Smart food tips while travelling in Summer

Summer holidays bring out the wanderlust in us and we tend to catch the travelling bug. Holiday time means taking a break from our usual routine. Food often goes for a toss as we don’t eat smart, lowering our energy often making us sick on a trip. On top of it, we come back with an unwanted guest – the annoying extra kilos.

Always look out for the local market, supermarket or grocery store. Pick up local fruits. Do note that bananas are available everywhere across the globe, and they contain lots of energy, lots of nutrients and no fat.

As for the other fruits, apples, oranges and pears are extremely travel-friendly, they are easy to carry and can be eaten while on-the-go as well. I advise against carrying food from home as if you land up carrying you end up eating more than what you normally eat.

Instead buy smart locally. Have a handful of nuts like pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecan plus seeds like pumpkin, flax, sesame and sunflower seeds. Roasted or salted, not only are they fun to munch on but their easy availability helps to satisfy your salt cravings in any part of the globe. The seeds and nuts, both, are low on the Glycemic Index, thus keeping you fuller for a longer time, preventing binging thus making them ideal snacks.

Do not ever forget to drink lots of fluids. Water should be your primary beverage as it is the best pick me up. Each person should keep a large bottle of water with themselves, and this should be refilled at least twice each day. Otherwise, if you are going to tropical places (whether India or abroad), do stop frequently to have some freshly cut coconut water

Vegetables should be the main attraction on your plate while travelling. They can be in the form of salads, soups, vegetable smoothies, and cooked vegetables, sautéed, steamed, boiled or even grilled with meals. Opt for salads which have light dressings like vinaigrette, Italian, mustard ranch or one can just squeeze lemon on top with salt.

Depending on what part of the globe you are you can always make clever choices and avoid deep fried like nachos, French fries, pakodas, samosas, tacos, chips. There is a far better and wide variety to choose from like whole grain bread, rice, roti, sushi, dosa, idli, wraps potato, couscous or sweet potato.

Smart protein choices can be dal, pulse any lentil, hummus, edamame beans, yoghurt, hard cheese, tofu, paneer, chicken, fish or egg.

One major problem that could spoil the holiday is digestive disorders. Going on a holiday could mean living without routine. Also always remember to keep ginger handy, since it is excellent for preventing motion sickness, flatulence and other stomach disorders, add spices to your food as it aids digestion a little bit of chilli sauce, mustard, paprika and herbs help.

So, whether you were out, too busy shopping to even remember lunch time, or you were out trekking in the sweltering sun, you know what to do now, since there is something for everybody in every place – you just have to eat right and live bright!