5 Tips For Traveling On A Restrictive Diet

Let’s face it, sticking to a diet, any diet, for any reason, comes with challenges—warding off cravings, resisting the constant temptations all around us. And then there’s the fear and shame we inflict upon ourselves if, God forbid, we slip up!

For me, sticking to a strict diet of whole, clean foods has not always been fun, but has become easier over time. I admit, I do feel some FOMO when I see other people eating things I can’t. But mostly, the hardest part of sticking to my diet is having to make all my food myself. I have to avoid garlic, onions, sauces, sugar, gluten, anything cooked in grease, fat… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Eating out at restaurants is not impossible, but definitely challenging.

And yet, with all its seeming hardships, sticking to a strict diet makes my life easier overall. Can meal prep be time consuming? Yes. But, is it worth it? YES! The alternative is feeling like crap, physically and emotionally, and losing most of my free time to long bathroom visits and trips to CVS for more baby wipes.

So, yes, it’s worth it, especially since once a routine is established, it becomes easier. We find what works, create our patterns, establish clever, time-saving tricks, and get on with our lives.

It’s once we are out of our daily patterns that we can get tripped up! Most notably, when we travel. That’s why for many people, all bets are off when they’re on vacation. I admit, it’s sometimes inconvenient and difficult to maintain a strict diet when traveling, especially to an area where my go-to foods are hard to come by. But it’s not impossible.

The thing is, whatever our bodies need to feel healthy (whether that’s low-carb, low-dairy, high-protein) is not going to change just because we’re on vacation. As much as I wish I could tolerate lactose on the West Coast, my body does not make exceptions that way. Likewise, if you have high cholesterol, you won’t suddenly have low cholesterol just because you’re vacationing. So, it’s important not to get too lax on your health needs, just because you’re in a different routine.

That being said, it’s also important to let yourself enjoy a break and indulge once in a while (being too strict about your diet is not healthy, either). So try to find that healthy balance.

Here are five ways to maintain your eating style (without being too strict) when you travel:

1- Plan ahead. Cook and pack your food in advance. Bring as much food with you as you can, to avoid having to eat too many of those airport sandwiches or muffins. Coolers, Tupperware, and ice packs are your friends.

2- Stay in an Air b & b, or other accommodations that have a kitchen. Continue to cook your meals on vacation, to avoid takeout and processed food.

3- Do some research in advance. Locate nearby restaurants and review the menus online, to scout out which ones you can eat at. Also look into nearby supermarkets so you can shop for the food you need.

4- Know the policies for taking food with you on planes. While traveling domestically, almost any food (except liquids) can be taken on a plane as long as it is sealed/wrapped in tin foil, a plastic baggy, or packed in Tupperware. This includes fruits, veggies, nuts, salad, meats, rice, snacks, sandwiches, you name it! Note, things like yogurts and cottage cheese may be considered “liquids.”

5- Whenever possible, make the healthiER choice. You won’t always have control over where you eat, but within those constraints, there is always freedom of choice to make your meal healthier. For example, if you’re on a work trip and your co workers drag you to a diner and everyone is ordering burgers and fries, you don’t have to break away and go to Whole Foods alone. But maybe you could order a veggie omelet at the diner instead of a burger. Or order the burger, minus the bun. Or order the burger with a side salad instead of fries. There are many ways to increase the health value of a given meal or modify it to your dietary restrictions—dressing on the side, hold the mayo, etc.

Don’t fret if you can’t stick to your diet 100%. Just do the best you can.