4 Ways to Eat Healthy on the Road and Still Perform at Your Best

When you’re used to making your own food at home, eating while you travel can really throw your body for a loop. Traveling doesn’t have to put a dent in your diet, though, and it doesn’t mean you’ll have no choice but to eat foods that leave you feel bloated and sluggish. Finding the right routine and healthy foods while traveling will ensure your body and mind can still perform at an optimal level. Take a look at these tips for on-the-go healthy eating.

Book Travel Accordingly

Look for hotels that offer kitchen options so you can store and prepare food. Don’t just take the website’s word for it. Call the hotel and ask what appliances and options are available in the room type you want to book. If the hotel does not have in-room kitchen options, ask about a community area for food prep.

Another great option is home renting apps like Airbnb and HomeAway. These apps let you rent entire apartments for the same, or lower, rates than a hotel. This way you will have an entire kitchen to prepare healthy foods.

Utilize PortionMate

Looking for a snack and meal measuring tool that is easy to use? PortionMate is a set of colorful cylinders that come with a meal-planning guide to help you follow the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommendations. Compact enough to stash in a desk or kitchen drawer – or bring on your next trip – you can use it to easily measure correct portions of foods like cereals, meats, cheese, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Praised by many registered dieticians, these cylinders allow you to learn how much food to eat.

Use an Instant Pot

Instant Pots are known for cooking a lot of food very quickly – this route is much healthier and frugal than that tempting carry out pizza.

While it does take some planning ahead, you can use the Instant Pot if you meal prepare. First of all, you can pack spices you need from home. You can also use watertight containers for any liquids you may need. Pack your utensils and some paper plates and silverware in a plastic bag. You can even choose to freeze and bring along meat in a cooler if you’re driving to your vacation destination. Otherwise, you can visit a local store for the meat you need once you reach your destination.When you feel like splurging, hit the iconic coffee shops in New York City or cool bars in Vegas knowing you can come back and make a healthy meal in the hotel.

Choose the Right Foods to Perform Better

Now that you have some tools to eat better while on the road, it’s time to hear from top professionals in their industry on how they manage their diet to ensure top performance. 2010 World Poker of Poker Circuit winner Andrew Lichtenberger has been a top Texas Hold’em player for years. During the start of his professional poker career, Lichtenberger was eating processed foods while traveling from tournament to Texas Hold’em tournament but started suffering from a variety of different ailments related to his dietary choices.

Lichtenberger said in an interview with online poker giant 888Poker.com that “I decided to change my dietary habits. I transitioned away from processed foods with modified ingredients. I was left with an all vegan diet with an emphasis on high water intake. I felt stronger, healthier, and had sharper attentiveness.” This change in diet helped Lichtenberger become one of the top performing poker players in the world. The change was so drastic that it inspired Lichtenberger to write a book titled, “The Yoga of Poker,” where he explains that eating whole foods instead of processed foods and drinking plenty of water is what allowed him to return to poker champion form.

Stop at a local grocery store to get some nutritious food for your stay. Regular and whole foods stores offer healthy foods like fruits, bagged vegetables, hummus and nuts. Many supermarkets also offer salad bars, so you can eat a variety of healthy vegetables without the junky temptations.

You can also consider packing some items to take along that are nutritious, remembering the importance of consuming sources of high protein. Snack options that are easy to pack include fresh and dried fruit, almonds, sliced vegetables, hummus and hard-boiled eggs.

Traveling doesn’t mean you’re destined to hit up fast food for every meal or be at the mercy of what’s being served. Plan ahead; it is possible to stick to a healthy eating plan on your next vacation. Your body will thank you and so will your wallet.