Over the next couple of weeks as baseball season gets in full swing, I find myself eating in the car, at the ball field, and just about anywhere that’s not my kitchen table more frequently than I would like to admit. This can make it very difficult to eat healthy but here are a few tips to help you maintain that healthy diet while you are on the go…
1. Plan ahead. This can be as simple as purchasing healthy snacks that are already prepackaged or portioning them out on your own when you have time. Some of my go to prepackaged snacks are: carrots, apple slices, 100calorie packs of almonds, individual hummus/pretzel, Lara Bars, and individual sized dried fruit packs. Also fruits, such as apples, pears, and bananas, are great on the go options.
2. Be smart when you must eat fast food. I’m as guilty as the next person about loving some French Fries. To balance this love, when I order, I make sure to only order a small fry and try to make the bulk of my meal a better choice such as a grilled chicken sandwich or grilled chicken salad. If I am having a grilled chicken sandwich, I am always conscious to ask for it without mayo as I know I will already be getting plenty of “bad” fats from the fries and butter on the bread. To cut back a few more calories, remove one piece of bread and use the piece of lettuce in place of the missing bun. The grilled chicken salad can be quite tricky though. It’s easy to think since it’s a salad it’s automatically “healthy” … Hate to break your heart but that’s not always true. Salads can be loaded with fats and excess calories. To help keep that salad healthy, avoid using a creamy dressing and take all or atleast the majority of the cheese, croutons, and candied nuts off before you dig in.
3. Drink plenty of water!! I try to keep a case of water in my car as well as one near the door that I leave my house from. I find that although this isn’t all that environmentally friendly, I tend to drink a lot more water this way.
4. When traveling, atleast for me, it’s easy to justify having a drink or two or three with all those you are traveling with in the evening as the never ending bowl of chips or plate of cookies is passed around. This is when a healthy diet can fall to shambles. The best advice I can give here is to set a limit and be aware of what you are consuming. I set my limit on alcohol to no more than two drinks (most of the time) and I am conscious of drinking them slow. This way they last longer and people are less likely to keep offering them to you (same trick works at parties 😉 ).
5. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80 percent healthy 20 percent maybe not the perfect choice. This makes staying on track a much more feasible task. For me, since the majority of my travel is on the weekends, I try to keep my weekdays as healthy as possible and save those “treats” for the weekend when they are most readily available and/or I am going out to eat frequently.
What are some tricks that you use when you are eating on the go?
I hope you have a Fantastic Thursday!
Eat Train Love 365 