(ARA) – While grabbing your friends or family and heading out for time away may be great for enjoying all that summer has to offer, it’s usually never good for the waistline. Busy travelers often opt for convenience over nutrition, filling up on high-calorie foods that have little to no nutritional value. But with a little pre-planning, you can choose to avoid the food option pitfalls that frustrate even the savviest travelers.
Recent changes to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines have empowered consumers to adopt new habits to help improve their overall health. Before traveling this summer, note some easy ways to make better choices and ways to make these habits stick:
All about packing
Your suitcase isn’t the only thing you should be packing the night before a trip. Grab a soft-sided cooler that can fit in your car or inside your carry-on, and fill it with heart-healthy foods like blueberries and protein-packed snacks that will keep you energized and full. Heading out for a day of sightseeing? Pack your bag with nutritious snacks like new ZonePerfect Sweet & Salty Nutrition Bars. Available in Cashew Pretzel and Trail Mix, these nutrition bars make bypassing other convenience options possible and convenient.
The breakfast dilemma
Despite the convenience, skip the breakfast buffet and instead stock your hotel room mini-fridge with goodies to keep you going throughout your trip. After you check in, head to the nearest grocery store to stock up on fresh apples or oranges and low-fat yogurt with granola to get your day started right, and load up on items for a healthy lunch like lean proteins, whole grains, nuts and fresh veggies. In fact, some even come pre-chopped for your convenience.
A little H2O goes a long way
Water, water and more water. It keeps us hydrated, full, and wards off travel-induced ailments like headaches and illness. Don’t want to carry a whole bottle? Load up on portable fruits and veggies – like single servings of carrots – with a high water content and steer clear of caffeine and sugary beverages.
Keeping fit on the road
Sometimes diet traps are unavoidable, so it’s important to read labels and pay attention to portion sizes. Of course, it’s also just as easy to add a little exercise into your trip to burn off the excess calories – go on a guided walking tour, walk up and down the airport terminal, or do a few laps in the hotel swimming pool.
For more information about other nutritious snacking options, including the full line of ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars, visit zoneperfect.com.