As much fun as traveling is, let’s be real: there are parts of travel that are a struggle. Jet lag is annoying, living out of a suitcase is somewhat limiting, and keeping up your normal lifestyle is hard. One particularly tricky area is eating healthy. I’m not gonna lie, both times I studied abroad before this trip, I gained a few pounds. There’s some sort of “treat yourself” mentality that takes over when you’re on a trip – which is totally fine when you’re on a weeklong vacation, but slightly less fine when you’re traveling for a month or more.
With that being said, I think I’ve finally gotten some of the “eating healthy while traveling” stuff down. So here are my biggest tips for you.
Limit how often you eat out
Does this tip ring a bell from last Monday’s post? Yeah, this trick pulls double duty: it’ll save you money and save you calories. Utilize a grocery store to stock up on some basics so that you don’t have to go to a restaurant for every meal. (This is also a great way to make sure you’re getting a good amount of fruits and veggies, because eating out doesn’t always promise a decent provision of those two.)
Portion control
When you do go out to eat, don’t feel obliged to eat everything put in front of you. Eat until you’re full, but don’t stuff yourself just because the restaurant’s portion sizes are ridiculously large. You can still enjoy the food without clearing your plate.
Choose one: big meals or lots of snacks
Normally, I’m the type of person that prefers to eat a lot of small meals throughout the day. However, when I’m traveling, I know that my meals are generally larger than normal, so I cut down on the number of snacks I eat throughout the day. By choosing one or the other, you’ll make sure you’re staying within a reasonable caloric range.
Indulge thoughtfully
Eating healthy while traveling doesn’t mean you can’t ever get any treats or unhealthy foods. It just means that maybe you shouldn’t do that for every meal. Typically, I’ll allow myself one “treat” per day – usually some sort of dessert. Having that one special indulgence per day means that I get to enjoy my favorite things while still, on the whole, eating pretty healthy.
What are your biggest tricks for eating healthy while traveling? Let me know!!
xo, Taylor
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