Healthy Eating on the Road
 

Hey guys. Looking for some healthy ideas on packing food for trips. I do have an ebag cooler to pack and bring with me. I am trying to eat more whole, natural foods and less processed crap. Which can be hard on the go.

You might surprised to find out that you actually like them... SARDINES! A very healthy, whole food that is sustainable AND wild caught. I never leave home without them. And the the better the brand, the better the taste. I can't really recommed any under $2 a can, unless maybe an awesome sale.

I can pack 4 days worth of food in my bag, but it might not be that appetizing to you. I pack 1 to 1 1/2 loafs of bread, peanut butter, jelly, two packs of individual no drain tuna, 4 packs of individual mayonnaise I pick up from whatever fast food place I pass on my way to the plane, 2 plastic bowls of soup, 4 packs of peanut butter crackers, about 10 granola bars, and a couple of fruit cups. Sometimes I also make a 1/2 gallon size bag of trail mix.

I don't get anything that needs refrigeration because it is too much of a hassle trying to find refrigerators at about half the hotels we stay at. I also drink about 2 gallons of water a day. All that keeps me full, awake, and a little richer as I pocket my per diem.

I tend to snack on the road and try to eat a healthy hot meal once a day..

I pack Almonds, Rice Cakes, Pretzels, Granola, if I want to pack an ice pack I'll take Okios Greek Yogurt, sting cheese, a recent favorite of mine is fake crab meat lol

Oh and Apples

Drink lots of water, I stopped drinking soda altogether a hard task when they are so available, I take crystal light packets to add to the water if I want flavor.

You've got to get a cooler bag to pack lean proteins. For a 4 day, I buy a 6 pack of whole wheat pitas, 1 pound of deli turkey (or I make a tuna salad using non-fat yogurt instead of mayo), a can of almonds, and frozen dinners that I make at home (this trip, I had left over chicken stir fry, and I'll usually bring home made pasta sauces). It's easy to keep stuff cold in the ebags cooler bags. Go buy one of those ice bags people use for headaches, and fill that bag up with the ice machine from the hotel.

It's EASY to eat healthy on the road if you're not LAZY!

Lots of chicken (roasted) and rice. I use zip log bags that way I can get more food in my cooler. Food saver bags are also another great idea.

If you want to be "healthy", don't bring tons of carbs as are job is literally sitting around all day. You don't need a loaf of bread and 100g of rice to sit in a seat for 8 hours. Bring fruits, vegetable, and lean proteins. Dark chocolate is nice to have as well.

and workout,workout,workout !!!

I carry the following in quart size Zip Lock freezer bags
Hard boiled eggs
Pinto beans
Cheddar cheese
Whole wheat crackers
Frozen mixed vegetables
Several slices of bread
Dried fruit - apricots, figs
Nuts - almonds, walnuts

Sliced beef/pork/chicken - I cut into pieces in advance and freeze at home

Protein bars
Mini bags popcorn

Plain Greek yogurt in a small plastic bin

8 inch thin/light plate in the suitcase
Titanium fork/spoon for camping

I use a Strong Bags Canadian Ice Cooler. It's better insulated and stays cold longer than the other coolers on the market. There's usually a refrigerator in the hotels we stay to maintain the food overnight. If not, the Strong Bags cooler with ice in zip lock bags will maintain it.

There's always a microwave available in the hotel to heat the beef/pork/chicken and frozen vegetables.

Stay away from all sodas including sugar free. Im lost over 35 pounds by avoiding all sweets and saturated fat. White bread is not good for you either. Consuming alcohol accelerates sugars and turns them into body fat. Apples, oranges etc. are good. Tuna bags for protein. Excercise and drink water.

Which E-bag cooler do you have? I see the Crew Cooler JR and the Crew Cooler II available. Anyone have advice on which is better for traveling/airline use?

Try the Clif Mojo Bars

http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_mojo/1238

I carry these in my bag and make sure I eat one about 60% into my flight. I also always eat breakfast. More protein than carbs but you do need some carbs, your brain needs it also.

Water Water water, and I take a Multi-Vitamin, one B-Complex, and every other day take one Calcium supplement.

