Travel and food often go hand in hand, but your traveling plans should not add up to your diet disaster and neither you should take it as an excuse for eating rich foods.
Every time you make a travel plan, do you take your diet on a vacation too? The reason behind asking is that, many people when going on a vacation or plan a work trip take their diets along and use it as an excuse to binge on the foods they love. Also, vacations become a time for them to eat supersize meals at the restaurants that have been on their list for long.
While we are definitely going to talk about maintaining diet while traveling, let’s take a brief look at why eating in restaurants during traveling is dangerous for your diet:
● Restaurants serve large portions and we tend to eat more as we find it irresistible.
● Items in restaurant menus are often high in calories, cholesterol, saturated fat and sodium.
● Restaurant food is very low in fiber and other natural nutrients.
● While you are eating at a restaurant you are clueless about the number of calories and saturated fats you are consuming as restaurant food doesn’t come with a nutrition label.
Related Article: How to read nutrition label of packaged foods
But, what if we say that you can enjoy your vacation without packing on extra pounds by the end of it. While eating in moderation is no secret, there are also other things that you can do to stick to your diet while traveling.
Here are some tips to help you follow your diet while on vacation
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Eat in once a day
You might want to kill us for this one, but eating in once a day will save you a lot of calories and money too. You can pack some tried and true breakfast options like low sugar instant oatmeal, whole grain breakfast cereal, power or breakfast bars (check brands with low sugar and saturated fats, but high in fiber and protein). You can also search for local grocery market and stock up your room with fresh fruits for breakfast and snack.
Opt for zero calorie beverages
You don’t want unnecessary calories coming from beverages topping on your already high on calorie vacation diet. So, keep a tab on your liquid calories looks for no-calorie drink options, which are quite easily available at most restaurants these days. Ask for unsweetened lime water instead of hot/cold tea, coffee, club soda or diet soda.
The bad news here is that any kind of alcohol intake during vacation can be a diet disaster for you. So, even if you cannot avoid alcohol completely try limiting it to a drink or two only. Each alcoholic drink that you take can have anywhere about 150 to 450 calories.
Downsize your portions
Depriving yourself of enjoyable food while on a vacation doesn’t make any sense, so instead you can downsize your portions by ordering from kids menu or ordering an appetizer instead of a starter. If you have a dining partner then share your starter with them to cut down on your portion size.
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Be careful with condiments
Sample this: half of the fat and calorie content in your southwest chicken wrap is coming from ranch sauce and mayonnaise. Can you actually believe that? Some condiments and sauces are super high in calories and fat especially the one’s that use cream and spreads like mayonnaise as a base ingredient. Next time you place an order while on vacation go for options like catsup, marinara, mustard, barbecue, etc. as most of them are less than 25 calories.
Steer clear of table munchies
If you are feeling famished by the time you are settling down at the restaurant table you will find the munchies like bread, crackers, chips, etc. on your table really appetizing. But, don’t fall in the trap as these little bites can add hundreds of calories to your diet and will also make you feel full even before your meal arrives. So, ask your server to not serve any munchies before the meal and order yourself a no calorie beverage or a salad as a healthy starter option.
Share your dessert
Vacation means enjoying life and life cannot be enjoyed without a hint of sweetness to it. For sweetness we order desserts, but if you are satisfied with your meal you can avoid it for a day or get it packed for later munching when you actually feel hungry. You can also share your dessert with your dining partner to lower the calorie impact. The idea of eating dessert should be to satisfy your sweet craving, which can easily be done after first few bites, so sharing counts as the best option to enjoy dessert without feeling guilty.
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Questions You Should Ask Your Waiter While on Vacation
While the above-given tips are definitely a show stopper for your vacation diet, here are some questions that you must ask your waiter so that you can enjoy the mouth watering delicacies without stocking up on extra calories.
● Ask how the dish is being prepared or served and then make a request for your selection to be prepared or served differently. For example, fried meats can often be grilled on request.
● Ask for sauces, gravies and dressings they will be serving on the sides. You can either discount them completely from your meal or go for a modest portion.
● Ask them to replace your complimentary bread basket and butter with fresh vegetables or a side salad instead that too minus sauces.
● Request for whole grain options wherever possible. These days some restaurants have the option for 100% whole wheat bread, buns, pasta, tortillas or even brown rice.
Follow these simple traveling on diet rules and your vacation will no longer be a reason for your unnecessary fat gain.
