Today’s post is from my dear friend Shelby. Unlike other guest writers I’ve hosted, Shelby isn’t a blogger but offered anyway to share her tips for traveling on a restricted diet. She travels for her job each week, and we were talking about how she manages to stick to her dietary restrictions. I loved hearing her brilliant suggestions and she generously offered to write this post for you!
Hi! My name is Shelby and I am one of Lauren’s good friends in Virinia. Like her, I’ve seen a tremendous health transformation from eliminating grains and following a mostly Paleo framework for my daily diet. Because my job requires weekly air travel, I have had to develop quite a few strategies to maintain my diet and health while I am on the road. Here are the top tips I recommend…
Things to bring…
1. A freeze-able lunch box like this one and some portable utensils like these –I don’t bring all my meals with me when I travel, but I do like to have some home cooked food with me. This lunch box allows me to keep the food cold while I am on the plane before I can put in in the fridge at my hotel. I often include it in my carry on and have no problem getting through security.
2. Protein to have on hand – Snacks like the bison epic bar, beef jerky, sardines and jarred tuna work really well if I get hungry while traveling, or if I need some quick protein for breakfast.
3. Good quality fats – I love these little packets of coconut oil that I can use to increase the staying power of meals or for oil pulling in the morning. I have also been known to fill a small glass bottle or two with good quality extra virgin olive oil before I head out each week.
4. A kit with real food snacks –Some of my favorites are dried fruits, freeze dried fruits, and Kit’s Organic Fruit + Seed Bars which are nut-free.
5. Strategic supplementation—I generally take more supplements while I’m travelling just to make sure I’m getting the appropriate amounts of nutrients, and these travel pill packs keep me organized.
6. Pure beauty products – Although I tend to be ingredient conscious about all the products I use, I try to be especially aware of what I’m using when I travel. 100% Pure makeup products are great, and I also love the travel size version of Dr. Bronner’s soap and Morocco Method sample-size shampoos.
7. Items that make my hotel feel like home – I have a travel candle and a picture from my wedding that I keep in my suitcase to make my hotel room feel more cozy.
To do while in transit…
8. Some airport food is okay to eat – Airports have recently come a long way when it comes to providing healthy food. A lot of shops have fresh fruit, fresh veggies, or dried fruit options like these chips. Several major airports also have CIBO Express stores which provide a wide array of health snack brands. The international terminal at JFK airport even has a nice salad bar.
9. While no airplane food is okay to eat – I have a strict “no eating airline food” rule. It is full of preservatives. Disgusting.
10. Make use of some airplane drink essentials – I love to add Natural Calm Packets, Matcha green tea packets, or Aloha juice powder to my water to get a nutrient boost during the flight.
At your destination…
11. Befriend your hotel – Since I usually go to the same city and same hotel each week, I store some items there over the weekend including my workout shoes and different kinds of tea. I also make sure that my hotel room has a fridge, and occasionally I will request a microwave.
12. Keep up detox practices – I can’t say I’m the best at keeping up with detox practices while travelling, but it’s very easy to bring your dry brush with you or bring a jump rope to do a little re-bound jumping. You can also bring packets of Epsom salt for a detox bath, and use your coconut oil packs for oil pulling
13. Make sure to stay hydrated – I like to bring a glass water bottle with me and try to hydrate smartly, according to Lauren’s advice.
14. Grocery store visit – When I have the time, I try to visit the grocery store in the city where I travel to pick up fresh fruits and veggies. The city I travel to now has a giant Wegman’s which has absolutely everything!
15. View menus online and call ahead when it comes to eating out – Travelling for work often necessitates a lot of eating out with co-workers. Rather than trying to avoid restaurants, I try to be strategic about it by suggesting restaurants that I think will have good quality options and that have separate gluten-free menus. It’s great that so many restaurants post their menus online so you can look at it beforehand and call with questions.
Do you travel frequently on a restricted diet? Do you use any of these tips?
Perfect timing for this post! 6 months ago I found out about a ton of food and chemical/additive sensitives I have and in 2 weeks I’m off for a month trip to Italy/France/England. Very nervous about managing my new diet restrictions/guidelines….esp. when not speaking the language. These are some great tips – esp. the snack ideas! I was looking for ways to supplement meals or have a back up in case I couldn’t find something to eat at a restaurant. Although I haven’t traveled yet – my tip is to carry something natural to soothe your stomach like peppermint oil or ginger (I use Gin-Gins hard candies) and to seek out farmer’s markets or little corner stores where you can buy fresh fruit, bread, cheese, etc – that might help tide you over 🙂
Many, if not most, italians and frenchmen speak english. You’ll often find a schedule of farmer’s markets online, at least for the bigger towns in France. Also, there’s no need to find corner stores. While Europe has certainly seen an increase in american-inspired junk food and other preservative et al.-laden delicacies, you will find fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc in every big chain store. You will also often find hard-boiled eggs and, with some searching, additive-free smoked meat. Specialty items such as coconut oil, essential oils, non-dairy milk, special flours, you might have more luck finding at pharmacies or organic stores. All in all, I find it much, much, MUCH easier to have access to good food here than in North America.
Don’t be nervous. You’re not backpacking across Antarctica.
Such good advice – I have been on a few long haul journeys this year and not taken enough snacks and and vouch for plane meals awfulness – even when i picked gluten free. I did did find fresh vegi juice though at one airport which saved the day and had a bag of snack bars and grain free crackers. I also drink a fair amount of water, more than normal, when on a plane as it think it the air that is very dehydrating. Plus i do research before hand of where i am going to were i can eat out and buy groceries as that helps if you are jet legged and confused when you arrive!
Thanks for the tips!
The veggie juice and grain free crackers sounds like a great on-the-go find!
I like to use http://www.happycow.net to find local places to eat. You have to dig a little to find the best places but it’s a great resource when traveling!
Thanks for sharing the link, that looks like a great resource!
great tips!! we always try to bring food!
Very good suggestions. What is “oil pull” I have not heard the term before.
Some really great tips, thanks 😉
Great article with great travel advise. I hadn’t seen the freezable bags before, what a great idea. I have a few wee glass dishes with good sealable lids that I will often pack small salads/goats cheese in and always bring a few zip-locks with nuts & seeds along with slivers of dark chocolate for snacking on.
I agree about trying to drink extra water when you travel, of course now you need to drink most of that before you go through to departures because of the restrictions. You can of course buy bottle water in the departures lounge however it’s not always the nicest water.
Yes, I think in Europe we are lucky in that we can access fresh fruit and fresh veg in most stores and I keep an eye out for Indian stores as they usually sell packets of coconut cream which makes a great snack – warm it up by placing in a cup of hot water using the hotel room kettle – squish the package, then squeeze it out onto a saucer, plate or the dish you traveled with, add slivers of dark choc and/or almond and a little salt. Place in the hotel room fridge until hardened then break into chunks. Lovely paleo snack 🙂
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Are those food items allowed to be brought onto the airplane? I thought that what you brought on the plane was VERY limited.