Best strategies for what to eat while travelling

QuakerMom

I will be traveling in about a month -- just for a weekend -- but am already trying to think ahead about what the best bets are for eating while traveling, especially when you don't necessarily have all the control over where you eat -- b/c of traveling with others, attending a wedding, etc.

Which meats are safest/best bets from standard mainstream restaurants -- beef? chicken? fish? other seafood?

Any other tips for avoiding the pitfalls of being away from home?

kkarrolle

Tip one, ask the hotel to rid the mini bar of anything you would ordinarily raid...chocs, lollies, wine, nuts, chips.

Eating out I have been doing a lot of grilled steak, chicken or fish with veges, if these are not on the menu I have an adapted chicken caeser salad...no croutons, no dressing, half amount of cheese.

Avoid any of the fat on the meats unless you know it is pasture fed or organic.

Breakfast is usually eggs and bacon hold the toast.

Anathama

Many restaurants will substitute the potato dish for a vegetable or cottage cheese. I did that recently and found that cottage cheese goes better with a steak dinner than french fries, and almost as good as a baked potato in my opinion.

El Pollo Loco is good if you just get chicken.

BBQ places are good but ask for BBQ sauce on the side.

Mongolian BBQ places are great, cuz you can make your own bowl, and it's all you can eat.

Thai food has good options, Tom Kha Ga soup is great for paleo/primal, satay and curry work as well, but watch out for potatoes in the curry at some places.

sizzler is a pretty good option.

I try to find buffets, because I know with a standard dinner I'm going to be paying for stuff I'm not going to eat, and it takes more food to fill up than most places serve. Ever notice that steak dinners come with an 8oz steak and a 20 oz potato to fill you up, plus bread, etc. They fill you with the carbs. At a buffet, I can at least get all the meat and veggies I want.

Frankenbarbie01

DO NOT BUDGE on your food choices!!! If you are eating out have steak/chicken /Fish with veggie and ask for NO rice/potato/fries but an additional portion of veggies. If its wrong send it back. After gaining 7 lbs in 7 days I would advise against a buffet.....just saying...=) I thought oh one croissant cant hurt THAT much...I learned I'm addicted to carbs LOL!!!
You can always find something to eat even at fast food places if you have to, chicken strips and a green salad. Good luck!

sethandjane

I just wanted to "second" everyone's great recommendations above, and add my other bit of advice:

I have found that if I plan ahead and take my own food items that can travel, I end up making better choices overall while I'm traveling.

For example, I always take a ton of my own nuts, seeds, apples, etc., as well as a big enough stash of my own delicious dark chocolate - that way either while traveling or there, if I get the urge to snack, I'm not limited to what's in the vending machine or mini bar (death as someone already correctly put it! And having my own dark chocolate along keeps me from eating good-tasting-but-bad-for-my-body deserts with everyone else.

Also, call ahead to the hotel (if you're staying in one) - if your room doesn't automatically have a mini fridge, ask if you can have one (I usually pay a small fee) - that opens up another door wide open in taking additional food of your own to snack on/eat that needs to be refrigerated (such as cheese, pre-cooked chicken breast, etc.).

Good luck!!!

mehaugen

DO NOT BUDGE on your food choices!!! If you are eating out have steak/chicken /Fish with veggie and ask for NO rice/potato/fries but an additional portion of veggies. If its wrong send it back. After gaining 7 lbs in 7 days I would advise against a buffet.....just saying...=) I thought oh one croissant cant hurt THAT much...I learned I'm addicted to carbs LOL!!!
You can always find something to eat even at fast food places if you have to, chicken strips and a green salad. Good luck!

I advise avoiding fast food places in favor of a grocery store. Get some produce you can eat with your hands, or find the pre-cut section. I also go for the pre-cooked meats with the least amount of crappy ingredients. Yesterday I found some pre-cooked pulled pork with the only ingredients of "pork, salt". Also, sausage works great like summer sausage, liverwurst, and even deli meat if you are desperate (but watch out for bad ones with corn syrup, fillers, starches, etc). There is also canned meats and fish, as well as vacuum packed meats like chicken and tuna.

dmauder

Wow, I'm glad I found this thread. Tons of great tips for traveling. I just posted the same question yesterday to this group, but I see I should have looked through previous posts first.