Healthy Snacking On The Go
We all know that eating well while traveling can be a challenge. Whether you are gearing up for a long flight, a road trip, or your friend’s birthday BBQ, here are 5 tips for healthy snacking while traveling this summer!
1) Choose Shelf Stable Options
When it comes to snacking, I recommend thinking about the areas where you spend the most time and then stocking those areas with snacks. In the summer those areas can include the car, beach bag, diaper bag, and kids camp backpacks! Choose shelf-stable options like trail mix, baked cheese bites, nuts, beef jerky, roasted chickpeas, dried fruit, or popcorn which are all low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and easy to travel with.
2)Keep a Cooler in the Car for Fresh Options
If you spend a lot of time in the car, try packing a cooler box with fresh snacks and cold drinks to choose from. Some cooler box snack ideas are sliced vegetables with hummus, hardboiled eggs, celery with peanut butter, bell peppers with cream cheese, carrots and guacamole, or cucumber slices with Greek yogurt ranch dip. You can also use the cooler to pack cold and nutritious drinks like individually packaged milk which has protein, vitamin D, calcium, and other nutrients making it an easy way to rehydrate and add nutrition to your snacks or meals.
3) Include Hydrating Drinks and Snacks
This summer heat may need a little more than just water to keep you hydrated so use your other drinks and snacks accordingly. Research shows that chocolate milk can actually hydrate better than water because of its naturally occurring electrolytes and ideal carbohydrate-to-protein ratio. If you are spending time out in the summer heat, be sure to toss some chocolate milk into your cooler to rehydrate! Beyond that, use hydrating fruits and vegetables like watermelon, cucumber, pineapple, sliced peppers, cantaloup, and more to help rehydrate and keep you safe this summer.
4) Pair with a Protein
Most of the snacks we gravitate towards on the road (i.e. bags of chips, pretzels, and even granola bars) are high in carbohydrates and low in everything else. To build up a more satisfying snack, try pairing your higher-carb options with a protein source. Examples would be crackers and cheese, chips and beef jerky, or granola bars that have 5 or more grams of protein in it.
5)Keep it Individually Packed
Choose individually packaged options to truly keep your travel “grab and go.” Here are a few ideas that are nutritious and come in individually packaged options:
Mixed bags of nuts
That’s It bars
Sliced Apples
Individual white or chocolate milk
Cottage cheese containers
Baby carrots
Beef jerky bags
Raisins or other dried fruit
Cheese sticks
And there you have some simple snack ideas to help you snack healthy on the go!
Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a registered dietitian and my goal is to give you tips and tricks to make healthy eating fun, easy, and even delicious!