Resist the breakfast pastries!

By Tanya McCausland of Home Cooked Healing

In the past two months I’ve flown from one coast to the other, made small jaunts to St. Louis, Los Angeles and Mississippi and am now in Germany to visit family and attend two weddings. Even for this frequent-flyer/health-nut making healthy choices while traveling has proven to be difficult at times, if not impossible.

Traveling for business in particular can throw off your good intentions. Business meetings are often held at sub-par restaurants, workshops are stocked with breakfast pastries and airports have you trapped with fast food options only (although, they are getting better!). But avoid the temptation to abandon your diet — you’ll have to work extra hard when you get home to get back to your normal self!

With a little creativity it’s totally possible to make healthy choices while traveling. Here is your guide for making healthy choices that will save your waistline and keep you on top of your game:

Breakfast – Ask for 2 or 3 poached eggs over steamed veggies and a side of fruit. Add avocado to your eggs if they have it. This way you’ll be sure to steer clear of icky processed vegetable oils and get plenty of protein and healthy fats to make it through your afternoon meetings.

Lunch – Salad is where it’s at for lunch. Ask if they can add beans to your salad so you get enough protein. If you’re super hungry ask for an extra vegetable side or a side of brown rice to mix into your salad. Avoid the processed dressings and ask for oil and vinegar. I often ask for half a lemon and squeeze that over my salad – it’s delicious and refreshing!

Dinner – Always look at the appetizer menu first for dinner. Often one or two appetizers and a salad make a perfect dinner. Keep the bread and chip basket as far away as possible to avoid mindlessly munching in empty carbs. Replace potatoes and fries for salad or an extra side of steamed veggies. If you have a fridge in your hotel ask to have half of your meal packed up before you start eating. This is a great way to manage portions.

Snacks – Instead of defaulting to gas station snacks, visit a grocery store if you have time and stock up on almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans and dried fruit. Apples and bananas are always convenient but don’t forget about carrots and bell peppers – they are very packable and make great crunchy snacks. Pick up some hummus with olive oil (no canola oil please!) for your veggies and you’ll never go hungry!

About this Contributor: Tanya McCausland is a Health and Culinary Coach in Alameda, CA She inspires, encourages and motivates her clients to create a life of health and balance through delicious food and simple lifestyle changes. She believes that our kitchens have the ability to heal – we just have to stock our pantries with real food and not be afraid to wield a wooden spoon every so often!