Eating Well on Vacations

Everyone is entitled to a little break once in a while, and there's no better time to do it than on vacation! Vacations don't have to be deal breakers for weight loss or healthy eating, though.
Here are a few tips:

• On the drive to your location, plan ahead a little so you don't have to eat fast food. Pack a few sandwiches, fruit, and other favorite snacks. Save your calories and fat for higher quality food!
• For breakfast, don't settle for the cheap pastries they set out at many continental breakfasts. That's something you can get at home if you really want to. Fill up on the oatmeal, and even bagels are a better choice. You can't beat hard boiled eggs for the nutrition!
• Don't stuff yourself at meals. Split a main entree so you can get appetizers and desserts. Just don't eat the whole dessert by yourself. Share! Relax and eat slowly so you will know when you are full, this is your vacation after all! If I get something fried, I try not to get french fries too in the same meal.
• Beware of the hidden fat in salads. Want to eat salad to conserve your fat and calorie intake, or to make up for the extra fried foods you may have treated yourself to? Some salads can have a whopping 70+ grams of fat! I'd take bread pudding any day to a salad!
• The best sight-seeing can be walking around downtown areas. Plan into your schedule active walks, especially after a big meal!

I just went on the annual mom-sis vacation I take every year. We ate breakfast in the room each morning, which not only saved money, but I didn't start off the day every day wondering how bad I would eat that day. I split most lunches and dinners with someone, eating slowly, and stopping when I was full. We even brought appetizers to eat during the football games on Sunday that we had prepared at home. We just stuck them in the oven and relaxed. My luxury? Cream in my coffee! I am excited that I ate well, and didn't come back feeling like I had to work out extra hard to make up for it! When I travel, however, I don't ever feel that I drink enough water. Before my next trip, I will be thinking of ways to incorporate that into my vacation.