Travelling for business often means little time for packing and planning other than work schedules and meetings. Living a healthy life during travel can be challenging, and finding healthy food during a business trip is not always easy. Here are some easy food hacks to help you make healthier food choices during your many business travels.
Start Before You Travel
As a business traveller, you know like no other that last minute hiccups happen, and searching for identification documents or finishing packing will take all of your precious time. This is why you should have a schedule, habit, or menu to pack healthy snacks.
As a frequent traveller, the first important thing is to pack portable snacks that pass airport security easily. Make sure these snacks are nutritious and healthy to give you a filling feeling for a long time. If you are a real planner, you might want to bring a freshly made salad or a whole wheat tuna sandwich. Having your own food during the flight is great for getting some continuous sleep, especially during long-haul flights. Just tell the attendants not to wake you up for a meal.
Consume A Healthy Meal Before Taking Off
Hunger makes people choose the wrong food and make wrong decisions. Having a proper, healthy meal before leaving your home will not only give you a satisfying feeling, but it will also allow you to avoid grabbing fast food once you arrive at the airport. Make sure your meal consists of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and slow carbs. If there is no time before getting to the airport, choose one of the healthier options while you are waiting to board. Healthy food choices will help you to stay more alert during the flight, and you’ll battle jet lag easily, which makes working upon arrival less difficult.
Avoid Duty Free Shops
Hunger makes people choose the wrong food and make bad decisions. Having a proper, healthy meal before leaving your home will not only give you a satisfying feeling, but it will also allow you to avoid grabbing fast food once you arrive at the airport. Make sure your meal consists of protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, and slow carbs. If there is no time before getting to the airport, choose one of the healthier options while you are waiting to board. Healthy food choices will help you to stay more alert during the flight, and you’ll battle jet lag easily, which makes working upon arrival less difficult.
Always Have An Empty Water Bottle
Travelling is harsh on your body, especially if you are not drinking enough water. Overall humidity is usually 40 to 70%, and higher in tropical regions. Inflight humidity in an aircraft gets as low as 20%, and that is exactly why you should hydrate your body before, during, and after each flight.
Always carry a water bottle when travelling. Once past the security, you can fill it at appropriate water fountains. Using refillable bottles is eco-friendly as you help reduce waste while taking care of your body and mind.
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Understand The Meal Times
Business travel often means flying to different time zones. It is common to come across totally different habits when it comes to meal times. In Northern Europe, people have flexible times to arrive at the office but will have lunch around 12 noon and dinner between 6 and 7 pm. The southern part of Europe is more relaxed and will start later. They have a late lunch with a long siesta afterwards and work until late at night before having dinner around 9 or 10 p.m. The Asian and African continents also have different schedules when it comes to meal habits.
Eat Correctly At Destination
It is not always easy to find exactly the kind of food you like at your destination. You might have to attend business dinners or your overseas colleagues find it fun to show you around town and let you taste local specialties. Whatever the reason, a food hack that works often for me without offending anyone is saying that I need a minimum of vegetables. This way, there is always something healthy, and to be honest, nothing can really go wrong when ordering vegetables. If they propose dessert, fruit platters are in most countries filled with a variety of local, seasonal delicacies. It is always good to have fruit on its own or a little while after the meal is consumed.
Know How To Combine Food
You can eat whatever you want, but combining foods to get the most benefits for your body is an art. Vegetables and salads can be added to any meal. They hold water, which is important when travelling, but they are also alkaline with vitamins and they help with digestion.
Nutritionists advise combining healthy vegetables and salads with only one of the following food groups in one meal.
- Refined carbohydrates and grains
- Starchy vegetables with potatoes being the highest on this list.
- Animal protein, especially red meat.
- Fats, such as oils, nuts, and seeds.
This is a guest article by Yannick and Ilse, long-term expat cooks who launched Culinary Ambition to share their passion for food and travel. They are members of our community and contribute a monthly column called “Healthy Treats” on how entrepreneurs can live a healthy lifestyle.
