Dr. Melina’s Top 5 Travel Snacks
As the holiday season rapidly approaches, most of you will face two challenging eating situations: belly busting party food and calorie dense, on-the-go travel food. I’m going to tackle travel food in this blog and will take on party food in an upcoming blog. He
re are some of my top picks for holiday (or anytime) travel snacks, whether you are travelling by plane or car. By planning ahead and bringing food with, you can skip the cinnabon and fast food effortlessly (ok maybe not effortlessly –it’s hard to avoid the smell of cinnamon or French fries in the airport), and avoid arriving at your destination famished and making really poor choices. And you will probably save a little money in the process.
- Justin Nut Butter & an Apple – It’s hard to pack a jar of peanut butter and a knife with you on the plane these days, so throw in a packet of this tasty and portion controlled nut butter and an apple and you are good to go – no security risk utensils required. Just squeeze a bit of your favorite flavor nut butter (they come in almond, peanut, and hazelnut) on each bite. The combination of fiber, plant based protein and healthy fat can keep you satisfied you for hours.
2. Sunsweet® One Prunes & Blue Diamond® Almonds 100 calorie pack – I’m not generally a huge fan of dried fruit as it is much more calorie dense than fresh fruit. But sometimes for travel, it is easier. Just make sure that portion sizes are VERY controlled (don’t buy a big bag of dried fruit at the airport or gas station and think you are saving loads of calories). I like combining a few Sunsweet® One™ Prunes, which are a good source of potassium and fiber, with a Blue Diamond Almonds 100 calorie pack (again, easy portion control) for a little sweet and salty combo that provides a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals, fiber and heart healthy fat.
3. Clif® bar minis – Let’s face it, you aren’t burning a ton of calories sitting on a plane or in a car, so the 100 calorie Clif® bar mini is the perfect size to take the edge of hunger until you get to your destination. The combination of protein, fiber and healthy fat is perfect to keep hunger at bay for an hour or two during a short flight or car ride. If you are travelling farther and want to control hunger for hours, try one of my Dr. Melina® protein bars instead – they have 14 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, only 160-170 calories, and come in 3 delicious flavors (chocolate peanut, lemon raspberry, and double chocolate acai).
4. String Cheese Wrap – I love rolling a light string cheese into a Smart & Delicious Low Carb, High Fiber Low Carb tortilla by La Tortilla Factory (I use them for everything) for a quick and satisfying on the go snack. Add a little Dijon mustard to jazz it up and you are good to go. This simple wrap provides protein, fiber, and the string cheese is a good source of calcium too!
5. Empty water bottle + Crystal Light® Pure On-the-go packets – I hate paying $3-4 for a bottle of water or a low calorie drink at the airport, so I always bring an empty water bottle (which I fill at the fountain as soon as I clear security) and couple of Crystal Light® Pure on-the-go packets. This helps me stay hydrated and stay away from high calorie, sugar sweetened beverages. Plane travel can be dehydrating, and being even mildly dehydrated can drop your metabolism (which is not something you want to do before sitting down to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner!). If you are travelling by car, use a full water bottle and take a sip before adding the packet. If you prefer plain, filtered water, pick up a Camelbak Groove® , a portable water filtration bottle, for fresh, filtered water wherever you are!
So while I can’t really give you any advice for dealing with airport delays, long lines, crowds or stressful family situations, packing along a few items from the list above could help you stay trim and energetic enough to handle whatever comes your way!