Travel is the hallmark of summer. Once the kids are out of school and the weather warms up, distant locations are a great alternative to the backyard. The Great American Road-Trip is still alive and well despite high fuel prices and general economic downturn. But there is a dark side to road trips; often we sacrifice healthful foods and snacks for their high calorie processed alternatives out of convenience or lack of options.
Food Landscape
Coming from the city, it’s a bit of shock to suddenly be bereft of Whole Foods Market, health delis, and farmer’s markets. Instead they are typically replaced by generic gas stations stocked with nasty junk food and diners still stuck in the highly unhealthy food habits of the 1950s. If you are to stay true to your health and your body you must put in some effort.
Solutions
The first thing you should do is get a cooler, or two if there will be more than 2 people on the trip. Stock it with wonderful snack foods like baby carrots, natural cheeses, hummus, spinach, Tofuky slices, grapes, apples, and perhaps some natural juices/smoothies.
In addition to the cooler, some non-refrigerated items are pretty necessary. Bread to make sandwiches and some snack crackers are great. Taking a large quantity of water is also quite useful as it avoids the high cost of bottled water. A knife and a cutting board are two things that are easily overlooked but quite essential for an easy to prepare lunch.
If you didn’t pack enough food or had an incident where an raccoon thieved it (it’s happened to me!), you might need to make do on the road. You may as well totally discount going to a gas station or fast food restaurant as it’s just too tricky to made good decisions there. Grocery stores, although quite a bit less appealing, are truly the best option. They are the cheapest option overall, as well.
The most important thing is to simply stay away from the bad food as it ultimately causes you to feel tired, bloated, and inattentive. Another great thing is to plan to stop a lot. Spend 6 hour stretches in the car is never fun for anyone. I like to stop every 1-1.5 hours, walk a little bit, watch some birds, or just stand and relish in the beauty that surrounds us no matter where we are.