How do you deal with meals when on travel?
shirli2018
Posts: 74 Member
I travel a lot for work so I will be spending the next few weeks in airplanes and hotel rooms.
Once situated at hotel I can usually manage to find what I need for my keto meals. my biggest problem is the traveling day which is normally 9-12 hours of driving to airport, flying , running to make a tight connection, flying again, driving to hotel. Then a 3-4 nights hotel stay and another 9-12 hours trip back home.
This month I have two trips like that back to back and I'm worried that I won't be able to have what I need.
Any suggestions? I'm trying to stay at strict carbs (20 g max) and I try to avoid processed food and meal supplements.
The hardest part is not being able to have access to food I can prep myself
Once situated at hotel I can usually manage to find what I need for my keto meals. my biggest problem is the traveling day which is normally 9-12 hours of driving to airport, flying , running to make a tight connection, flying again, driving to hotel. Then a 3-4 nights hotel stay and another 9-12 hours trip back home.
This month I have two trips like that back to back and I'm worried that I won't be able to have what I need.
Any suggestions? I'm trying to stay at strict carbs (20 g max) and I try to avoid processed food and meal supplements.
The hardest part is not being able to have access to food I can prep myself
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Replies
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I tend to travel with homemade trail mix, cheese and pepperoni, beef jerky, a jar or whipping cream and protein powder for my coffees, hard boiled eggs, canned tuna, veggies and dip, and leftovers like a burger patty.1
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@nvmomketo I guess my problem is that I don't have a way to keep things refrigerated and can't go pass security with ice pack if they are not frozen solid.
I am worried about food getting spoiled on such a long day. I'll have to try to freeze hard boiled eggs and see what happens. And TSA won't allow carrying on planes any liquids so that makes choices limited when you are trying to eat healthy.1 -
hard boiled eggs will keep without refrigeration for a few days, easy - and I love them with wasabi, if you can find a restaurant that will give you packets, those are awesome for travel
ditto for cheese, it gets greasy, but it doesn't spoil without refrigeration
nuts would be good and should pass
I think TSA is weird about cans, but that tuna in a pouch should pass, maybe cucumber slices to put it on
Honestly, for me I just usually don't eat when traveling...I have some salt packets, some water or coffee at the airport (at their insane prices) and I will eat a big meal when I get to my destination so that I get all my nutrition in for the day, but not have the hassle of trying to deal with traveling with food or trying to find something to eat at the airport. You can't even get nuts on most airlines anymore, it's all granola bars and cookies/crackers now.
As for places to eat when stuck in a hotel, I think every burger joint in the universe has gotten use to the "no bun" trend...most restaurants have some kind of salad with some kind of meat and you can usually pay a few bucks more to double the meat portion...and if there's a grocery store with a good deli section, they can be a life saver for me...Wegman's will cook whatever meat you buy in the deli for you at their grill station - and their cooks seem to know what they are doing...Whole Foods usually has an amazing salad bar with tons of meat and veggie options and sometimes they have soups that fit well with keto...Publix has some good deli chicken/tuna salads...Giant has a shrimp salad that I just LOVE, and their seafood section in general usually has lots of already cooked options...any grocery usually can usually do steamed shrimp or will have individual salads and dressings and such...grocery stores are cheaper than eating at restaurants all the time, plus, I just like being away from people when I'm travelling, so I usually opt for places I can grab and go back to my room to eat and be alone and away from the rest of the universe...of course, if you have business dinners, then you are stuck eating out wherever, but most places have something on the menu that fits.
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Go to airport restaurant (McDonald's, Burger King, etc.) and get "Cheeseburger, plain with no bun" or something similar.
Personally, I just don't eat in/out of airport except coffee. But that amount of time isn't usually 9-12 hours. If I add driving to the airport (nearest airport is 1.5 hrs. drive, then usually driving another 40 min. - 1 hr. after arrival), then it gets to be longer. So I can eat at a fast food restaurant before arriving at airport or shortly after leaving. But the big airports are easy to eat at because they have chain burger places with that easy option to get meat from burgers without buns.1 -
I guess I’ll jut have to plan lol. I’m one of those people that just knows when the plane is leaving and thats about it. I normally through some things in my bag an hour or so before leaving even if it is at 5 am. And most of the time I just empty the dryer and eyeball what I dump into the bag. I guess working on my planning skills will be a must in this journey.
