AAJ 142: Tips for eating on the road

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In this episode you’ll learn… Tips for eating on the road, plus…

• How you can eat healthy on the road.
• Where to find your food when on the road.
• What you should be looking for in your road food.
• The places you should be eating if you can’t make food.
• And much, much more.

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Welcome to the show!

This is super relevant for me right now, as I’ve started living in a Sprinter van down by the river… but really, I am living in a Sprinter van, but we are traveling to all of the National Parks in the US, starting with the lower 48, and hopefully finishing with Alaska. Hawaii, I don’t think we’ll drive to.

Definition of “on the road”
* Any travel situation. Could be driving a lot or flying to other cities. It’s all about how you’re figuring out what to eat while in foreign situations.

Tips for eating on the road

Tip #1 – Have a plan
If you think you can just wing it… you can’t. I’m a freaking seasoned pro at this, and even I cannot do this very well.

The hardest part is going to be eating before you get hangery. I know, you’re probably thinking that not eating as much would be a good thing. BUT IT’S NOT!

What happens is that you don’t eat because you’re preoccupied with traveling, new places, or whatever, then you get to a point where you’re super hungry, to the point that no one wants to be around you.

And guess what happens next… You go to In-N-Out Burger and you order 4 Double Doubles! And we all know that’s bad news (at least if you do it more than once a month :-)).

So, have a plan when eating on the road. I know this will sound strange, but what I’d like you to do is… put your eating times in your calendar with an alarm attached.

For me, this looks like a 14 hour’ish fast. My last feeding is usually around 9pm. Then I’ll eat my first meal around 11am. My second meal around 2pm. Workout from 3-5pm. Have a post workout bar/shake 5:30pm. Third meal around 6:30pm. And finally a snack (usually some oatmeal) around 9pm.

Breakdown
* Meal 1 – 11am
* Meal 2 – 2pm
* Meal 3 – 5:30pm (post workout)
* Meal 4 – 6:30pm
* Meal 5 – 9pm

Tip #2 – Find a kitchen
Before you roll your eyes and tell me that you can’t afford a place with a kitchen… stop right there! I have consistently found Extended Stay hotel rooms (they come with a kitchen) or AirBnB/VRBO’s that have a full kitchen for the same (or less) price than other (non-super shitball) places to stay.

Now that you have a kitchen you can meal prep some food for the time that you’ll be staying in that location. I would recommend that you plan on doing your meal prep as soon as you get into town.

EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT.

Just go straight to the local Trader Joe’s or grocery store, buy the essentials for your stay, and make all the food.

If you do this you will eat healthier, save money, and feel so much better than eating out. I guarantee it!

Tip #3 – Stock up on non-perishables
There will definitely be times that you don’t have time to get the food that you want. Or you’ll be driving and not able to stop to eat a good meal. Or you’re on a plane and didn’t pack a meal (this is pretty stupid. Just sayin’).

Here’s what I’d recommend stocking up on at your local Trader Joe’s:
* Quest Bars – These are fantastic due to their low glycemic index and high fiber. No more constipated traveling!
* RX Bars – These are ideally best after you’ve done a little activity, but better than almost anything that you’ll find on a plane, or what you’ll want once you get hangery.
* Some kind of low sodium nuts (NOT peanuts) – My faves are Brazil nuts, lightly salted almonds, and cashews (watch out because these pack a FAT punch!).
* String cheese (or other cheese) – Assuming your not lactose intolerant. I can’t have much milk without it messing me up, but I can eat a LOT of cheese. And I know… this is perishable, BUT they will last a whole day without going bad (even in warm temps).
* Carbs – You can grab some apples, or berries, or even some plantain chips. Just make sure you eat some protein and fat (cheese or nuts) prior to eating straight fruit. This will lower the impact, or chance of being stored as fat.

Tip #4 – Blend if you can
If you have the ability… definitely get yourself a NutriBullet Pro. I bring this thing anytime I can, and make my Mean Green Shake on the go. I just wish they would make a portable lid that worked well.

Tip #5 – Have some go-to places to eat out
If you’re in some obscure place you’ll have to wing it, and look for places with good looking salads. A lot of times you can accomplish this at diners or BBQ joints, OR every town seems to have a Subway these days and they have decent enough salads. Just don’t get tempted by the bread!

My go-to places for eating on the road:
* Chipotle – You can really do Chipotle as good or as bad as you want. Get a salad without rice if you need to loose some fat.
* Panera Bread – They have some really great salads here. Don’t get ANY bread unless you know you need those carbs.
* Subway – Like I said above, these places are everywhere. Get a salad.
* Trader Joe’s – They have some great pre-made salads. Just make sure to take a look at the sugar and fat on the Nutrition Facts. They like to put those Craisin things in their salads and they are LOADED with sugar. Just pick them out if you get a salad with those in there.
* Qudoba – Same game place as Chipotle.

If you can’t find any of these places, go with the salad rule.

The Salad Rule
* Avoid sugary dressings. Go for fat over sugar. Basalmic vinagarette is the best.
* Get the dressing on the side. Always.
* Get without croutons, or just don’t eat them.
* No Craisins :-).

If you NEED carbs…
Carbs aren’t bad at all, but more often than not, travel carbs are terrible for you.