Last weekend I went to Vero Beach, Florida for a family reunion for my mom’s aunt’s 90th birthday. Normally when I go on vacation I overindulge in everything. I can be gluttonous. When I’m home it’s very easy for me to stay healthy, but traveling can be a huge stress for the body. When I’m out of my normal routine, and get into “vacation mode” I eat very poorly (and usually drink a bit more alcohol than I probably should.) This trip I wanted to stick to my normal eating patterns as much as possible, while still enjoying my time with the family and not obsessing about what I’m eating. I decided to document the trip through Instagram to give other people healthy travel tips and help them to feel the best they can!
(You can click on the pictures to enlarge them)
Healthy Travel Tip #1:
Bring digestive support with you. Traveling wreaks havoc on your digestive system, especially when you have an early morning flight. I brought with me HCl, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. HCl is a good supplement to bring while traveling to help you breakdown the food in your stomach. You probably won’t be eating the same quality of food you are used to at home, and this will help lessen any discomfort. However, it is best to use HCl under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Probiotics help to balance your gut flora and improve digestion. I always bring them on vacation with me to lessen digestive distress. I also bring digestive enzymes with me on every vacation to help breakdown food and absorb the nutrients. These enzymes also contain lactase to avoid any digestive distress associated with dairy products. You may also want to bring a heating pad with you if you know you’re prone to digestive distress.
Healthy Travel Tip #2:
Pack your own food/snacks in your carry-on for the plane and the trip. On past vacations, I’ve made paleo muffins for myself and brought them to eat for breakfast. That helped me to eat better and save money on eating out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. On this trip, I just packed these snacks and bought more at the JetBlue terminal. Other snack ideas: beef jerky, sardines, hard boiled eggs, nuts.
Healthy Travel Tip #3:
Bring some activated charcoal with you. Activated charcoal helps with detoxification. It is good to take when you are unsure of the quality of the food you’re eating (such as at a restaurant) and/or drinking alcohol. Activated charcoal can also help to reduce intestinal gas, but be aware that taking high doses can cause constipation. Activated charcoal has a magnetic effect that attracts toxins and gas and takes them out of the body without being absorbed. It is gentle on the colon and can remove chlorine or other toxins from food and the environment. It also has the added benefit that it whitens teeth. You may notice that your stools are black after taking charcoal. Don’t worry that is just the charcoal exiting the body.
Healthy Travel Tip #4:
Look for healthy snack options at the airport. The JetBlue terminal has many good options to choose from. I got kombucha, chocolate almond milk (all good ingredients, paleo-friendly), hail merry strawberry macaroons (paleo-friendly), olive dip and red pepper dip (paleo-friendly) to go with the crackers I packed, and a milk chocolate sunbutter cup (I would’ve gotten dark chocolate like I got when I flew to Aruba, but they didn’t have it this time). There were many other paleo options there as well. I was surprised how many paleo-friendly options there were the first time. It is possible to find good food/snack items, you just have to be willing to look for them!
Healthy Travel Tip #5:
Order from the gluten-free menu/Ask for substitutions. Most restaurants put flour into just about everything, so you’re better off ordering from the gluten-free menu, if the restaurant has one. Luckily, this restaurant on the beach, Mulligan’s had a gluten-free menu for me. Most restaurants are happy to accommodate you, so don’t be afraid to ask for substitutions to make a menu option healthier. Always tell your server if you have food allergies.
Healthy Travel Tip #6:
Get some light exercise everyday. If you’re on a vacation to relax and recharge, than that is what you should be doing. Light exercise like walking or yoga is perfect- this will help you relax even more. If you’re traveling for business or other reasons besides a personal vacation, you’ll probably want to do more intense exercises, as to not disrupt your normal routine. I think that is great. If you don’t feel like working out hard, listen to your body, light exercise may be all you need. While in Florida for the weekend, I walked on the beach for 2 miles on Friday, 4 miles on Saturday, and 4 miles on Sunday. I love being out in nature, especially in the sun on a beach. I really enjoyed these walks and felt great after.
What I Ate on My Trip to Vero Beach:
At the JetBlue terminal at JFK airport I got scrambled eggs and “homefries.” These weren’t the type of homefries I’d eat at home or even at a diner, but we didn’t have much time (we took a 6am flight) so I grabbed this quick. I didn’t eat most of it, but I got some fuel in me to begin the day of travel.
Once we got settled at our hotel, we took a 2 mile walk on the beach to Mulligans and I ordered from their gluten-free menu. I got a grilled salmon summer salad. I prefer salad without fruit, but I still enjoyed it and felt good about eating it. Yes, I did indulge in a pina colada (I’m on vacation!)
My family and I went to Citrus Grillhouse for dinner and I ordered angus steak with truffle buttered fries. I could’ve gotten string beans to be healthier, but who could pass up truffle buttered fries?! Honestly, I did not eat most of those fries and my dad and sister were more than happy to take them off my hands.
Saturday morning we walked on the beach to and from Mulligan’s (for a total of 4 miles). I ordered from their gluten-free menu- scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit. I also got a hibiscus mimosa (cranberry juice & champagne), which was delicious. For a late lunch/early dinner, we had a huge BBQ by the pool at our hotel. I ate way too much and didn’t take pictures. We got grass-fed burgers from the supermarket and I ate mine on a lettuce wrap. My mom’s cousin (who lives in Florida) met us at the hotel and brought home-cooked food that she made. I had zucchini noodles and chicken wings, I did have some corn chips as well and a dessert. I definitely felt the repercussions of overindulging on Saturday night. My body was not too pleased with me.
Sunday morning we walked to and from Mulligan’s again. I didn’t take a picture, but I ordered scrambled eggs and bacon with yogurt and fruit- all from the gluten-free menu. For another late lunch/early dinner we all went out together to Olive Garden for my mom’s aunt’s 90th birthday (Olive Garden is her favorite restaurant). I ordered from one of their healthier choice meals, grilled salmon with broccoli and a house salad. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to find something healthy from Olive Garden, but they had a perfect choice for me.
Monday morning at the West Palm Beach airport, I got scrambled eggs, bacon, and potatoes. I was actually so hungry by the time we got to the airport that I ate this whole entire meal. I was, of course, sick of eating eggs by the end of the weekend (is it even possible to get sick of bacon?)
My mom’s cousin also got each of us a bottle of red wine with our family tree, with our faces, and a reunion label!
In two weeks I will be traveling to Las Vegas for my NTC workshop- perhaps I will do another post geared more towards business-related travel.
Any specific questions about staying healthy while traveling? Let me know in the comments!
