Hi everyone! How is your week going so far? We are getting back into the swing of things after being out of town in Arizona this past weekend with Alec’s side of the family. Unfortunately the weather was pretty bad as far as Phoenix typically goes. 50s and cloudy/rainy. I had my headband and gloves in my backpack from when we were leaving Michigan and didn’t anticipate needing them on the trip!! Lol.

We hiked the Pinnacle Peak trail on Sunday morning which was fun (despite the cold rain). I’m sure normally the trail would have been pretty crowded, but we were basically the only people on the trail for most of our hike. Weather is all about perspective! #Michiganders

Conversations I have had recently with clients as well as my own recent travel sparked the idea for today’s blog post. While I love traveling on occasion, sometimes food in general + eating intuitively can be a challenge, whether we are at the airport, in the car, or at our destination.

Potential challenges might include:
— Crossing time zones (is it breakfast again?? or lunch??)
— Not having access to usual / preferred foods
— Not knowing exactly when your next meal may come or what it will be (especially if traveling with others, staying at someone else’s house, etc.)
— Random curveballs (sitting in unexpectedly long traffic, canceled or delayed flight, extremely long restaurant wait, not knowing the area, etc.)
— The general stress of travel (can lead to poor sleep, constipation and other GI distress, hormones more out of whack, etc.)

And many more challenges I’m sure you have experienced or could think of! Typing this out alone is already stressing me as less than optimal previous travel experiences come to mind.

What are some tips and strategies we can consider using to address some of these challenges and help with seeking to eat in a way that feels good to us while traveling? Consider keeping these ideas in your back pocket for the next time you are preparing for a flight or long car ride, staying at a friend or family member’s house, or just going out for the day running errands!

Some ideas for the challenges of travel + nourishing our minds/bodies: 

Accept and respond to any increased hunger:

While this is something I encourage on ANY random day, I think it is especially important to be mindful of when we are traveling. If you have a day full of travel, there are many reasons that come to mind as to why you may experience greater hunger throughout the day compared to usual. Did you wake up early to catch a flight, or are you staying up later than normal to get to your destination? Have you crossed time zones (or multiple time zones) meaning you have had more “hours to your day”?? This may seem obvious, but it is worth pointing out that if we are up for more hours in the day (whether through being awake longer and/or through crossing time zones), our bodies need more energy (meaning increased hunger –> respond by feeding your body more food). Even the mental stress of hustling about packing or trying to catch a flight, or increased activity with the extra walking that often comes with travel, are likely to increase your hunger and need for nourishment.

Maybe it isn’t clear to you why you are hungrier than usual and THAT IS OKAY TOO. The important self-care act is to RESPOND to your hunger (without overanalyzing it) by EATING.

Hunger is not a bad thing. Hunger is our bodies way of telling us that energy (calories) is needed.

Don’t go too long without eating (if at all possible):

This brings me to my next point. If at all possible (I realize this is sometimes outside our control especially when traveling), I recommend not going too long without eating!! (Again, something I encourage on any given day). For most people, this looks like eating every 2-4 hours, but find what generally works for you.

If I am preparing to head to the airport or go on a long car ride, I like to bring plenty of snacks! (What is a long car ride without some good music/podcasts and tasty snacks?) Tried and true favorite airport/flying snacks for me include bars (store-bought or homemade), trail mix, energy bites, maybe a sliced apple or some baby carrots, and dark chocolate (obviously). I usually bring similar snacks for a road trip, and might even pack some lunch food in a cooler, too. By bringing my own snacks, I can avoid paying the insane airport prices (or making random/extra road trip stops) and also know I will have some options on hand I enjoy and that my body physically responds to well. You never know when hunger will strike, so best be prepared in my opinion!

If I am on the way back from a destination, I will of course buy things in the airport or at gas stations, fast/quick food restaurants, etc. as needed. I also will likely have packed some extra of the non-perishable snacks for the way back (bars, chocolate, trail mix, etc.). If I randomly see something that looks tasty at the airport or wherever that I want to try, that is an option, too! All about OPTIONS AND FLEXIBILITY to meet hunger needs. Also, what works for me doesn’t need to work for you. Whatever works for you to meet your hunger needs and to eat regularly is what I’d recommend.

Let’s also note that by eating regularly we avoid the extreme hunger that leads to lightheadedness, irritation, and a greater likelihood that we will eat beyond comfortable fullness when we finally do eat.

