have healthy snacks, from nuts to seaweed or you can bring your own. I always pack one fruit and nut bar for each day before I go, so I can always grab it if needed, and it normally ends up saving me money on breakfast.
2. Fruit and veg is important
Holidays equal a lot of eating out, which can mean you don’t eat as many fruit or vegetables as you normally would. Fresh fruit and vegetables are hydrating and just perfect in hot weather. It is also something you don’t necessarily realise you miss. I had a green apple in Shanghai after 2 and a half weeks of no apples and it was possible the most refreshing apple I have ever eaten. Make sure to check out fresh fruit and veg markets as well, an experience in itself, and grab some to go with breakfast.
3. Stay hydrated
Moving between tourist sites or sitting on a beach all day doesn’t always provide plenty of opportunity for drink breaks and not all countries have drinking fountains everywhere. Either take plenty of water or grab a flask for tea and make sure you take advantage of free tap water when you do stop, especially as you will be doing loads of extra exercise wandering about. If you are fed up of water I tend to gravitate towards to fruit juices because they are full of vitamins and can be easier to find than fresh fruit and veg.
4. Restaurant Research
Research the local diet, and consider what you like or not. If you have dietary requirements find some good locations for you to eat (for vegetarians or vegans Happy Cow is great) and then have fun hunting those places down. There are plenty of apps available. It may also take you to areas you wouldn’t otherwise look around or show you more of the local way of life. I have ended up in temples eating next to monks and also Michelin star restaurants just because I researched the best places for vegans. It also means you will have reviews of the restaurant, so you tend never to have a bad meal unlike if you pop into the first place you see.
5. Try new things
Just because how you eat at home is healthy doesn’t mean other places don’t have an alternative. Don’t just look for similar items; go completely out of your comfort zone. Sometimes you have to because all you have is picture menus and you can’t quite work out what it is, and sometimes you just take a risk and pick something different.
6. Cook when you can
If you are in an Airbnb or a hostel there may be cooking facilities and you can always go to a supermarket (an adventure in itself) and grab something to make, especially if you are craving a comfort food or meal from home.
7. Grab your favourites
Just because you are trying new things that doesn’t mean you can’t have something from home. Although McDonalds isn’t really healthy often people say it’s what they miss the most. Mine is Starbucks, as abroad it is one of the few places that will always have Soy milk, so is more convenient when I don’t want to live off black coffee. Similarly, if you are craving something like decent cheese in China and you are in an international supermarket where it is about triple the price as back home, just go for it.
It comes down to not changing your diet completely just because you are away. Don’t suddenly eat no vegetables but hundreds of churros just because they are a local speciality (or at least try and balance it out). As ever moderation, decent portions and staying hydrated are important.