I’m leaving around 0630 so I will have my breakfast and plan on making my normal lunch salad (greens, egg, avocado, chicken) and pack all ingredients separately with disposable home made ice packs that I can get rid of at airport.
I can then refill my baggies with ice at the food court. I usually eat on the plane once I get to my seat before take-off.
That should get me pass lunch time. 2nd flight I can pack chicken bouillon and ask for hot water and even splurge on a can of tomato juice (12 carbs a can is a bit high for me but they rarely offer the full can so I’m good). Once I land, find a grocery store and get what I need for the days on the trip.
I think I will get some tune pouches to have with me in case of “emergency” - I might get thrown out of the plane if I open it mid flight
I guess it helped me just talking about it.
You all are such great supporters and I really appreciate all the ideas.2 -
Tuna pouches are a great idea. Often, I take those backpacking with me. Also, jerky and sausages (that don't require refrigeration) are good meat options. Bring a disposable plastic fork to eat tuna.
If you eat nuts and/or peanuts, then it is an option. The only issue there is that you may not want to open peanuts on the plane because of other passengers with allergies. Other nuts are probably better from a carb viewpoint anyway. A small bag of pecans or almonds are filling. Back when I ate nuts, though, it was easy to add up carbs fast. And it didn't take many almonds to get lots of fiber in (i.e. I spent a lot of time on the toilet - not something you want while traveling).
There are quite a few cheeses that can go long times without refrigeration.1 -
shirli2018 wrote: »@nvmomketo I guess my problem is that I don't have a way to keep things refrigerated and can't go pass security with ice pack if they are not frozen solid.
I am worried about food getting spoiled on such a long day. I'll have to try to freeze hard boiled eggs and see what happens. And TSA won't allow carrying on planes any liquids so that makes choices limited when you are trying to eat healthy.
I have not flown much, but when I do I pack food in my suitcase - such as protein powder or pancake mix for my kids - and take a lot of carry on food. We have celiacs in the family so we bring a fair bit of food because we don't know when we'll find safe food to eat. I haven't yet had a problem bringing on some veggies or pepperoni sticks.
I think stopping off at a grocer when you arrive is smart. Buy a few things that are microwaveable or do okay without immediate cooling like pepperoni, nuts or cheese. Tuna is a great idea too.... for not on the plane. LOL
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Eat a big meal before you leave. Then throw a quest bar or 2 in your bag for between meals.2
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Maybe use the time of travel for intermittent fasting. Always carry nuts or nut butter around for emergency snacks. Quest bars are always an option.2
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I was going to ask, are you checking a bag? Because you can put a heck of a lot of dry/pantry type snack/food in your checked bag for your trip. Tuna pouches, olive cups, pepperoni, cheese, butter, etc.
But also, you might want to try a 24 hour fast on your travel day. Just eat a nice big dinner the night before and don't worry about eating again til dinner the next day when you are settled in at your hotel. But if you absolutely cannot hold out that long without eating, look in the airport for keto things to eat. (I dunno how you get away with bringing food in your bag! I had a bag of chips in my carry on and TSA made me throw them away) I know Starbucks has some good snacks, and then there's always burgers with no buns and mayo.
Good luck with your travels! And be safe. 1 -
@xDaniDragonflyx I don’t check bags. I travel with a small carry-on but I never had problem taking dry food on the plane with me. Again I’m not worried about options at the airport since I know I won’t have time for that. I’m trying to adjust my normal routine of taking banana apples and a sandwich in my bag to something that is friendly to strict carbs keto.
