Sticking to a low-carb diet is hard enough without throwing traveling into the mix. No matter where you’re going, these tips will help you survive your trip while maintaining your bread-free lifestyle.
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Buy Bulk Snacks Before You Leave
If you need to travel while you’re on a restricted diet, you should always try to bring as much food with you as possible. It’s the only way to be sure that you’ll be able to eat without breaking the rules you’ve set for yourself.
Most low-carb diets rely on fresh fruits, meats, and cheeses. Since you can’t take these things on the road, try to load up on nuts, jerky, and low-carb nutrition bars instead. Plan to supplement these dried foods with new options that you find on the road.
Travel food is typically cheaper at the grocery store than at gas stations, so make sure to do your shopping in your home town. The amount you can buy depends on how you’ll be traveling; if you’re going by car, you can carry as much as you like, but you’ll have to limit your portions if you plan to travel by plane.
Make a List of Restaurants
People who eat on restricted diets almost always need a plan. You wouldn’t go to a restaurant in your home town without checking for low-carb options, and traveling shouldn’t be any different.
Before your trip, make a list of the cities and towns where you might stop for the night. Identify restaurants that promise healthy, low-carb options that fit your current lifestyle. Try to find at least two or three options in each city; you don’t want to feel limited while you’re on vacation.
Bring a Blender
Blenders are an essential cooking tool for most low-carb diets. At home, you can use them to make smoothies, purees, and countless other delicious recipes. But when you’re traveling, you can use a blender to make an almond paste on the road.
Almost every convenience store sells nuts of some form. You can turn almonds, cashews, and peanuts into delicious nut butter with only a few minutes of grinding. Use your fresh nut butter as a spread on celery, carrot sticks, rice crackers, and other low-carb options.
Since you’ll be traveling, try to find a portable blender or nut grinder that can operate off USB-charged batteries. Some cars come with their USB ports, but you can also buy an adaptor for your cigarette lighter. Don’t forget to bring an adaptor that lets you plug USB devices into a wall socket.
Be Willing to Try New Things
Staying low-carb in new environments is easy if you’re willing to have an open mind about food options. If you only have access to one restaurant and the possibilities are slim, try skipping the bread, the fries, and any other high-carb parts of the meal. If you’re stuck with a gas station, go for a bottle of low-carb chocolate milk and a bag of jerky to stay your hunger.
It would be best if you also looked for low-carb options at the unique restaurants in each area. Don’t be afraid to ask staff for recommendations; make it clear that you really shouldn’t be eating bread. If you keep your mind open, you might be surprised at the delicious things you get to eat on your journey.