• Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Where I’ve been
  • Destinations
    • Asia
      • China
      • Japan
      • Malaysia
      • Myanmar
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Denmark
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Spain
      • United Kingdom
    • North America
      • Mexico
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel Tips & Hacks
    • Travel Guides
    • Food
    • Wellness
    • Sustainability
    • Fitness & Workouts
  • Contact

Roam and Thrive

Food Lifestyle Wellness

The Secret To How To Eat Healthy While Traveling Or Staying At Home

(Last Updated On: June 25, 2020)

Sticking to healthy eating while traveling may seem like a daunting idea but it doesn’t have to be. With a few tips and tricks up your sleeve and a bit of practise healthy eating while traveling doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact seeking out new restaurants and places to eat with healthy menus and local flavour is all part of the fun of travel. Keep reading to discover the secret to how to eat healthy while traveling or while staying at home.

EAT HEALTHY AT HOME

Generally, staying healthy and eating well is easier at home than while traveling for many reasons but mainly because you know what ingredients are available to you and where. You also have a lot more control over your food as you can prepare it yourself more often than not. Even if you don’t like cooking and you avoid it like the plague, there are still many simple dishes you can prepare with ease that are filling, nutritious and healthy.

↠ Keep it simple– we live pretty busy lives and who has time to cook for a couple of fo hours every night? By picking out a few simple meals which take just 20 minutes to prepare you save yourself time and effort while also eating well. My go-to mid-week meals include simple salad bowls, veggie stir-fries, baked sweet potatoes, vegan summer rolls and wraps.

↠ Avoid frying and microwaving and instead steam, roast or sauté food to preserve food nutrients.

↠ Avoid large meals at dinner. I tend to eat in a pyramid shape starting with the largest meal at breakfast, a medium-sized meal at lunch and a small meal in the evening. This ensures your body receives the correct amounts of energy it needs throughout the day and you’ll go to bed feeling lighter and less bloated.

EAT HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELING

While traveling health and food-related rules that you stick to at home often get turned on their head. There’s little routine and days become spontaneous and full of exploration while food takes a back seat. One of the best things you can do however, before starting your trip is research and preparation. Find out where in your area you can eat well, which restaurants serve healthy food and where they are located. Websites like Trip Advisor and Happy Cow can really help with that. This knowledge can help you make better food decisions while you’re out exploring.

ORDERING IN A RESTAURANT

If you can, try to find restaurants within your budget that accommodate healthy options with a local flair. Look out for restaurants with a farm-to-table concept, ones that source their produce locally and ones with an ethical ethos that prioritise nutrition and the environment.

↠ Look for dishes that are vegetable-heavy and that include a protein.

↠ Ask about portion sizes. If they sound big then consider sharing a couple of dishes with a partner or friend.

↠ Avoid dairy and ask for dishes you like the look of to be made dairy free.

↠ Avoid dishes on the menu that are fried, deep-fried, battered, breaded, sizzling, sticky, honey, melted ad cheesy among others. These normally have a high calorie, high fat and high sugar content.

  • healthy cauliflower salad

HOTEL BREAKFAST BUFFETS

Breakfast buffets can really be the ultimate temptation gauntlet. Normally loaded with every type of breakfast food imaginable, naturally, you’ll want to try everything but luckily these breakfast buffets have something for every kind of diet. When looking for a hotel, make sure to choose one that is wellness and health-focused as this concept will reflect in the choice you have at the breakfast buffet.

↠ Go for a natural simple option. Steel-cut or rolled oatmeal with plant milk, fruit and scrambled eggs cooked with a little olive oil can be great breakfast options.

 ↠ Fill up on plenty of local fresh fruit

↠ Avoid pastries, danishes and other sweetbreads, high-calorie, creamy sauces, processed meats like salami, ham and sausages which are known to be carcinogenic and other foods high in sugar like syrups for pancakes. These sugar-rich foods spike your blood sugar levels sending you crashing down into an energy less pit a few hours later- not what you want when out exploring.

↠ Go for an Americano or filtered drip coffee with or without a natural sweetener and make sure to consume the coffee in moderation.

  • How to stay healthy while traveling.
  • healthy travel breakfast tips

If you are plant-based then try to avoid hotel breakfast buffets. I find that in average hotels they have little vegan choice especially when it comes to milk and yoghurts and other options (country dependant). This is slowly changing though. Instead seek out a local vegan cafe with delicious, nutritious and exciting plant-based options for you to start your day with. 

