Hello everyone! My name is Priscilla Carrion, I’m Pedro’s wife. I’m a stay-at-home mom and a food blogger at MidEastPaleo.com, where I create Paleo cuisine with a Middle Eastern twist. I’m honored to be guest blogging today sharing my Paleo Travel Hacks.
My husband and I travel often, he travels for work and I travel for fun. He does many short trips a year while I do a few short trips and one long trip a year.
Traveling and still maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be quite intimidating, especially when you’re not sure of what you’re doing. I’ve been living a Paleo lifestyle for the past few years and during my short trips, I always avoid dairy, gluten and legumes.
I also try my best to stay away from grains and processed foods. Unlike Pedro, I’m usually not one to be tempted with non-Paleo food that may be around me!
When it comes to healthy eating, I usually do a better job to stay on track than he does. Since he travels more than I do and struggles to keep Paleo, he asked me to share my hacks for maintaining a Paleo diet while traveling on short trips.
Paleo Travel Hack #1 – Plan-ahead
Whether your travel is taking you by plane or car, make sure you are planning ahead of time and doing your research. If you know that you have a long day of travel, bring some food along.
Airlines allow food aboard the plane, so you can pack your own meal and snacks (see #3). Smaller airports don’t usually have Paleo friendly options, so having your meal packed with you ensures that you won’t go hungry.
The most important decision you can make is to start your day off right. Starting your day off with a Paleo breakfast will help you make better decisions about food during lunch.
Most hotels offer free breakfast, but sometimes the eggs look sketchy and more like cardboard than real scrambled eggs. If that is the case, go for a couple hard-boiled eggs and fruit, if available, or see #2.
When eating out, whether it be with a client or a group of people, read the menu online prior to arriving at the restaurant. In most places, waiters are usually willing to help you alter dishes from the menu.
The meal options I gravitate toward for dinner usually involve a grilled protein and a roasted vegetable, baked sweet potato, or side salad. As far as drinks, order water– flat or sparkling and obviously skip dessert and alcohol.
Paleo Travel Hack #2 – Visit a local grocery store
We’ve joined Pedro on a handful of work trips before. If we can, we’ll go out and explore the city we’re in. There have been a couple instances where we’ve been unable to go out and were in a hotel room for the weekend. Many hotels don’t have Paleo food options or non-fast food restaurants within walking distance.
Before I find myself in an uncomfortable situation, I find a healthy grocery store, like Whole Foods. Whole Foods is my go-to grocery store while traveling because I trust that they will always have healthy, organic options for us.
Every grocery store has a fresh deli section where they sell prepared food. I personally love the Hot Bar at Whole Foods, they label their dishes and they have many Paleo options. I usually get a whole organic cooked chicken, hard-boiled eggs and I load up on greens and vegetables.
Paleo Travel Hack #3 – Snack Foods
When I’m home, I eat three large meals a day and I mostly avoid snacking. I do, however, make an exception while traveling. There are two types of snacks to consider during a food emergency, pre-packaged and fresh.
Pre-Packaged Paleo Travel Snacks
I love guacamole! I would eat it everyday, if I could. Besides my homemade guac, I love the one they sell at Whole Foods. Wholly Guacamole is another great Paleo-friendly guac. I enjoy eating it with chips or pre-sliced vegetables; my favorite chips are the Terra plantain chips and Boulder Canyon potato chips.
Let’s talk about some Paleo Travel snack bars. EPIC has great protein bars that are made from grass-fed animal protein and are antibiotic-free and hormone free. Pedro’s favorite EPIC bar is the Beef Habanero Cherry Bar.
RxBars are by far my favorite and in my opinion, the most delicious. These bars come in an array of flavor options and are loaded with protein. RxBars receive this protein from egg whites and have no artificial sugar.
Lara Bars are the most affordable of the bunch. They’re the easiest to find as they are readily available in most grocery stores. If you’re looking for a quick grab-n-go snack, Lara Bars are it. However, make sure you read the labels because they’re not all Paleo approved, as some contain peanuts.
Applegate has a variety of great antibiotic-free and non-gmo meat products. Their deli meats are a great protein snack with no cooking or heating required. You can heat up the hot dogs in your hotel microwave for a quick snack or meal. The Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dog and The Great Organic Beef Hot Dog are our favorites.
Raw or roasted nuts and seeds are a Paleo favorite. They’re a good source of protein and healthy fat and best of all, they’re mess free.
As far as drinks, my favorite indulgence is La Croix. LaCroix is a calorie-free, sugar-free, naturally fruit essenced sparkling water.
Fresh Paleo Travel Snacks
I love fresh fruits and vegetables as a healthy snack. Carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and bell peppers are hassle free and don’t require much prep. Some grocery stores even have them pre-washed and packaged which makes them great during travel. Vegetables and guacamole make a delicious Paleo travel snack.
Apples, bananas, pears, and berries are also delicious and mess free fruits. Fruit bowls are great and are available at most grocery stores. Just make sure you’re getting a fruit bowl fresh from the produce section.
Hopefully these Paleo Travel Hacks will help you maintain your Paleo diet during your next short trip. These hacks have helped Pedro and I maintain our Paleo lifestyle during our travels. Visit my blog for Paleo friendly recipes. What are your Paleo travel hacks and what has worked for you in the past?
Safe travels and sahtain!
