I recently took a 16-day cross-country road trip and quickly learned that it can be very difficult to eat healthy on the road if you don’t plan ahead. Being in the car leads to a lot of fast food stops and gas station snacks. It is easy to let all your unhealthy eating habits sneak back in. In only 16 days, practically all my healthy eating habits went out the window. It didn’t fare well for my waistline. Which is why, for my next road trip I plan on being more prepared. With better food options.
I’ve prepared a list of some of the healthiest snack ideas, that will also work very well in the car.
1. Snack bars
Make sure you go for some of the more natural snack bars, not just any granola bar. Some of my favorite are
Kind bars and
Larabars. Bringing these healthy snack bar options will help you avoid the gas station candy bar.
2. Whole fruit
Apples and bananas are great fruit options to take on road trips. They don’t make a mess, you don’t need any utensils to peel or slice them, and they don’t need to be refigerated.
3. Dried fruit
Look for the dried fruit that contains ONLY fruit. There are a lot of dried fruit snack packs that have added sugar. Steer clear of those. Trader Joe’s and Whole Food Market have a lot of fruit-only options.
4. Bottled water
This is a must! Bring several bottles of water so that you are not tempted to grab the sugary soda at the snack stand.
5. Nuts and seeds
Try to avoid the trail mix, as these are usually loaded with extra sodium, sugar, or preservatives. Plain nuts such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, or peanuts work best. You can also snack on some good ole’ sunflower seeds.
6. Veggie sticks
Real veggies such as carrots may work great as a snack option, but they won’t last long without a cooler. If you can’t keep your veggie sticks cool, go for the bagged veggie stick options. You can find these at your local Whole Foods, Fresh Market, or other health food store. Since they come in a bag, it almost makes you feel like you’re snacking on those chips you were eyeing.
7. Beef jerky
A good source of protein and a must-have road trip snack. Just make sure to look for the low sodium option.
Creating a habit of healthy eating is a hard thing to do. And all those habits can easily break in a few short weeks.
Even a month after the trip, I am still working on getting my healthy habits back on track.
That is why, it is better to be prepared with snacks that align with your goals. You can still enjoy your road trip and snack well too!
