My Vegas Vacation: Trying to Eat Healthy While You Travel

Taking a vacation is suppose to be good for you. You relax and unwind from your normal busy routine. My trip to Las Vegas last week was mind blowing, and I would go back in a heart beat. From roof top parties to roller coasters on top of 1,149 foot buildings, it was impossible not to have a good time. The tricky thing about vacationing is knowing when you've relaxed a little too much. I knew I wouldn't be making it to the gym during my vacation (I'll be back in there tomorrow:)), but I did have plans on keeping up my meal plan and healthy eating. I brought my vitamins, water bottle and snacks. I knew the hotel didn't have a kitchen, but planned on ordering healthy items while out to eat. Let's be honest, I was in Vegas and didn't always stick to my plan or follow any of the advice I'm about to give you, but here's to learning from my mistakes for the next vacation.

Here are tips for staying on your diet, or just eating healthier while you're traveling or on vacation.

1. Stay hydrated. Buy a pack of water bottles to keep in your hotel. I brought my refillable water bottle and kept it full while I was on vacation. If there is one thing I have learned during my travels, it's that it's super easy to get dehydrated. Hotels rarely provide drinking water, unless you want to pay $5 to open what they might stock in the minni fridge. If you don't want to drink water from a bathroom sink, make sure to pick up a case of water from the closest convenient store or market when you get to your destination.

2. Bring healthy snacks to eat between meals. I eat three full meals a day, with protein rich snacks in between meals and after dinner. If you're driving you can bring pretty much any non-refrigerated snacks in your suitcase. If you're flying, the rules for food are surprisingly lax, unless you're going through customs to get to another country. Find a list of TSA approved food items here. Packing boxed or packaged snacks in your checked luggage is usually allowed. Having snacks on hand like almonds, granola mix, or protein bars will keep you from buying the candy at the airport or chips from the vending machine.

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad from PF Changs

3. Save up a food budget. If you're going to eat out while you travel, you should save up some extra money so that you can eat at places beyond fast food. Don't skip over the salads when you're ordering at a restaurant either. The portions are huge these days, and ordering a salad doesn't mean you're only eating a few pieces of lettuce and carrots. My favorite meal during my vacation was a seared ahi tuna salad topped with wasabi peas, julienne cucumbers and carrots.


4.Pick out places you'd like to eat in advance. One challenging thing about eating out in a new city is that you don't always know where to go, or where to find healthy food. You might have to take a chance on a restaurant whose menu's healthiest option is a fried Portobello mushroom burger filled with two different types of cheese. (Yes, that is something I actually ate.) Look up the menus of different restaurants before you travel, so you can still enjoy trying new places and know they'll have healthy options.

5. Chill out on the alcohol. Drinking in moderation can be an enjoyable way to socialize and relax on your vacation. Alcoholic beverages are typically high in calories, and influences the way your body processes the calories you took in from eating earlier in the day. When drinking alcohol you're more likely to store calories from food you ate earlier in the day as fat, and use the alcohol for energy instead. In moderation, people can avoid the negative affects of alcohol on weight. In excess alcohol can negatively affect calorie intake, energy, hydration, and sleep patterns.

Make your vacation count and keep your body healthy while you escape. Return back to the real world after your vacation feeling refreshed and healthy. Other wise, you may just feel like you need a serious detox and to rehydrate for weeks.

Here's to healthy living and healthy eating.

-Bell