Recently, I have been traveling quite a bit for various work projects, and the challenges of eating healthy while out of  town became real. I’m used to cooking most meals at home, and only eating out on weekends. It’s hard when you are forced to eat most of your meals out! If you are like me when I travel, I start my day with a hotel breakfast, and I believe this is the easiest meal when out of town to eat healthy.  In fact, I would recommend making it a priority to eat a healthy breakfast meal, just in case your hosts or coworkers drag you out to a less than healthy lunch or dinner. So many hotel chains now offer breakfast buffets, so how do you eat healthy from these smorgasbords of food? Skip the pastries, fatty breakfast meats, biscuits & gravy, and waffles & pancakes, and choose from yogurt, fresh fruit, oatmeal, eggs (scrambled or hard boiled), and whole grain toast. Definitely load up on fruit, as it can be hard to ensure you eat enough in a day when traveling. Take it one step further and grab a banana or apple to take with you as a snack for later in the day. So what about the rest of the day, when your coworkers drag you out to eat.? What do you do to make sure you are staying on track and not overindulging? The key is to treat these meals as sustenance and not celebrations. I’m not saying don’t select delicious meals, but make sure they are well balanced. They should more resemble meals you would eat at home rather than overindulgent restaurant meals. Avoid fried foods, ensure your meals include vegetables, and I don’t mean French Fries, and don’t go overboard on chips, bread, or other starters! Try to make sure half of what you eat at each meal is vegetables, preferably raw or prepared by roasting, steaming, or sautéing. This might require you to order some extras on the side or even order more a la carte style. Consider starting your meal with a salad, and choose a vinaigrette for the dressing. Drink water or unsweet ice tea, and if you are ordering alcoholic beverages, consider a nice glass of wine for lower calories and antioxidant benefits. Another tip while traveling for work is to bring snacks from home; nuts or dried fruit, always being my recommendations. That way when a tray of cookies is passed your way during a meeting, and you are feeling hungry, you have something healthy to eat instead! Believe me, I understand this is easier said than done. I fully understand the pressures of your hosts wanting to take you out to their cities’ famous restaurants, and being tempted by all the new styles and types of food you want to try! Just remember portion control and vegetables, vegetables, vegetables!

To YOUR Taste!

Chef V