I’m worried because this is going to be week 3 so it’s not like I’m fully adapted and can fast knowing that my body knows to access fat. I do feel much better getting all the suggestions. I can take things like olives I drained, but no nuts or nut butter (allergies). I think I was just panicking this morning because it’s hard to start a new program and then having to constantly adapt due to being away from home. And didn’t event discuss jet leg and conference rooms filled with donuts and pastries lol3 -
shirli2018 wrote: »@nvmomketo I guess my problem is that I don't have a way to keep things refrigerated and can't go pass security with ice pack if they are not frozen solid.
I am worried about food getting spoiled on such a long day. I'll have to try to freeze hard boiled eggs and see what happens. And TSA won't allow carrying on planes any liquids so that makes choices limited when you are trying to eat healthy.
Hard-boiled eggs freeze just fine with the exception that once thawed the egg-whites tend to be a little rubbery.
Individually packaged cheese sticks don't require refrigeration. Also consider: pork rinds and individually packaged nuts and/or seeds.1 -
Your body knows how to use fat. Just take some salt or boullion with you. Use the flight/long day as an opportunity to see just how amazingly well the body adapts. That's coming from someone who isn't even into fasting. Unless you have a medical issue your body will do just fine. Eat something before you leave.1
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I also have been finding recipes for things I can travel with. Just made a batch of muffins from Leanne Vogel’s The Keto Diet and will bring them with me to hotels that don’t have a fridge. (My trips are usually just 1-2 days.) I pack jerky, small portions of nuts, swerve packets and sugar free chocolate treats.0
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A quick update: travel day was very long with flights cancelled and rerouted, BUT I have packed my lunch with me with enough Ice to survive the 3+ hours between kitchen and airport security checkpoint. I got rid of the ice there and ate my lunch the moment I stepped on the plane. On my layover I bought a cup of soup with no croutons. By the time I checked into the hotel it was way past midnight so I was not going to eat again.
Today my meetings were all day with no option to leave for lunch. Catering was provided - meat, green beans and salad - that was perfect!!!
I think things are going to be just fine.4 -
theroadimon wrote: »
Thanks for your food albums.🚗✈🚇 I will be traveling more than 26 hours to get to Europe .Then I will be traveling around Europe for 22 days.All my accommodations have a kitchen.I will have to bring some foods to eat when I'm traveling.I will pack some Thai keto foods in my luggage.I can get fresh ingredients locally where I stay.I will make it simple as I will be on holidays after all.🚗✈🚇🗺1 -
While I was on holidays, I prepared low carbs meals and had a few alcoholic coffee/ drinks. I packed low carb foods with me when I went out and about too. I gained nearly 4 lbs/1.8 kg but lost 3.5 lbs/1.6 kg after a week. It was mainly water weight. I lost further 0.4/ 0.8 lb after 2nd week. I'm glad I stick to low carbs most of the time , on holidays or not. x 👍🏽🤗
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I just stick with the meats and veggies😉
349 days keto 💪1 -
Personally, I just fast. I routinely go 24hrs several times a week, so 9-12 hours wouldn't be a big deal for me personally. If you aren't at the point yet, is just grabbing something in the airport an option if you don't want to carry anything? Last time I traveled, the aiports had several options ranging from fast food to sit down meals. I usually ended up with a couple of burger patties and just called it a day.0
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I always make myself some "snack bags" with different nuts (walnuts, pecans, etc..) because they don't even give you a nut choice now when flying it's either cookies or some kind of cracker...and I don't want either of those options...
If the day is going to be long, I will also buy a small summer sausage (I like the smoked ones) and slice it up and put it in a ziplock to take, it'll keep just fine for a day and usually does the trick for me. I also take the time to try to "push" my fast window a little (normally eat at noon each day til 8 pm...sometimes I'll try to push that to 2 or 3pm (usually whatever the last leg of my trip is) and then eat a healthy portion of the meat/nuts to hold me over until I can get into a hotel and get to a grocery store...0 -
Ordering salads, cheeseburgers, grilled chicken, steaks (even in sandwich form, can dump the bread). Some cheeses can also stay unrefrigerated for about 24 hrs.
Boiled eggs, couple of cans of tuna, salt and pepper packets, and mayo packets, tuna salad, one of my favorite snacks.
Haha, put boiled eggs in an air tight container, or you won't be liked on plane.
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