Hawaiian vacation. Recommendations for healthy eating?

jrwms714
jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi. Going to Kauai, Hawaii for 10 days very soon. Not familiar at all with Hawaiian cuisine. I want to be able to eat a healthy diet while there. I don't eat meats or chicken but am good with seafood, eggs, dairy. I'm not much for fried, fatty or sugary foods. Anyone been there and can tell me what I will be able to find easily to eat?

Replies

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited September 2016
    Hawaiians eat seafood, eggs, and dairy so you should be fine. Portion control is your friend.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited September 2016
    Fried, fatty and sugary foods are kinda what local Hawaiian food is all about but you can find healthier food options.

    Unless you're on a bulk, stay away from spam musubi or anything w/spam in it, loco moco, kaula pig, poi or anything else w/taro root in it and the double helpings of rice normally sold w/any take out dish. LOL!!

    It's all delicious (except perhaps the poi) but you'll gain a ton eating that stuff. Poke should be ok though, just depends what they mixed in w/it.

    Enjoy your trip to Hawaii. :)
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,186 Member
    You will find lots of baked and grilled local seafood/fish options in Hawaii and also fresh vegetables and local fruits. Stay away or reduce your intake of tropical drinks, sugary juices and/or desert and you will be OK. Be careful with the sticky rice, if you want to control your carbs, because most of the dishes are served with white rice. But you can bring left over rice home and you can make " egg-fried rice" for breakfast.

    If you are going to a condo you can shop at the grocery store (there are Safeways all over the island) and make your own breakfast at home. I would suggest that you buy a bag of Taro chips and have a few with your lunch or dinner. They are delicious (not so much the poi :s ), but you need to practice self control.

    Walk or jog in the beaches for exercise and don't forget your suntan lotion. There is not much night life in Kauai, unless you go to one of the bigger hotels, so plan to have fun during the day. The best beaches are in the south (Poipu) and in the north area of Princeville/The Cliffs.

    If you like and drink coffee plan to visit the Kauai Coffee Plantation. You can also take a self educational tour of the plantation. The view is magnificent and you can taste different kind of coffees and buy some if you want to. Pick up brochures at the airport with maps of the island and things to do while you are there. Kauai is called the Garden Island and for a good reason. Lots of lush vegetation and water falls.

    Enjoy!
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Almost every menu has vegetarian and vegan options. For the 4th year in a row HI has topped the list as healthiest state. You shouldn't have any problems. Enjoy your vacay!!!
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    I just got back from 10 days there and it is SUPER easy to eat well there. Theres an abundance of fish, local veggies, purple sweet potatoes and fresh produce everywhere. Just be smart with what you order and dont be afraid to ask for substitutions!
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    This is all so good to hear. Going on Yelp and looking at photos and reading info other places just scared me silly. I really can't do sauces or meats or fried stuff ... I just like broiled fish, maybe some herbs, veggies, fruit. Plain simple stuff. Sounds like I can get it, too. Everything I saw was all about white sticky rice, and pork and UGH, Spam, plus desserts that made me nauseous to see. Vacation generally doesn't change what I eat unless there's something so unique to the place that I may try it. Overall, maintenance and weight loss (about 5 years total) has changed my palate as has my body's reaction to anything that isn't relatively plain. I really want to taste the fish, eggs, fruits, veggies, esp. If they are fresh and indigenous. Anything over or surrounding them just takes it away for me. Anybody else that can reinforce what others have said here ? I would appreciate all the reinforcement I can get!!!
  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member
    I haven't been to Kauai yet, but I have also found tons of fresh and "healthy" food on Hawaii. There are many different restaurants with all sorts of cuisines (at least on Maui where I was) so you should be able to find something you like. And lots of Whole Foods type health food stores so if you can cook you can always go there.
    But I also honestly don't worry about stuff like that when I'm on such an awesome vacation and just eat whatever looks good to me, so maybe I'm not the best person to judge :)
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    It's not so different. You'll be fine
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited September 2016
    They like spam with rice, lots of fresh fish too!
  • brenn24179
    brenn24179 Posts: 2,144 Member
    I had a friend go there when her husband was in service and she came back with a lot of extra weight. Don't know why but just log those calories so it doesn't happen to you. You can do it, be cautious
  • alohajls
    alohajls Posts: 55 Member
    I stay at a condo on the north shore of Kaua'i, so I generally go grocery shopping and cook at home.

    When I'm there, I eat a lot of poke (POH-kay). It's raw salmon, some oil and avocado (with variations). I get it at the Foodland in Princeville, very tasty and lots of protein. I get sushi there, too.

    Check out the farmers markets around the island for fresh local produce--I like the one in Hanalei.

    For a fresh fruit treat, stop at Banana Joe's, a roadside stand near Kilauea. They make an ice cream-like dessert out of just frozen banana and pineapple--so good!
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    I've been and a good thing about the Islands is that the food is not the big show there. Nothing tempting …not a lot of sweets.. The nature and relaxed vibe are the main attraction. Can't tell you what I ate..it was that unexciting. I do recall some large fresh steamed shrimp sold on Wi Ki Ki that were great.. there is sushi… and great calamari. But that was Honolulu

    As for Kauai? I recall there not being much of anything great on the culinary scene…but boy boy..who cares so beautiful!
  • jrwms714
    jrwms714 Posts: 421 Member
    Oh, this all sounds perfect! Will be staying at small resort, so no cooking for us, but sure sounds like enough easy choices for me. Son and husband eat everything, so I can sample theirs if there's anything that interests me out of my usual.
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
    I've been to Maui twice and Kauai once, and it's still America :) You can get there whatever you can get here, plus TONS and TONS of fresh seafood.

    Having said that, I vote for relaxing a bit and enjoying your vacation. It's not that hard to lose "vacation" weight (I typically do in about 8-10 days). Have fun!

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