Q: How can I stick with a healthy diet when I’m always traveling for work??

Sticking with a healthy diet plan when you’re on the road all the time can definitely be a challenge. When you’re at home and have easy access to groceries, everything that you need to cook with, and time in your schedule, eating healthy may not be all that difficult with enough effort.

But, when you’re rushing off on various business trips and are often spending hours on buses, planes, or in vehicles, not to mention staying in a hotel room, eating healthy proves to be quite the challenge.

If you plan for it though, you can still eat healthy, even when on the road.

Pack Non-perishable Items

First, you want to try and pack with you as many non-perishable healthy items as you can that you can keep right in your hotel room. This includes foods such as natural nut butter, nuts, dry oats, dried fruit (for those who require higher calorie intakes), canned tuna, low-sodium beef jerky, healthy cereals, protein powder, and meal replacement shakes.

These options will provide you with all three main macronutrient so you should never be without any healthy options.

Choose Healthy Dining Options

Then, when you are dining out in a restaurant, remember to choose as healthy as possible and don’t be afraid to make a few substitutions to the menu.

You could easily request for steamed vegetables rather than the side of rice or pasta, request that your salad come with dressing on the side, ask for no sauce for any other dishes that look like they’re loaded with high calorie sauces, and so on.

With small substitutions like this, you can save yourself hundreds of calories at a time, so this will go a long way towards helping you eat healthy when traveling. At most restaurants – even fast food locations, you’ll be able to get a grilled chicken breast, so if you can pair that with some vegetables or a salad, you’re eating pretty much as healthy as it gets. If you need more carbs, have some oatmeal back when you get to your room and you’ll be right on track with your normal diet plan.