So I’m traveling for work again this week! I really love traveling and wish I had more time in my schedule so I’m very grateful when I get any opportunity to do so. Even though I’ll be traveling, I still like to keep close to my nutrition goals so I don’t have too much catching up on when I get home. Eating out for all three meals is not ideal so I like to keep some macro-friendly travel foods on hand to make-shift at least one of my meals per day. There’s absolutely a time and place to let loose and enjoy foods when traveling, but at the end of the day I still have fitness goals I want to reach.
While I’m going to do my best when traveling next week, I also have a lot of other social activities that are going to make it challenging to track my food. That being said, it’s summer and it’s getting to be time of the season where tracking food become less of a priority for me. As I’m typing this blog post I’m planning to go a friend’s going away brunch, then there’s Father’s Day, I have a work lunch at the beginning of the week, traveling for three days, the annual summer party, then the Fourth of July will be here. Woo! That’s a lot. I’m doing to do my best to stay on track with nutrition and also my training, but I also don’t want to miss out anything just because of a few extra calories.
Macro-Friendly Travel Foods
Quick Oats & Protein Powder
While many hotels offer complimentary continental breakfast, often there’s not many good protein options. Most of the time the free breakfast includes a lot carb heavy options, like toast, croissants, cereal loaded with sugar, and other non-macro friendly carb sources. Instead of relying on the continental breakfast or eating out, I like to bring my own quick oats and protein powder. Don’t forget a bowl and a travel spoon in case the the hotel room doesn’t offer them – I have a small travel bowl similar to this one. You can heat up the oats in the microwave, if your hotel room offers one, or use hot water from the coffee maker.
To travel with the oats I measure out the number of servings I want to travel with and bring along an extra scoop from a protein powder tub to measure in the room. For the protein powder I weigh out about 15 grams of PEScience Select Snickerdoole and store them in these Sistema To-Go containers I got at TJMaxx – plus they’re so cute!
Quest Bars
Every fit person probably keeps protein bars in their gym bag or purse at all times. My protein bar of choice are quest bars, often times the cookies and cream flavor, and I usually eat one of these a day when I’m traveling. If you’re not keen on traveling with the oats and protein powder, Quest Bars are a great alternative for breakfast in a pinch. I haven’t had a chance to try the new Quest Hero bars, but I’ve heard good things about them so I’ll keep my eyes out for them.
Tuna & Salmon Pouches
High protein, low fat and carbs – a flexible dieters dream. I love these Starkist Tuna and Salmon Creations paired with rice cakes, crackers, or eaten by themselves. Be prepared for your friends to stare at you or make a few comments about the smell when pull these packets out during the middle of your travel adventures.
Pretzels
I love pretzels! They’re one of my favorite snacks at the end of the day, usually with a bit of peanut butter for dipping. When I travel I pack a few snack sized storage bags with one serving of pretzels for an afternoon snack during my travels. Depending on the brand you purchase, one serving is about 110 calories, 23 carbs, 2 protein and 1 fat.
What are some your favorite travel snacks that I should try?
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