Tasty, Portable Foods that Keep Travelers Alert and Energized
By Dina Eliash Robinson
If you have ever wondered why we need rest and recovery after even the least active vacation, consider how mentally and emotionally disorienting and physically disruptive it is to spend any time longer than a workday or weekend outing away from home and life’s routines.
Now multiply these by the stress levels endured by frequent travelers whose jobs demand that they hit the ground running at every stop and plunge back into home-based work routines without a moment for R & R.
While most of us know the basic remedies to high-stress lives—such as establishing regular sleep-, eating and exercise schedules—few if any of us follow them. At leas not consistently—especially when traveling across time zones or preparing for the next stop while in transit, which might not always make such beneficial scheduling possible.
Good News: The following health-protective arsenal has been proven effective for even the most peripatetic globetrotters as boosters of stamina, mental alertness and physical wellbeing. We recommend:
- Travel with portable, easy to snack-on and digest foods packed with toxin-free, high-octane nutrition. (***See recipe links below.)
- Carry enough good quality water (in the appropriate size rubber-sheathed glass bottle depicted here) to last through the voyage or until you
reach a source for buying more). - Set an example for those around you—even at the cost of making a fool of yourself—by using any available space on planes, trains, buses, etc. to stretch and exercise for 5-10 minutes, at least every half hour or longer. On road trips, stop the car at parks or other appropriate spots, whenever possible, get out and stretch, run in place and do other exercises that help blood circulation and prevent bloating.
Travel Food Recipes***:
(Stick to organics to avoid toxic effects of GMO and pesticides when traveling. Pack slices of fresh or toasted bread, crackers, etc.)
•Fresh, raw vegetable salad with light vinaigrette dressing and crumpled goat Feta cheese in a separate container.
•Mixed Nuts (almonds, walnuts and other assorted nuts with dry currants—“trail mix”)
•Ground Turkey (or Chicken) Breast Loaf,/a> (sliced cold for sandwich).
•Avocado—with mashed hardboiled egg, lemon and garlic powder; or your favorite guacamole.
•Salmon and Sardines Salad (i.e. Mock Tuna Salad).
•Sweet Potato and/or Yam Super-Snacks.
•Herbed and Spiced Oven-Baked Salmon
•Couscous For the Heart and Palate
•Egg Salad (crushed hardboiled eggs, chopped fresh or dry onion and garlic to taste, olive-oil-based mayonnaise, red paprika, dash of cayenne, chopped fresh or dry parsley and basil, lemon juice to taste.
•Super-Dark Chocolate Love Brownies.
•Vegan Apple and “Cheese” Strudel (low calorie dessert).
Happy Trails!