5 Tips for Sticking to Your Diet and Staying Healthy When Traveling

5 Tips for Sticking to Your Diet and Staying Healthy When Traveling
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Lore_Earley]Lore Earley 

I love to travel. But I hate to travel. Airplanes are petri-dishes teeming with germs. Time zones wreck havoc on the body, and jet lag is your friend for a few days. Then sleep deprivation equals a weakened immune system. It is inevitable that I end up sick.

Since changing my diet and eating mostly within a Paleo framework, and tweaking my lifestyle to include more meditation and self-care, I have been able to ward of the cooties a lot better than before. I have also learned some tricks to traveling which makes a huge difference. So hopefully this time around, I won't come down with the "ick".

So here are my top 5 tips for sticking to your dietary needs and staying healthy when traveling:

1. Always bring some travel-safe food with you. When you reach a point and you are starving, but have no plan, then you are most likely to grab whatever is available. And what's available may be just the type of food you are trying to avoid in order to stabilize your health and/or weight.

Some ideas: 

sardines (though I don't recommend busting these out on the plane - your comrades may not like you too much)

canned oysters (some come with easy open tabs like a sardine can)

hard boiled eggs

Nick's sticks

smoked salmon sticks or you can buy in small packages at the grocery

nuts and seeds or if you need a "trail" mix, add a small bit of raisins, dried cranberries, and raw cacao nibs (check labels on dried fruit, though, for added sugar)

baby carrots and/or pea pods

olives

tuna in a pouch or ready-to eat can - you may need to ditch the accompanying crackers but read the ingredients as well

pre-cooked chicken strips (find one with the least amount of additives)

or if at an airport, find a plain side salad and request a vinaigrette dressing (will be the lesser of the evils). You can add any of the above proteins to it. I buy sardines and oysters in olive oil so usually don't even need dressing if I use one of these.

2. Drink plenty of water (and request aisle seat if flying). This way you can drink plenty and don't have to disturb anyone when you pee and stretch, pee and stretch... or in my case, I only have to bother the husband because he will NOT give up his aisle seat.

3. Eat and sleep well BEFORE you travel because either you will be over-tired from the journey, more stressed than usual because that is what travel does, or on a petrie-dish germ filled plane. Take some precautionary immune-boosting herbs such as Echinacea, Goldenseal, and/or chew a raw garlic clove (yes, gross, but is nature's antibiotic).

4. If you are hotel-ing it for a few days, request a room with a fridge and visit a grocery store. You can stock your own breakfast and even lunch if you can. This saves not just your money, but also your sanity as eating out can be a huge trigger. A good example, the husband and I recently went to a really good pizza joint in Anchorage. Since I can't have wheat or dairy, the whole pizza out experience doesn't work for me anymore. It smelled soooo good, and fortunately for me, cravings are a long gone issue so I can smell, but choose something else. For someone starting out, though, this is a HUGE trigger.

5. Use a natural sleep aid the first night at your destination. Because really, who sleeps well the first night when you have to remember where the bathroom is at 3am? For a natural sleep aid you can try melatonin, valerian root (more of a nerve relaxer / anti-anxiety), or my personal favorite is a product called Seratonin FX made by The People's Chemist.

And a bonus, if you are flying, get to the airport early. I know this seems like a "duh", but your body responds to travel stress. If you can take your time, and practice your deep breathing while waiting at the gate, you are saving your immune system to deal with other invaders instead.

To learn more quick and fun wellness tips, visit http://www.eatthinkfeel.com and download my free report "5 Habits That Are Sabotaging Your Health And Happiness."

Lore Earley is the co-owner of Eat Think Feel Live, a holistic health blog that helps you transform your mind, body, and spirit so you can live the life you want!

Lore works with people who are ready to ditch their physical and emotional baggage so they can restore their happiness. Learn more here: http://www.loreearley.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Tips-for-Sticking-to-Your-Diet-and-Staying-Healthy-When-Traveling&id=8425010] 5 Tips for Sticking to Your Diet and Staying Healthy When Traveling