If you’re traveling this summer, you may be wondering how to eat as healthy as you can. Of course, these tips are also relevant if you travel for work or if you enjoy eating out once in a while.
The first thing that I want to say on this topic is that you should enjoy a varied and tasty way of eating both at home and away from home. As always, eat real food, prefer organic and avoid anything you cannot eat due to allergies, sensitivities or other medical issues.
Notes and caveats
Aim for progress, not perfection. Also, remember that if you’re generally healthy and don’t have specific allergies or sensitivities, you can “afford” to be flexible and make exceptions to your generally healthy way of eating.
Please note that I’m not an affiliate for any of the products linked in this post, and I don’t have a relationship with any of the companies. Thus, any product recommendations are for your convenience alone.
Healthy foods to look for on the restaurant menu
- Wild-caught salmon, fresh-caught local fish
- Salads with local organic greens, roasted beets, etc.
- Crème fraiche (if you tolerate dairy)
- Eggs (preferably organic) – if the oils/fats at the restaurant aren’t high-quality, poached eggs are best
- Meats/ poultry (preferably organic/grass-fed/pasture-raised, or at least antibiotic-free)
- House-made probiotic sauerkraut, kimchi and other veggie ferments
- Soups made from scratch in a bone broth base (some Vietnamese pho restaurants and some traditional Southeast Asian restaurants have these – just make sure you ask if they use MSG, which I recommend you avoid)
- Avocado
- Side of bacon or sausage, if organic and decently processed
- House-made kombucha
- Spring water in glass bottles
Gluten-free on the go
If you are gluten-free for health reasons, be aware that gluten may hide in strange places. For example, some sushi restaurants use gluten to hold together the rice in sushi or fish eggs. Gluten may also be in a variety of sauces, and anything fried contains gluten if anything was fried in the same pan/oil where something breaded was fried. In Italy, it’s common for rice and vegetables to be cooked in water that was previously used to cook pasta.
Questions to ask at restaurants
Before being seated at a restaurant, I ask what oils and fats they use in their cooking. The answer will tell you a lot about their quality.
As someone who is allergic to peanuts, I have to be careful in restaurants that use peanut oil. This is more common in Italy than in the US. Of course, because olive oil is also ubiquitous in Italian restaurants, I can ask the restaurant to prepare my dish in a separate clean pan with olive oil or butter instead of peanut oil.
In the US, some good restaurants are using coconut oil, tallow, lard and other high-quality, heat-stable fats.
Other questions I ask are:
- Do you make your broth from scratch, or do you use bouillon cubes? (bouillon cubes are often a source of MSG, gluten, soy and other triggers for folks with allergies, intolerances and sensitivities.)
- Can you tell me if the fish is wild-caught or farmed? Is it fresh or frozen?
- Do you know whether your meat/poultry is grass-fed/pasture-raised? Is it antibiotic-free?
Things to bring when eating on the go
Restaurants
I recommend carrying a little container of unrefined sea salt in your purse, so you have it handy anytime. Also, carry a small bottle of organic extra-virgin olive oil, so you always have something good to put on salads, in soups, etc. Or you can purchase convenient travel pouches of extra-virgin organic olive oil. Sadly, many restaurants only carry dressings made with low-quality unhealthy oils.
While on road trips and at work
You can bring some sprouted nuts, sprouted granola, or trail mix with you for snacking while on the go. You can also stock up on goodies such as Epic Bars.
Drink spring water (preferably from glass bottles) during your trip, or bring a high-quality travel filter. Avoid drinking tap water. Avoid asking for iced beverages, which may be prepared with low-quality tap water. Learn more about water quality here.
Avoiding food poisoning
Take special precautions if you’re traveling to a tropical area where foods may spoil quickly.
Make sure you are super-careful to avoid sketchy street food, fast food joints, undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, eggs, mayonnaise and mayonnaise-containing salad dressings, dips and sauces and fresh cheeses. Use your judgment and make exceptions only when you’re sure of the quality of the sourcing, preparation, handling and storage in the facility where you’re eating.
Along the same lines, avoid consuming tap water that hasn’t been boiled unless you are sure of the quality of the water. Only ask for ice in your beverage if you know the source of the water.