8 Essential Food Items to Buy When Traveling

8 Essential Food Items to Buy When Traveling

The following items can be picked up at just about any grocery store. The list below, contains lean source proteins to repair and maintain lean muscle tissue, low glycemic carbs (slow digesting carbohydrates to help keep blood sugar levels steady) and healthy fats.  Eating at least four meals per day with 25+ grams of protein/meal and 2-3 servings of veggies will fuel your body and help you to feel and perform your best while traveling. This also means not having to compromise good nutrition for less healthy choices at a fast food restaurant. Almost all hotel rooms have a mini fridge. Even if the mini fridge is pre-stocked, it can be used to store the items below. If not then a Styrofoam cooler and bag of ice will work equally well. Its a good idea to pick up some plastic bowls and utensils or borrow them from the hotel.


1. Whey Protein Powder (<-- click to see my favorite brand) - This can be found at the grocery store, but you should have at home, and can easily pack into plastic baggies to take with you. Two to four scoops per day should be fine. Protein powder is incredibly versatile, mixes well in oatmeal or yogurt, and can be used to give you a shot of much needed protein throughout the day when out and about. Its best to get your protein from whole food sources (chicken, turkey, eggs etc), but when whole food choices aren't available, protein powder will keep your metabolism humming, support lean muscle tissue and keep carb/sweets cravings to a minimum (no need for that DQ Blizzard).
2. Almonds - Whole plain almonds are an incredible source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber that will help to keep you feeling full, and give you the proper Omega 3's to balance hormones, which will keep your waistline trim.
3. Oatmeal - Quick Oats (PLAIN cooked dehydrated oats) are an awesome low glycemic carbohydrate source that will keep you feeling full, will keep your blood sugar levels steady, and can be easily prepared with the hot water from your in room coffee maker. Just brew a pot of water and use the hot water to pour into the quick oats. After the oats have steeped for 1 minute stir in one to two scoops of protein powder for a perfect healthy breakfast.
4. Lean Chicken Breast - Almost all grocery stores have prepackaged, cooked chicken breasts in the refrigerated lunch meat section. I had to search through a couple of brands to find the one with the LEAST ingredients (i.e. preservatives). The Tyson Grilled Breast Strips were by far the worst, with an list of ingredients about three paragraphs long. The best I found were the local store brand, and they contained: Chicken, Broth, and Sodium Chloride (salt). I bought two 6 ounce bags. 4 oz of chicken has about 25 grams of protein. 12 oz will give you three meals with 25 grams of protein per meal.
5.Hard Boiled Eggs - Hard boiled eggs are also readily found in the deli section of the local grocery store. One large hard boiled egg has about 7 grams of protein, but also 5 grams of fat. Its best to eat 4 whites and one yolk. Hard boiled eggs are a great option for breakfast, lunch dinner or snack.
6. Baby Spinach - Incredibly nutrient dense, tons of fiber, makes a great salad, is very versatile and did I mention incredible nutrient dense? Baby spinach is a super-food loaded with antioxidants and is also very durable with just a little refrigeration.
7. Veggie Tray - The one I picked up contained broccoli, baby carrots, tomatoes  and celery. There was also a low fat yogurt dip that did not get used. Veggies, are a low glycemic carbohydrate source, so eating them with every meal is important. They are loaded with fiber and your body craves the vitamins and minerals to repair and function at its best. Simply put, the more veggies you eat the healthier you will be, the more energy you will have, the clearer you will think and the better you will feel.
8. Apples - Apples are a great fruit with incredibly diverse health benefits. The old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" wasn't off the mark at all. In addition to their health benefits, the pectin in apples helps to mitigate the body's need for insulin and keeping insulin response low is key to fat loss.
Remember, eat 4 - 5 small meals throughout the day with 25+ grams of protein and 2 to 3 cups of veggies per serving. Drink at least a gallon of water to keep your metabolism running and your body flushed of toxins. A serving or two of almonds with an apple, can be added in as a snack or in between meals as needed. Whenever you travel, or if you run out the door to start your day and don't have food prepared ahead of time, the above items will keep your wallet and waistline happy. Do you have additional nutrition tips or tricks that you use when traveling? Please leave them in the comments section below.

For more fitness and nutrition information like this please visit:

www.synergyfitnessbootcamp.com

www.synergyfitnessbootcamp.com/category/news

www.facebook.com/synergyfitnessbootcamp

Tim Kaderli

Founder and CEO of Motivation and Inspiration.