menu facebook twitter instagram pinterest youtube search chevron-down chevron-up
  • About
    • About Kristin
    • Press
    • Contact Me
    • Work With Me
  • Blog
    • Archives
    • Best of the Blog
  • YouTube
  • Solo Female Travel
  • Home
  • Tours
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
    • Outdoors 101
    • Itineraries
    • Spiritual Travel
  • SEARCH

Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

10 Tips on How to Eat Healthy While Traveling

01/06/2022 by BMTMTeam 5 Comments

If staying healthy and traveling are both on your New Year’s resolutions list, you may find yourself choosing one over the other as the year progresses. It can be tough to keep your diet in check on the road — a lack of routine and all the delectable local food options can tempt even the most devoted of healthy eaters to splurge on high-calorie treats.

But a vacation or long-term travel plan doesn’t need to cost you an extra 15 pounds. Here are my top 10 tips on how to eat healthy while traveling.

How to Eat Healthy While Traveling:

Focus on your veggies

If you do one thing, this should be the thing. If you make an effort to eat your daily requirement of vegetables, you’ll find less room for the stuff that isn’t as good for you.

Try eating a salad before you dive into that amazing Italian pizza or Mexican queso fundido — you’ll get some good fiber into your system before the carbs and fat come calling. When you try to get the healthy stuff in first, you’ll naturally have a little less room for the waistline-expanding options.

Eat like the locals do

how to eat healthy while traveling
Local Eats in Vietnam

Traveling is about experiencing local flavor. That local flavor includes healthy options too! Trust me, the French are eating more than just cheese and croissants, and the Italians aren’t eating mountains of pasta every day.

If you look closely at the daily diet of the locals, you’ll usually see lots of lean protein, plenty of fiber-rich vegetables, and little processed food. Step out of your comfort zone and try more than just the uber-famous dishes of the country that you’re visiting. I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how healthy food is done all over the world, particularly Vietnamese food!   

Try to only eat your calories

Tempting… but don’t do it!

This means things like fruit juice, soda, and energy drinks should go out the window. They lack the fiber necessary to make you feel satiated, so they end up being empty calories.

If you’re an OJ fanatic, eat an orange instead. It will help you feel fuller longer, and you’ll still get the citrus kick you love.

Limit your alcohol consumption

This one is a toughie for many of us who like a good glass of wine, are beer enthusiasts, or party animals.

I’m not saying to quit entirely, but maybe try to lay off the sauce a couple nights per week. The old adage about alternating water and booze also helps with both calorie count and hangover prevention. Enjoy your travels and drink if you like to, but try to mix in some moderation.

Getting sober entirely has the potential to be incredibly physically and mentally rewarding for many people. Sometimes people don’t realize they even have an issue with alcohol until they cut it out, so why not give it a try and see how you feel?

Stay hydrated

Your best friend on your travels

While we’re talking about hangovers, let’s talk about water consumption, too. Keeping yourself hydrated is one of the easiest ways to make sure your body is sending you the right signals.

It’s easy to assume you’re hungry if you’ve gone all day with only one glass of water. Keep a reusable water bottle clipped onto your backpack or daypack and use it all day. It’ll help you feel full between meals and you’ll have more energy.

Don’t let yourself get hungry

A healthy snack option on the the road…

I’m one of those people who can go from “fine” to “hangry” in about 2.5 seconds. And when I’m in hangry mode, I’m looking for the most calorie-laden meal I can get into my belly immediately.

Prevent this situation by always having a few healthy snack options handy. Nuts, fruit, and even certain types of cheese (in moderation) can help stave off the hunger pangs until you can get your next meal. Always keep a few in your daypack to break into when you can’t get a real meal.

Get that lean protein

Fish, seafood, and chicken dishes tend to be a little healthier than their beef and pork counterparts, so try to center the majority of your diet around these protein options. Fortunately, nearly every culture and country has some amazing methods of cooking these meats, so you won’t have to sacrifice flavor for your waistline.

