Have Food, Will Travel
by Roberta Duyff, MS RD FADA
If your job, vacation or weekend outing takes you on the road, brown-bag it—or fill a cooler—so you don't need to rely on vending machines, convenience stores, fast food chains or snack bars.
- Fill sealable plastic bags with vegetable finger foods: raw vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower florets, jicama and carrot sticks, zucchini and bell pepper circles, or snow peas). Take seasonal fruit. Besides taking the edge off hunger, fruit can be a thirst quencher.
- Tuck in single-portion beverages: canned or boxed fruit juice, boxed milk and bottled water. Take other portable, nonperishable foods—for example, crackers, peanut butter, raisins, small boxes of ready-to-eat cereal, single-serving cans of tuna or fruit, other dried fruit, pretzels or plain popcorn. Tuck in packages of instant oatmeal for a quick, easy, hot breakfast in your hotel.
- Stock an insulated cooler with perishable foods: deli sandwiches, yogurt and cheese, among others. Keep fresh fruit and raw vegetables in the cooler, too, to keep them crisp.
- When you're hungry, stop to eat. Get out of the car. Stretch. Take a short walk. You'll enjoy your meal more—and feel more relaxed as you continue driving. To help prevent constipation—a frequent complaint on long-distance car trips—stop every hour or two for a brisk walk and drink of water.