How to eat healthy when travelling

It can cause issues with your diet and make it hard to stick to a plan so what do you do when faced with constant travel and how do you still work on your body when faced with this obstacle?

Today I want to talk to you about how to navigate the minefield of travel and discuss how to eat clean and still be successful even though you’re reliant on whatever is available in the hotels, trains or service stations you find yourself holed up in.

Plan your day

This sounds simple, I know, but planning your day, each and every hour ahead of you, is an easy way to manage your diet and keep it clean.

When people think of the travel time they think of time spent in transit and the options available to them right there and then.

But it doesn’t have to be that way and it starts first thing in the morning.

Plan your day and factor in when you can eat, and what will be available. Just because you’re on a train it doesn’t mean you have to eat high sugar snacks and junk food.

If you’re going to be in transit for a long period of time then think ahead to what you can prepare ahead of time or where you can get some good quality food before you have to leave.

Once your day has started, look ahead to any possible downtime, in the mornings, evenings or mid-afternoon, where you do have control over your diet and you can control what you’re going to have to eat.

Once you have control over your schedule and you know when you’re going to eat, you can start to think about what you’re going to eat.

Go off the menu

I’m a big fan of going off the menu.

You can’t do this everywhere you go and especially if your only options are pre-packaged meals, but in the hotel or anywhere that prepares food for you, you’ll have the option to get something a little more to your liking.

Go for a higher protein option or change the order as much as you can. Sometimes, if they have the menu items in, a kind word will get you exactly what you want, but remember, you don’t get if you don’t ask.

Buy a travel bag

A few years ago I went to a local wildlife park and as I stood around the gift shop area waiting for my wife my eyes were drawn to a man sat on a bench eating a plain grilled chicken breast.

I couldn’t believe it, we were surrounded by shops, food stands and a few little cafes and here he was eating a grilled chicken breast he’d bought from home.

Then he went into his small black bag and pulled out…. A boiled egg.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

But here’s the thing, as I started to reflect on what I had just seen, as I thought more about this guy getting his protein intake in whilst out with the family I realised that the joke WAS on me and IS on us, not on him.

The food bag and grilled chicken represented far more than I could have imagined, they represented dedication, dedication and focus to a goal that he had set out to achieve and he was doing all he could to be successful.

If you have the option, make your food ahead of time, buy a cool bag to keep your food at the right temperature, and take it with you.

If it’s good enough for professional fighters, athletes and bodybuilders, it’s good enough for you.

Find a local shop

One of the easiest ways to eat clean when travelling is to stick to what you know.

If you travel to the same places then this is easy, find a local shop that can meet your needs and provide the food you want, if you’re staying in the UK it could be as getting the same thing from a Tesco store where you know the calories and content of the food or visiting a local café or restaurant that will make what you want.

If you’re going further away then it does get a little harder but it’s not impossible.

Seek out the best local options and don’t settle for high sugar junk food that doesn’t meet your goals.

Try intermittent fasting

One of the simplest options and something which is being used by business owners all over the world is the introduction of intermittent fasting into their lives.

The idea is simple; you fast intermittently and only eat during certain blocks.

Too many people get caught up in eating when they’re travelling, just because food is available.

With intermittent fasting, you only eat during set time blocks of the day and you get to take away a lot of pressure around food and dieting.

By incorporating intermittent fasting into your day and changing the food windows, you can keep your diet clean without having to worry about when to eat or succumbing to unhealthy choices whilst you’re out.

You are in control 

The most important thing to remember here is that you are in control.

Yes, travel brings up a degree of uncertainty but it doesn’t mean you have to go off plan.

Keep focussed on your goal, stay determined about what you’re going to achieve and be prepared to

Feel a little hungry at times.

You’re sacrificing what you want now, for what you want the most, and that’s the best choice you can make.