Looking forward to a summer vacation with your family? For many, that means road-tripping! Whether you plan to drive to the City of Rocks or California, St. Luke’s registered dieticians Liz LeFevre and Sarah Seppa have all the tips you need to know to stay healthy, keep hunger at bay and avoid truck stops wherever your travels may take you.
According to Liz, the most important thing is to plan ahead. Pack a cooler at home and keep it accessible—it won’t do you any good in the trunk when your stomach starts rumbling and you see the Golden Arches calling your name from the freeway. When thinking about a snack, look for something with a protein and a carb—things that don’t get too messy in the car include trail mix, string cheese, apples, mixed nuts and dried fruit. Beef jerky is okay in moderation, but it can have really high sodium and nitrates so it’s not generally recommended.
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More than 80% of Idaho youth do not eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, according to a study done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). In the car is a great time to get an extra serving of fruits and veggies—be sure to pre-wash and slice them up to make a great snack. If you have young kids, they also really like the squeeze packs of low sugar applesauce and other pureed fruits. To get protein, you can make your own “Lunchables” for kids with whole grain crackers, cheese and lean meats. If you are looking for something prepackaged, protein/energy bars can be an okay choice but look for ones that are 200 calories or less for a snack and where sugar is not one of the first three ingredients. Sarah recommends Lara or Kind brand bars.
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If you absolutely must stop for fast food, Sarah says that most fast food restaurants now have a light menu and list calorie content. If you have to have a burger, get a kid's meal. The portion sizes are correct and you can choose to have fruit and milk instead of greasy fries and a sugary drink. Be careful of salads too, although they sound healthy, some pack more calories than a double burger and fries.
Another important thing to remember is to drink water. As dieticians, the formula they use is approximately half of your body weight in ounces per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should drink 75 ounces of water per day. Don’t avoid drinking water to save time by not stopping—in fact, it’s an opportunity to stretch your legs so you will feel much better when you arrive at your destination.
As the miles stretch into late afternoon, and you find you need an afternoon pick-me-up, Sarah has just the answer for you: drink soda and diet soda in moderation. There are conflicting studies on the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda, so if you are going to use them, use them in moderation just like sugar. Choose the smallest size can or bottle of soda, because portion sizes on larger bottles of soda can equate to almost seven teaspoons of sugar (that’s like eating five Oreos!). Sometimes when you are feeling tired, it just means you just need to move your body, so drink more water and bring on the pit stops.
Navigating the open road can be hard enough, but you can stay healthy this summer by downloading one of these apps recommended by our dieticians:
- Stop and Go Fast Food Guide–Find the best items at different fast food restaurants.
- Fooducate–This app ranks foods in the grocery store, giving you healthier alternatives to what you already buy.
- My Fitnesspal–Track your calories and activity.
So, road trip nutrition doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. Plan ahead, just as you plan your route with maps or GPS, pack your snacks and plan your meals. Roll down the windows, turn up the music and enjoy the experience! If you are going to splurge once in while, do it while you are on vacation, not munching mindless fat-laden calories while you are just trying to get there.
Happy travels!
This article of the Body & Soul Blog is sponsored by St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center.
