Eating Well on the Road
It is very difficult to make good food choices on the road. Often confined to whatever chains are within walking distance and without kitchens, meals can be a choice between something horrible for you and something just slightly better. Chain restaurants pack their foods with excess sodium and fat, and don't always taste good.
Even when we were stopped in major cities like New Orleans and Nashville, the food is much richer than the basic, whole-food entrees I make myself when I am in my own kitchen. Most food in the south is made Paula Dean style; you can never have enough butter.
Even salads can become an over-calorie culprit. Thanks to The Worst Foods in America, I know now that a deceptively "healthy" entree like the Waldorf Chicken Salad at California Pizza Kitchen is loaded with more than half of a day's worth of calories.
Hotel breakfast is usually pretty basic, with powdered eggs and cereals. I try to stay as closely to what I'd usually eat as possible, except plain, instant oatmeal is no where near as delicious as steel-cut oats cooked on a stove top with fruit and spices thrown in. Yogurt is equally disappointing: it is always available but never the natural brands I love. Hard-boiled eggs are a great way to get some protein, but I know they aren't cage free, antibiotic free, like I would purchase for myself at home.
It is extremely difficult to be a animal-conscious vegetarian in the southern and midwest United States. We are a country obsessed with meat.
I am doing my best to make grocery store trips and stock up on healthy snacks and microwaveable options. Healthy Choice and Amy's have some freezer products that aren't totally full of preservatives, but I would in no way call them delicious.
I have found a few great road snacks, like dried fruit bars from Trader Joe's and eating sunflower seeds. You can make a decent baked potato in the microwave, and my new favorite snack are apple slices cooked until soft in the microwave with a generous dash of cinnamon. Instant apple pie!
Even when we were stopped in major cities like New Orleans and Nashville, the food is much richer than the basic, whole-food entrees I make myself when I am in my own kitchen. Most food in the south is made Paula Dean style; you can never have enough butter.
Even salads can become an over-calorie culprit. Thanks to The Worst Foods in America, I know now that a deceptively "healthy" entree like the Waldorf Chicken Salad at California Pizza Kitchen is loaded with more than half of a day's worth of calories.
Hotel breakfast is usually pretty basic, with powdered eggs and cereals. I try to stay as closely to what I'd usually eat as possible, except plain, instant oatmeal is no where near as delicious as steel-cut oats cooked on a stove top with fruit and spices thrown in. Yogurt is equally disappointing: it is always available but never the natural brands I love. Hard-boiled eggs are a great way to get some protein, but I know they aren't cage free, antibiotic free, like I would purchase for myself at home.
It is extremely difficult to be a animal-conscious vegetarian in the southern and midwest United States. We are a country obsessed with meat.
I am doing my best to make grocery store trips and stock up on healthy snacks and microwaveable options. Healthy Choice and Amy's have some freezer products that aren't totally full of preservatives, but I would in no way call them delicious.
I have found a few great road snacks, like dried fruit bars from Trader Joe's and eating sunflower seeds. You can make a decent baked potato in the microwave, and my new favorite snack are apple slices cooked until soft in the microwave with a generous dash of cinnamon. Instant apple pie!
Woah, just noticed the new layout. Love!! #upgrade
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for healthy travel -- if you ever want to write a guest post, you're more than welcome. :) I especially like your take on 'deceptively healthy' meals at restaurants. Probably smart to stop by the grocery store when possible.
Awesome! How about a post on healthy choices at not-so-healthy restaurants, or healthy snacking?
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