Ahh, vacation. Just saying the word usually evokes visions of relaxing by the pool, drinks with tiny umbrellas, a plethora of succulent foods, building sandcastles, and a beach-ready body.
(At least it did before kids!)
While traveling somewhere new is (almost) always lots of fun, trying to eat healthy on vacation can be a challenge.
Staying Healthy on Vacation?
It’s funny, but rarely do you ever hear talk of post-vacation syndrome — you know, needing a vacation to recover from the vacation? Some of the symptoms are sunburned skin, chlorine-damaged hair, very little sleep, and ten extra pounds that magically appears.
Vacation is typically about indulgence and it can be very hard to pass up delicious brownie sundaes or deep-fried… well… ANYTHING. I’m not against the occasional treat but vacation can also turn into treat after treat after treat…
We’re only human, but for the most part we try to put good things into our bodies even on vacation. At the end of our hectic day real food helps our bodies to function properly and give us energy (and may also help protect skin from the sun).
I don’t know what it is about sleeping in a hotel room or condo, but somehow on vacation, it is easy to leave our rational, nutritionally savvy selves at home and replace them with wide-eyed tourists without any regard for healthy eating. With limited ability to cook and store food, convenience often wins. Plus there is often a tempting local cuisine to try! (My downfall: anything smothered in BBQ sauce).
After years of trial and error, I’ve found some tried-and-true tips that allow us to enjoy ourselves on vacation, without falling into overindulgence or a gluten-induced hangover.
1. Plan, Plan, Plan
My husband is fond of saying that “proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance” and never do I find this more true than in the kitchen!
Meal planning is the single best thing I do each week for my sanity and for our food budget. Since I started using this meal planner (the best one out there, period), I am able to plan seasonal meals in less than 5 minutes a week (and save money doing it). I use this system regularly at home, but realized that there wasn’t any reason I couldn’t use it on vacation too!
The beauty of meal planning is that my computer (and my phone with the app) go everywhere I go, so I have them when we travel too. I can plan around regional foods, like seafood while at the beach. I can also set the plan to skip certain meals that we plan to eat out so we buy only what we need without wasting anything or leaving food behind when we leave.
Most of the time when we travel, we drive to our destination, so I’ve also started pre-making as much of the food as possible. I batch cook and pre-make entire meals like casseroles, pre-cook meats, and make big batches of chicken salad so that I don’t have to cook much on vacation (which makes it an actual vacation for me!)
The pre-planning allows me to only bring what is needed and not have to pack things like spices and condiments since meals are pre-made.
2. Pack (Healthy) Snacks
Whether your destination is a short car ride or a 3-hour flight, having an arsenal of healthy, non-perishable snacks on hand can be the difference between processed airport (or gas station) food and a fresh alternative. Most hotels only offer continental breakfasts with highly processed foods (like cereal and pastries) and having better alternatives on hand saves time in the mornings and keeps us from feeling terrible.
These are some of the snacks I bring for the kids (or buy there) so we can eat healthy on vacation:
- apples
- bananas
- trail mix (almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins)
- reusable insulated water bottles for holding smoothies, ices herbal teas and other drinks)
- pre-made energy bars like these chia seed bars
- various types of almond butter, pecan butter, and coconut butter for serving with fresh fruit
- a healthy meal replacement shake (I like this one)
If we’re flying, I pack many of the same healthy snacks in my carry-on and make sure to boost our immune systems before the flight since we’re sure to be exposed to a lot.
3. Pretend You Are Eating at Home
For some reason, many people (me included in the past) feel like vacation is a time to completely disregard normal eating habits and budget constraints. For too long we spent enormous amounts of money eating processed foods at overpriced restaurants.
If I wouldn’t put it in my mouth at home, I probably shouldn’t put it in my mouth while in another state or country… but this is easier said than done.
Pre-making food helps a lot with this, since I don’t want to have food leftover that goes to waste. I also realized that much of the reason I like to eat out on vacation is that I want a break from cooking, so pre-making food helps with this as well. Most of all though, I just don’t think of vacation as a time to eat junk and mentally plan ahead of time to eat as we do normally (with occasional healthy treats).
If you’re really serious about your diet for health reasons, maybe even consider taking a staycation instead!
4. Skip the Sugar (or Limit to One a Day)
Though I think rules are important, it’s also important to know how to break or bend them without completely falling off track! If you are going to have a treat after a long day of sightseeing or laying on the beach, make an event out of it! Maybe it’s at the end of your trip or even in the middle, but pick one day where you plan on eating a special treat. Just don’t make it a regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner event the whole vacation and you’ll be OK!
I’ve also found that especially in summer months, I prefer a fresh smoothie (that may or may not also include rum) to any type of processed dessert anyway. If our family does go out for a special treat, we limit it to one meal.
5. Have a Picnic
Nothing says vacation like packing up a cooler or basket filled with delicious foods and copping a squat on a blanket overlooking a beautiful view. Instead of hitting up a local restaurant, go to a grocery store and have your kids help pick out what they’d like to eat (with your final approval of course). It will be just like eating at home, but in between yummy salads and sandwiches the kids can toss a football or play tag, all while soaking up some vitamin D.
6. Pack the Remedies
Unfortunately, bug bites, sunburns, and earaches can happen just as often on vacation (or even more often) than they do at home. I’ve learned the hard way the remedies I always need on vacation and now make sure to pack a small kit with all of these:
- plenty of vitamin C
- natural bug spray
- homemade sunscreen
- healing salve (I use for bug bites, stings, rashes, etc)
- ear infection remedies (and some diluted hydrogen peroxide/rubbing alcohol to use after swimming)
- sunburn remedies, especially lavender and apple cider vinegar
- homemade hand sanitizer (because while I don’t mind the kids playing in dirt, the germs on playground equipment and public restrooms really gross me out)
7. Don’t Stress
So you’ve fallen off the proverbial real food food wagon, filled with all its antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and proteins? Before you figure all is lost and take a running dive, face first, into the processed food cart, remember… Don’t stress! Just take stock of how your body is feeling and employ a few of these tricks to get back on track.
Remember, stress is the ultimate enemy and vacation is supposed to be a time to relax and rejuvenate. Don’t beat yourself (or your kids) up if you don’t adhere to your usual fantastic regimen. Just try to make the best food choices you can and above all ENJOY YOURSELF!
Do you have any tips to eating healthy on vacation?
This post was written and contributed by Nacia Walsh of NaciaWalsh.com.
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