OFF-THE-BEATEN TRACK RURAL RESTAURANTS

When it comes to how to eat healthy while traveling these types of places are often the most challenging. Here at Roam and Thrive we encourage and promote a health-focused lifestyle that doesn’t restrict to wellness treats and resorts but instead, the exploration of the whole world. At times though, exploring a new country and rural area, in particular, can be tough when it comes to eating options.

↠ If you have no or little choice, order the things that seem the healthiest on the menu, anything with vegetables and some steamed rice for example.

↠ Don’t beat yourself up about it. Eating an unhealthy meal once in a while is absolutely fine- life is all about balance after all. 

THE SECRET

On the subject of how to eat healthy eating while traveling or when at home, there is no one size fits all. We also have different diets, different food tolerances and different perceptions of what is healthy and what is balance. The secret of how to eat healthily is knowledge and preparation.

By educating yourself about how to eat, through the above tips as well as knowing which foods are healthy, which foods work for you, you’re already one step closer. When it comes to travel its preparation that really is key. Researching healthy food options, cafes and restaurants are paramount when planning where to go and where to stay. What’s available at your destination may be the deciding factor when it comes to booking or not. Perhaps one beach resort town doesn’t have many healthy options but another, 30 minutes away has plenty. Research allows you to make the best choices for yourself. 

  • how to eat healthy while traveling and at home

Do you have any comments or questions about how to eat healthy while traveling? Leave them below, I’d love to hear from you.

Related posts you might like:

The Positive Effects of Traveling on Mental Health

How to Incorporate More Wellness Into Your Travels

Plant-based Travel: Top Tips for Getting Enough Protein

LIKE IT? PIN IT FOR LATER

TAGS:healthy eatinghealthy lifestylehealthy traveltravel wellnessWellness Travel
Share

You May Also Like

Wellness Holidays | How To Incorporate More Wellness Into Your Travels

May 30, 2020

The Best Casablanca Valley Wineries You Must-Visit

February 6, 2019

7 Delicious Drinks to Boost your Immune System

April 10, 2020
Previous Post
The Definitive Japan Bucket List | 30 Japan Ideas For Your Trip
Next Post
50 Photos To Inspire You To Visit the Galapagos Islands
Hi, I'm Alex
WELCOME

WELCOME

Roam & Thrive is designed to help you live a healthier life while travelling the world. Through our curated travel guides and wellness tips we educate and inspire you to life your best travel life.

Instagram

@roamandthrive

SUBSCRIBE

Join the ever-growing community

Get the latest beautifully curated destination guides and travel and wellness tips straight to your inbox. Don't worry, we don't do spam.

FIND THE PERFECT STAY

SEARCH R&T

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER

Roam and Thrive is a member of several affiliate programs. Throughout this site, you might find affiliate links from which I may make a small commission if you choose to click or purchase something, at no extra cost to you. This small income allows me to continue providing you with quality, insightful and most importantly, free content.

RECENT POSTS

  • Ventisquero Colgante Glacier

    Ventisquero Colgante Glacier: How to Visit Queulat National Park, Chile

    January 18, 2021
  • 5 Important Reasons To Not Be Vegan

    January 6, 2021
  • Top Tips for a Successful Veganuary: The Survival Guide

    December 30, 2020
  • Bagan sunset bagan itinerary

    The Best Sunrise and Sunset Spots in Bagan, Myanmar

    December 22, 2020
  • 15 Irresistibly Good Plant Based Christmas Dinner Recipe Ideas

    December 17, 2020
EN - 300x250
Current Location

Current Location

Santiago, Chile
Travel + Wellness Essentials

Shop My Current Faves

product_title_1

LARQ Insulated Self-Cleaning and Stainless Steel Water Bottle With UV Water Purifier

product_title_2

Sand Cloud Turkish Beach Towel

product_title_3

doTERRA Lavender Essential Oil

product_title_4

GYMBANDIT Heavy Set Resistance Bands

Destinations

Wellness

Fitness & Workouts

Lets collaborate together

Are you interested in collaborating with Roam & Thrive? We love to work with like-minded brands and individuals so if you have an idea we might like don't hesitate to get in touch.

Contact Us

Follow Along on Instagram

@roamandthrive
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright 2020, Roam & Thrive Site Powered by Pix & Hue.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy policyOk