Long trips I take one baby aspirin prior to starting the day.

if you're planning on eating out at a restaurant around the hotel, try looking at the menu online first. a lot of the chain restaurants will post nutritional info on their website, and in NY it's mandatory that they post it on the menu itself. that way, you can look and pick out the healthiest meal before arriving to the restaurant and avoid spur of the moment decisions, like those enticing cheesy fries.

I carry a few of these paleo kits with me. Not the cheapest but not too bad compared to eating out.

Steve's Original: Paleo Kits, Paleo Diet, Zone Diet, Paleo Diets, Gluten Free

I do the paleo thing as well, but thanks for the link on those kits--genius!

Packing for a four day:

2-3 organic sweet potatoes (microwave them when opportunity arises)

Organic carrots in a ziploc

Organic celery (ziploc)

Almond butter to dip celery in (click Tupperware)

Three or four apples

An avocado or two

Zip bag of walnuts

Zip bag of almonds

Larabars, 4-6

Raisins or dried mango (ziploc)

Some sort of meat; usually a zip bag of grilled chicken tenderloins or leftovers from dinner the night before--baby back ribs this time. 2-3 servings of that.

I put all of this into a Canadian Ice crew cooler from Strongbags.com. Expensive but worth it... pays for itself in a trip or two.

I find that if a get the ice bag from the bucket in the hotel room and fill it up, put it in the cooler overnight, and take it out in the morning, everything stays good long enough to get it eaten. Lots of other guys get an ice bag from the drugstore (they don't sweat too badly); I keep meaning to pick one up.

Hummus
 

I like taking a small container of hummus and some tortillas - flavor it with chili powder and paprika and cool it and its good for hours....

Whole avocados are a great snack to pack in a bag for the cockpit. Stick with the smaller ones. You only need a plastic knife to cut them in half and a spoon to scoop the meat right out of the shell.

Also, a small jar of NATURAL peanut butter is good (the stuff with no sugar and no oil added). It's so sticky that I'll offer some to an annoying captain just to get him to shut his mouth!

I agree about staying away from the sodas. If you like the bubbly stuff, drink plain seltzer water.

I pack instant oatmeal as well and make it in the hotel in the morning with the coffee. No microwave? - just use the coffee maker to heat up some water (the single serving ones are the best for this). I find if I start my day with something filling, it helps stave off getting hungry when you land back at base. Peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread as a mid day meal. Then depending on the trip, I'll try to get one healthy as possible airport meal (Subway but I also try to not overdo subway) that I can have half of then, then the other half when I get to the hotel.

It's actually important to have several small to medium meals a day instead of 2 large meals. Helps keep your metabolism up. Also a good workout routine. I am a big fan of P90x. I cant always bring it on the road with me but there are certain P90x workouts I can do in the hotel room that are good cardio, especially after sitting for 8 hours. Yoga and Kenpo can be done without disturbing the people below you.

I make sure to keep my energy shots handy
 

I've been taking some vitamin shakes for the last year and it has helped me to make sure I take the vitamins I don't get on the road.
I also take a pretty good energy drink with no caffeine or sugar... the name is 24K. If you want to try, there is a 10% discount coupon available: "24kforall" and the website is my24kvip.com

Kashi steam-in-the-bag meals. Yes, plastic in the microwave isn't good for you but it's not horrible either. I also cook a lot of roasts and stews at home, vacuum seal the leftovers in 2 cup servings and freeze them. If you stuff your eBag with frozen stuff it will stay frozen longer. Always ask the front desk for a fridge and they'll either move you to another room or bring one to you.

I open the vacuum deals and the Kashi meal with a letter opener. I also carry a collapsible bowl and two camping Sporks

Bring a cooler, pack it with as much as you possibly can. Eating in restaurants is no bueno.

Eat fresh as much as possible. Eat one GOOD meal a day, walk for excercise, don't eat before you sleep...it interrupts the digestion process. Overeating will slow you down.

light dinners also. biggest meal (but keep it healthy) should be breakfast. Remember if you go to bed at 10PM, with last meal at 6PM, and you wake up at 0600, you have gone 12 hours with no food. The guys who "skip breakfast" are running on fumes mentally and physically when lunch comes around. Not a good idea.

Will airlines allow me to bring perishable food onboard and throw it in the galley's chiller, or do I absolutely need to pack it in my own chiller?

You won't find chillers in most narrowbody aircraft.