No matter how well-maintained your diet, business trips pose a challenge for healthy eating. There are some steps you can take to make sure your out-of-town diet doesn’t diverge too far from your norm. Try the following to take control of your on-the-fly intake.
Be wary of airport food (pack your own lunch)
Airports catch you at some awkward hours, meaning you’ll often find yourself hungry at your gate. The available food is usually overpriced and low-quality compared to what you could get outside the airport. It’s a good idea to avoid airport restaurants when possible. Pack a meal before you leave home if you have time. Otherwise, seek out unprocessed snacks and maybe a small deli sandwich inside the airport. Staying fed during travel is an important step to making sure you…
Don’t get thrown off schedule
Mealtimes become ingrained into your daily cycle. Don’t let travel push you too far out of your norms, as it may lead to unhealthy eating habits during your business trips. While travel time, meetings and client meals are out of your control, do your best to regulate which factors you can. Make sure not to skip breakfast, and try to always…
Carry healthy and filling snacks
In your efforts to curb bad food behavior, carry healthy and filling snacks. They’re great for those occasions you have to eat earlier or later than you’re used to. A handful of nuts and a piece of fruit is filling, nutritious, and easy to pack on the fly. Try almonds and pistachios, apples and bananas, a Larabar, or a sandwich. In fact, while it may be tempting to eat out at every meal, you should strive to…
Visit a grocery store at the earliest opportunity
While a foreign city’s local grocery is probably the last place you’d like to trek to after a day of air travel, it’s a smart destination. Whether it’s a supermarket or a corner store, twenty minutes spent building your traveling pantry will benefit you in the long run. Grab some local produce, nuts, snack bars, as much healthy fare as you’ll eat on your trip. You can even get some hearty bread and deli meat for on-the-go sandwiches. While this food will help fill in the gaps, there are going to be times that you eat out. When those occasions arise, it’s recommended that you…
Watch the sauce
Restaurant food isn’t always unhealthy, but when it is, it’s usually the sauce that pushes it over the top. While fried and oily foods are easy to sidestep, the healthiest-looking meal can be corrupted by an overzealous serving of sauce. As such, it’s a good idea to ask for the sauce on the side whenever you order an applicable dish. That way, you can put on as much sauce as you’d like and leave the rest behind.
If you have a choice between condiments, steer towards things with wholesome ingredients (a la salsa or guacamole) versus things made out of oils and syrups (soy sauce, thousand island, etc.). This will help to keep your traveling diet…
High protein, low carb
You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to appreciate the simple beauty of this guideline. Adhering to these parameters when choosing your food will save you a headache, especially if you’re looking at nutritional labels. Aim to eat more high-protein foods, such as meat, eggs, nuts, and beans, and less high-carbohydrate foods, such as bread, rice, and pasta. This is especially important on business trips that involve a lot of seated meetings — if you’re meeting on the golf green, however, you can afford a few more carbs. When it comes to what you drink on the road, it’s always a good idea to…
Drink plenty of water
Water is more than a source of hydration — it can be a preventative measure for eating. Drinking a glass of water before you sit down to order food will fill you up, allowing you to make a more reserved choice in cuisine. While cocktails with clients and caffeinated drinks are to be expected during the course of a business trip, water should be your go-to beverage.
If you follow these tips, business trips don’t have to be filled with fat and fast food. They also don’t have to be spent in the confines of a hotel room. Choosing to stay in luxury vacation rentals has a wide range of benefits. PC Housing offers corporate and vacation housing across the country — contact us today to find out more!