Healthy Traveling: Breakfast Edition
Most people spend hours of their lives driving, whether it's commuting to work & other activities, or across the state to see friends & family, like me. I drive almost 6 hours just to visit my loved ones, and that drive includes two of my daily meals. If you're like me and take trips or spend most of your time driving all over the place, I have tips that will help you eat more nutritiously during your journey & to keep your mind on things besides the stash of food you might have.
It's easy to be lazy & not prep meals ahead of time. It's also easy to run through a drive thru for food while you're out. The thing is, you don't even have to prep your food to make healthy choices... Yes, it's cheaper to prep and there is a ton of options you can choose from, including ones that work for your personal dietary restrictions. But, if you're on the go like me and didn't prep, you still have options.
I recently returned home & ended up purchasing breakfast from a convenient store on my way out. I did find some nourishing, tasty items, so I recorded them to share with all of you other healthy travelers.
The reason I choose hard boiled eggs is because they are a good source of protein & fat, which are both nutrients you need to function. Fat for energy, and protein to repair the muscles. They also keep you full, so that you don't mindlessly snack during those long, boring drives. If I don't eat high fat breakfasts, I get hungry quicker.
Quick Oats
I normally don't eat these pre-packaged oats
because of the added sugars, but it's better than most options. This Quaker Maple & Brown Sugar oats only has 11 grams of sugar and it's certainly better than eating something from a drive thru. There is also a hot water spicket on coffee machines, so fill it up before you leave... Just make sure you don't fill your oats with coffee ;-) But, anyways, oats are a good source of whole grain carbohydrates and having balanced meals is very important (good amount of each macronutrient: protein, carbs, fat).
Light Protein ShakeI decided to pick up this protein shake too. I drank it along the way because I hit the gym first thing before I left town & it helps repair my muscles. Plus, heavy drinkable products like this keep me full for a long time.
The macros on this were pretty good, lower in fat and low sugar, but high in protein & VERY tasty.
So... If you want, on your way out of town next time, ditch the drive thru and stop at your local convenient store. Don't assume that all of their food is bad for you! Look around, find some foods that you will enjoy but will nourish you as well. Try to avoid foods deep fried &/or high in sugar.
Also, I will be following up with more healthy traveling tips eventually, breakfast was just the only meal I needed on that drive.
Feel free to ask me anything, or make suggestions...
Thank you for reading!
- Chloe Ann
