On the road again? Well, drop that doughnut!
HELP FOR TRAVELERS | Plan to eat healthy away from home
Sticking to a healthy diet can be tough, especially if your job requires frequent travel or long drives.
But with some planning, it can be done. Here are tips to help you make good eating choices while on the road.
First, remember this: Don't overeat just because your company is paying for it. You'll regret it later.
Pack a cooler with fruit, veggies, whole-wheat crackers and bottled water. If you have something to munch on, you'll be less tempted by the drive-through.
If you must stop at a fast-food place, check its nutrition guide before you order. A grilled chicken sandwich (go light on the sauce) can be a better choice than a salad, even. And skip the fries. A small order from McDonald's has about 250 calories, half of which come from fat.
Stuck having to resort to a convenience store? Go for single-serving whole-grain cereal with low-fat milk. Another good option is a protein bar, but check the label. Be on the lookout for those that are loaded with sugar. If you need something more substantial, a breakfast sandwich or wrap isn't ideal, but at least it has a good combination of carbs, protein and fat.
Choose that over a doughnut, which is all sugar and saturated fat.
Avoid the food court: Sit-down restaurants offer a better selection and often cost about the same as the stands.
Bring your own snacks: a peanut-butter sandwich on whole-grain bread, carrot sticks, fruit, mozzarella sticks or trail mix.
And if you get the late-night munchies and the only option is vending-machine fare? Pretzels and popcorn are often the better choices.
Start with a soup or salad before your meal. You'll end up eating less.
Split the meal with your dining companion, or eat half and bring the other half back, and you'll have lunch ready for the next day.
Load up the mini-fridge with fruit, water, lean meats, peanut butter, yogurt and ready-made salads from grocery stores.
If the hotel offers continental breakfast, stick with yogurt, fruit, oatmeal and whole-grain bread. If you can, get a veggie omelet.
Avoid pastries and muffins -- even low-fat ones. They're packed with sugar. Don't load up on carbs. They'll give you an instant boost, but you'll crash later.
Many Web sites offer calorie counts for popular restaurants. Here are two good ones: calorie-count.com and calorieking.com.
Don't let this happen: You're at the airport and came unprepared because it was supposed to be a quick flight. But now your flight is delayed, and you're hungry.
You head to, say, Quiznos and order a large Chicken Carbonara sub. That gets you 1,510 calories, 82 grams of fat and 3,750 mg of sodium. And the nutritional breakdown? About half comes from fat, the other half is split between carbs and protein.
A better choice: a small honey bourbon chicken on wheat bread. That's 310 calories, 4 grams of fat and 920 mg sodium. About 60 percent comes from carbs, a quarter from protein, 15 percent fat.
Scripps Howard News Service