Have you ever found yourself tempted to pick up some junk food or stop at the nearest fast-food restaurant while on the go? Whether you’re taking a road trip, running errands around town, or even just commuting to and from work, it can be tempting to break your healthy diet and eat junk food and other indulgent snacks when you’re away from home. However, incorporating healthy snacks into your diet is key to maintaining well-rounded nutrition. After all, too much junk food during the day can potentially offset the nutritional benefits of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fortunately, it’s possible to eat well while on the go if you arm yourself with some key tips. Here are the basics about packing healthy snacks and preparing to combat culinary temptations while away from home.
1. Look for Tasty and Easily Transportable Options
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to avoid indulging in greasy, salty, and sugary foods while out and about is to pack yourself some healthy snacks on the go before leaving home. Simply seek out tasty and easily transportable options that you’ll look forward to consuming. For instance, you may want to pack yourself a lunchbox or snack baggy filled with:
- Carrot sticks
- Packets of hummus with crackers
- Dried beef jerky stick or venison jerky
- Wholesome granola bars
- Dried fruit
- Nut mixes
2. Pack a Range of Flavors So You Won’t Get Bored
If you usually bring the same boring snack with you every day, you may be tempted to buy junk food just to get out of the rut. You can solve this problem by packing a wide range of flavors so you can eat well without getting bored. Some of the core flavors to make sure you include on your menu include:
- Sweet
- Salty
- Savory
- Spicy
- Sour
3. Plan Ahead for Long Trips To Avoid Fast Food and Junk Food
Long road trips, or other long periods of time away from home, can create highly tempting environments that can lead you to consume too much fast food or junk food. Thankfully, you can avoid this danger by simply planning ahead. Before you leave for a trip, make sure you have a healthy food plan already in place. For instance, you can:
- Bring enough snacks to last you through the whole trip
- Pack meals on the go or plan ahead to stop at restaurants that offer healthy food
- Resist the temptation to pick up some junk food or stop at a fast food place
4. Remember To Balance Healthy Eating and Treating Yourself
In the end, it’s important to remember that you can treat yourself occasionally without throwing your whole diet out of balance. However, it’s crucial to find the right ratio of healthy food to indulgent foods to avoid overconsumption of unhealthy treats. One way to find the right balance is to try the 80/20 diet. In this approach, you:
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet at least 80% of the time
- Allow yourself to indulge in a few less-than-healthy favorites up to 20% of the time
- Ensure that you get a good mix of essential vitamins and minerals every day
- Avoid over-eating or over-indulging in unhealthy foods devoid of key nutrients
Whenever you’re headed out, make sure to pack some healthy snacks to bring with you. Maintaining a truly balanced and healthy diet every day means keeping up with good eating habits even when you’re outside of the home. You can pick up good habits and train yourself to eat well on the go by making the most of these four essential tips. By finding tasty yet transportable snack options, enjoying a wide range of flavors to prevent boredom, planning ahead for long trips, and striking the right nutritional balance, you can keep your diet healthy each day.
Featured Photo by Vanessa Loring from Pexels