Swap pasta for rice

A balanced meal in Indonesia

Backpackers the world over will groan at me for saying this, but try to avoid eating too much pasta while on the road. Instead choose rice, such as brown, basmati or other long-grain or wild rice. The reason? Most store-bought pasta is processed, and many include trace amounts of sugar. If you’re noshing on pasta every day, that can start to add up. Rice bowls loaded with lots of veggies and chicken or fish are easy hostel-kitchen meals you can cook for yourself. Just be sure the majority of the meal is veggies and protein and not rice!

Try to avoid the deep-fryer

Of course, you won’t want to avoid this completely. Beer-battered fish tacos in Baja California, street doughnuts in Hoi An, kwek-kwek in Manila… even the healthiest of cuisines have a few deep-fried specialities – and they are worth trying! Just don’t make them the backbone of your diet and instead focus on grilled, steamed, poached, or roasted cooking methods for your daily meals.

Don’t be too strict with yourself

You’re traveling for life experience and to enjoy yourself, so don’t put yourself on a crazy diet regimen and beat yourself up if you can’t stick to it. Cut yourself a little slack and indulge once in awhile! I firmly believe that a little indulgence is part of a healthy diet. As with anything, just be sure there is balance. And have fun!

Do all these tips seem pretty obvious? That’s because they are! It’s not that hard to keep yourself full and healthy while on the road. In fact, it’s crucial to make an effort to do so. You’ll need plenty of energy for exploring all the amazing places you’ll be visiting, and it won’t happen on a diet of junk food. If you make the commitment to take care of yourself, everything will fall into place.

My best tips on how to eat healthy while traveling | Eat Healthy Travel tips | travel health tips | health tips for travelers | solo travel tips | Be My Travel Muse
Pin me!

About the Author: “Jetsetter” Jenn Brown is an adventurer, amateur chef, and wine-lover who has been on the move since 2012. Past adventures include swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines, solo hiking the mountains of Montenegro, and apprenticing at a dairy farm in Spain. This summer she is working aboard a tourism charter boat in Southeast Alaska as their chef. You can follow her adventures at her site, JetsetterJenn.com, or on one of her many social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

342 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Get the guidebook for solo female travelers!
« 33 of the Best Travel Essentials for Women
The Best Places to Visit in California in the Winter in 2022 »

Hello There!

headshot

Welcome to Be My Travel Muse, one of the top female travel blogs in the world, welcoming over 5 million readers annually.

I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

Click here!

Get the Solo Female Travel Guidebook

Popular Posts

I am currently in:

The USA!

Check it out on Instagram Stories!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. luxurybackpacking | Emma says

    01/06/2017 at 9:38 am

    Gosh, I’m guilty here! Travelling makes me eating pretty unhealthy and I do get sloppy! Staying hydrated, especially in hot and humid countries is essential! Love the tip on changing pasta for rice (although *cry*). Great posts as always xoxo

    Reply
  2. Kate says

    01/07/2017 at 7:03 am

    Great tips – I’m totally guilty of all of these things, but hope to eat/drink better during my travels this year.

    Reply
  3. Amy @ Short Attention Span Travel says

    01/07/2017 at 12:59 pm

    It’s SO HARD to eat healthy when you’re traveling, especially if you love food. Agree with walking away from the deep fryer. Local foods are better–I just got back from Beijing and had jian bing for breakfast–a quick crepe with greens and spicy sauces that the locals cook up for 75 cents!

    Thanks for the great tips–more water and veggies!

    Reply
  4. Jennifer says

    01/08/2017 at 4:08 pm

    Great tips! I agree with the first and last tip. In fact, I actually use both of those tips on a daily basis.
    It’s hard eating healthy when you’re so caught up on so many new and delicious food. 🙂

    Reply

Stay Connected

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Archives
  • Privacy Policy and Disclaimer

© 2023 · Be My Travel Muse. All Rights Reserved

footer-icon

342 shares