Healthy Nutritious Food when travelling.

Unfortunately, when travelling, finding healthy food options that are quick and easy is not always easy. They are usually few and far between, and twice as expensive as queuing up and ordering a burger and chips. This of course is very frustrating when we are living in a society where our populations weight is increasing, putting further stress on our NHS due to diet related illness. However, I digress, to have a moan is not the purpose of this post. A lot of athletes often ask me what they can prepare or buy so when they are on the road, they have healthy foods to snack on. Subsequently, I thought I would put some ideas down. However, these are only a few, and what would be fantastic is if you all sent more ideas my way, so I could really put together a booklet with a variety of ideas for snacks and meals?

What do you think?

Lets get started with some of our ideas:

First up snacks you can buy that are nutritious and healthy

SNACKS:

Fruit – obviously! Bananas, apples, and if you get a mortgage out blueberries, strawberries etc. A cheaper option is to buy frozen fruit. Then put them in a pot and add them to natural yoghurt (full fat), or alpro yoghurt,  - even a bit of muesli or granola in a pot as well for some added crunch! This makes a great breakfast as well. Totes Wonderfuel do some really tasty selections (Ades favourite is the tigernut granola, mine is the muesli) and easy for travelling due to the way they are packaged.

https://www.totallywonderfuel.co.uk/store/c4/All_Day_Breakfasts.html

Oatcakes, or rice cakes or rivita. Easy to take with you, and there is an array of spreads you can put on them. Philedelphia cheese, cottage cheese, peanut butter, Humous, and chop up some carrots and cucumber and add in some tomatoes, another healthy alternative to a bacon bap!

Nuts and raisins – great to snack on.

As are these healthy balls!

https://www.totallywonderfuel.co.uk/store/c2/Everyday_Wonderfuel.html

Pre-made smoothies – so many ways to make these with milk, or yoghurt or alpro milk. Personally, I always like to keep it simple, so I go for almond soya milk with a spoonful of frozen fruit and half a banana whizzed up. Kids just like banana and milk (this is also a great post session drink)  - google smoothies, and you will get 100s of ideas.

For example:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/17989/drinks/smoothies/

Even better, pop along to Terra Organics in Wareham and they will make you a smoothie of your choice to take away with you on your journey!

Of course, if you have the time, there are some great home made options for cereal bars and cakes. A no sugar flapjack option:

8oz Butter,

3 tablespoons of honey

Desiccated coconut.

2 tablespoons of jam – blueberry, strawberry or rasberry, your choice. (or you can add in frozen fruit

Teaspoon of almond essence

14oz of oats.

Melt the butter jam and honey, then add in all of the other ingredients. Put into a square baking tin and cook at 175 degrees for 25 mins. Let it cool, then put in the fridge for a few hours to stop them crumbling when you cut them

You can add dark chocolate, peanut butter, nuts, raisins, whatever you like to make the flapjack of your choice.

MEALS

We have already mentioned some easy breakfast options above and in previous blogs I have included recipes for healthy breakfast muffins you can eat on the go as well.

http://www.goalspecificcoaching.com/blog/home-made-breakfast-muffins-for-on-the-go-healthy-snack/

For meals that you can have in hotel rooms, out of a sandwich box that does not need heating or preparing, or a fridge, well the list again is endless.

Salad

Salad of course is really easy, and add nuts / pine nuts, seeds to it as well. Pre boil some eggs, you have some protein, and eat together with some pitta bread, humous, or couscous, all of which is easy to prepare. ( pre cooked roasted sweet potato is also really nice)

Couscous options

Prepare your couscous (boiling hot water over couscous cover and leave, then mix it with a fork.)

Chop up tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions if you like them, carrots, any veg you like. Mix it into the cous cous, and stir with a few tablespoons of pesto. To finish sprinkle with sunflower seeds for an extra crunch. You can add feta cheese or stilton, infact whatever you like!

For more of a winter cous cous mix, roast a load of vegetables, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes, let them cool and add them in with your mix instead.

Then of course there is unrefined pasta! Replace cous cous with this and you have lots more alternatives

These are just a few examples of how to eat whilst you are away and want to avoid restaurants and fast food convenient stores. There are many more food options out there, so please, let me know your favourites and I will blog next week some more ideas.

To get you started here are some on the go lunch ideas:

https://www.bustle.com/articles/108824-15-easy-lunch-recipes-you-can-take-on-the-go-wherever-your-busy-day-leads-you

Please email to goalspecific@gmail.com