Eating Healthy On The Road

Summer vacation is one of my absolute favorite times of year. Visiting family and friends, seeing new sights and trying new foods is so fun for me - and sometimes very frustrating! Eating healthy on the road is a challenge, but it's possible and pleasant with a little planning (I've even written a whole chapter devoted to it in my new book, Living Vegan for Dummies!).Use my top three tips for eating healthy on the road, and have a vibrant, enjoyable vacation:1. Map it out: If you're planning a road trip this vacation, get out the road map. Draw a line in red of your planned route and circle towns and cities you'll be driving through. Go online and check which healthy, vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants and health food stores are in each town. Plan to visit one or two locations every 24 -48 hours along your trip and stock up on snacks, pre-made deli meals or to-go dinners.The best online resources are www.vegdining.com and www.happycow.net and www.wholefoodsmarket.com.2. Carry it on: If you're flying ANYWHERE this summer, don't rely on airlines or airports for your meals. While many airports offer a few healthy treats, you may not have time between flights and security to search out that one item amongst all the food court options. Plan on taking a wrap, sandwich, fruit, nuts and raisins or other favorite (non-liquid) items for you. On my recent cross-country flights with my son, we were happily muching on good food the entire trip and arrived happy, not starving.3. Cook it up: If you're staying in hotels or motels this summer, find out if you can rent a kitchenette instead of a plain old suite. A small kitchen with burners and a little refrigerator will allow you to cook up simple meals, stash leftovers from restaurant outings and save money. Buying or bringing ingredients to cook up your own meals is generally cheaper than eating out for every meal, and you'll probably have healthier meals with less sodium, sugar and fat to boot!Bon voyage!Alexandra