Vacation More Fun When You Eat Right

Whether it’s a weekend tour of Seattle, a few days hiking in the mountains, a three-day business conference in downtown Portland or a family vacation at Disneyland, travel presents many challenges for eating healthful meals.

In addition to souvenirs, you might pack home a few extra pounds, a cold and/or constipation.

Here are six rules for eating on the road or in the sky:

* Eat at your usual times. Drastically changing eating times affects your body’s appetite, digestion and blood sugar control.

In our daily routine we’re accustomed to various environmental cues for eating, such as scheduled work breaks, kids arriving home from school, the cat meowing for its food or radio and TV programs beginning and ending. Being away from familiar environments creates different eating cues, such as time of day, sun position, hunger or when our relatives or travel hosts decide to eat.

When you customarily eat dinner at 6 p.m. and your relatives or hosts gather at 8 p.m., you might experience drastic drops in blood sugar, contributing to fatigue, pre-meal grumpiness and overeating.

If you have special needs such as vegetarianism, hypoglycemia, gluten-free or nondairy requirements, chewing or swallowing difficulty or diabetes, make sure you’ve communicated those to your host.

Eat your normal breakfast, lunch or dinner before departing. Leaving on an empty stomach means your blood sugars will soon be dropping. You don’t want to begin your trip with a bad attitude, headache and/or nausea.

When flying, pretzels are rationed to keep patrons’ blood sugars from nose diving. But for many people, fast-burning pretzels makes them crave more food. Bringing a small bag of mixed nuts or a few sticks of turkey jerky will better sustain blood sugar levels.

If jerky is unappealing, try a handful of slow-burning roasted pumpkin seeds. You can get dry-roasted pumpkin seeds with natural seasonings, called Pumpkorn at REI stores. One-third cup contains 150 calories, 4 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fiber, 10 grams protein and 11 grams of mostly mono and polyunsaturated fat. They’re crunchy and tasty.

The continental breakfast is complimentary for a reason. The fast-burning continental breakfast of muffins, cereal, bagels and toast won’t get the blood-sugar sensitive person past the lobby. You’re probably blood sugar sensitive if the continental breakfast lasts less than one hour before you’re foraging for food.

For strenuous walking or hiking, dress up the continental breakfast with some slow-burning lean protein and healthful fat to better sustain energy levels. Slow-burning sources include: a swab of peanut butter for your muffin, an egg or two (egg whites for anyone with an elevated LDL cholesterol level), lean sausage or ham, or a scoop of cottage cheese to go with your toast and jam.

You’ll pay a little extra for the slow-burning fuel, but it costs something for a reason.

If your energy has crashed after breakfast, even if you super-charged with some protein and fat, you need to add a travel snack.

Between-meal snacks help sustain energy levels. A plastic bag of roasted soy nuts and dried fruit can be a lifesaver when the restaurant you were destined for has a 45-minute wait. Small packets of peanut butter from restaurants require no refrigeration, last for weeks and make a quick blood sugar fix. However, peanut butter usually requires some water to wash it down.

It’s easy to consume foods containing excess salt and minimal fiber, which contribute to bowel irregularity and water retention. A 16-ounce plastic water bottle in your travel pack or purse is worth its space. Sipping water throughout the day averts the need to drink extra water before bed. Also, when we drink more water we tend to eat less food.

Eat lunch. Skipping lunch guarantees a super-sized dinner. Your body needs midday calories to support energy levels when you’re most active.

Even patronizing fast food restaurants is better than skipping lunch. McDonald’s shaker salads provide a light source of vegetables and protein but little carbohydrate. You may need to add a grilled chicken sandwich or milk for some extra protein and carbohydrate calories. The french fries are best left in the deep fryer.

Subway’s turkey or tuna sandwich provides a mixture of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Ask for extra meat rather than adding potato chips or a cookie to boost slow-burning energy.

Wendy’s chili is packed with high-fiber beans that will help keep you regular. Opt for a small Caesar salad with it instead of french fries.

On the road, you may not know where you’ll be eating, but it’s important to make time to eat small frequent meals to maintain energy levels and regular bowel function. And don’t forget to pack the water bottle.