Get curious about hunger (biological vs. boredom): 

As I talk about more in this post, there are other “types” of hunger that I have mental categories for and talk about with clients. I think for a lot of us, it is a common experience to eat throughout a long plane or car ride primarily because we are bored and food provides some sort of novel stimulation/distraction/something to do. I certainly find myself experiencing this from time to time!

Like most things with food, I don’t see this kind of boredom eating as all or always bad (nutrition + eating are not generally black-and-white). However, I do think it can be helpful to get curious before simply reaching for a food or snack. Are you feeling physically hungry, or just looking for something to munch on to pass the time? If you are feeling physically hungry, it is a clear indicator that food is needed. Solution = eat. If you are bored and eating something sounds fun/distracting/interesting, there is nothing inherently wrong with eating in this scenario either! Maybe you choose to eat, maybe you don’t. But trying to acknowledge this and make it more of a conscious snacking decision versus a habitual/out-of-touch reaction is a more mindful way of engaging with food here.

That being said, we have never “arrived” or are “perfect” in our snacking or food decisions, and mindless/distracted eating from time to time is normal and to be expected as far as having a healthy relationship with food goes!

Seek to be proactive:

Seeking to be proactive with your eating when traveling includes ideas above like packing enough snacks and eating regularly.

Other thoughts on for being proactive with eating while traveling include:

— Think ahead to when your next meal might be. Do you have enough snacks on hand to tide you over? Usually packing one or two extra is a good idea. Also if traveling by air I’d recommend taking advantage of any free on-flight snacks even if you aren’t hungry in the moment (can save for later and may be grateful to have on hand at that time).
— If staying at someone else’s house, inquire regarding roughly what time meals will be eaten that day. That way you aren’t left wondering and can manage your eating/hunger level a bit more easily.
— If traveling with friends/family, also seek to have a general idea of when you may be eating your main meals that day. Advocate for your needs (“hey, can we stop for a snack or think about getting lunch soon?”) and share your requests –> collaborate together as far as planning for meals / eating throughout the day goes! Don’t assume others can read your mind or that your needs are not important as far as hunger level and food choices go. At the same time, seek to be mindful and considerate of others’ preferences. Communication + collaboration!
— Bring some of your own favorite foods/snacks for the trip (not just the “traveling”), if possible. In my suitcase you can usually find a stash of bars, favorite chocolate, and a couple of other options for munching. I also like to bring my usual couple of supplements (such as my multivitamins), and maybe a fiber supplement such as this one or a small ziplock bag of my favorite protein powder. I’ve noticed I often don’t feel as well physically as I normally do when traveling, and likely will be eating out more and/or getting in less fruits and veggies, so lately I’ve been bringing the fiber supplement along for extra nutrition!

And also seek to be flexible! 

This goes hand in hand with the point above. While I am all about being proactive whenever possible, I am also all about a healthy attitude and mindset of flexibility when it comes to eating. We can be proactive to advocate for our food needs/desires, bring some of our own snacks/foods, and seek to plan ahead, AND we can accept circumstances outside our control, honor and incorporate others’ choices/desires, and in general acknowledge there may be more “going with the flow” than we are used to when it comes to travel. So many benefits to travel and also some expected/normal challenges.

Intuitive eating while traveling could look like the flexibility of stopping at a fast food restaurant you don’t like when on a road trip with your friends because they are excited about it.

It could look like being proactive to bring some of your preferred/favorite breakfast foods to your family gathering so you know you have at least one meal a day that is expected/usual for you. It could also look like the flexibility of choosing to eat whatever is being served!

It can look like accepting to dine out more or less, packing enough snacks or forgetting and getting overly hungry, not seeing a fruit or vegetable for a week straight or enjoying a fruit parfait and gourmet salad poolside at lunch. In short, intuitive eating is all about flexibility AND honoring your needs/desires. Listening to your body/mind/overall intuition when it comes to eating AND recognizing we can’t ever do this perfectly.

We can seek to care for ourselves as best as we can while also living our lives and having fun/spontaneous moments, especially when traveling. We can show ourselves grace and compassion, and speak to ourselves the truth that one meal, one day, one week, or even a month of eating isn’t going to make or break our health. What WILL have a greater impact is if we overly stress about this.

Food is an important part of travel – from the logistics of it to the enjoyment of it! But it is only ONE part of travel. Connection with others + reveling in the beauty of nature + growing in adapting to change and being flexible are where so many of the broader health benefits and energizing aspects of travel are found.