How to stay healthy while you travel

Hello to my blog family! Today is Monday and my first day back at work after an 11 day trip through Mexico with my honey. We started of in Beautiful Guanajato Mexico. If you ever get a chance to travel there I highly suggest it. It is such a clean and beautiful city sticking to its original roots and not conforming to tourism which I love. The city has brightly colored architecture, wonderful food, and quaint cobblestone streets throughout the whole city.

After spending a solid 2 days of non stop sightseeing, we then traveled on to see the pyramids in Mexico city which were breathtaking and incredibly surreal. The energy felt among these ancient ruins is indescribable. The city itself is incredibly busy and crowded almost giving you a feeling of being in New York. It was kind of fun to see that while surrounded by ancient ruins spread out over the city and amazingly beautiful architecture. The whole city is built on a lake and the elevation is much higher than most are used to so watch out for elevation sickness which we experienced on day 3 in the city.

After another 3 days of exhausting but amazing travel back in time to an ancient civilization that many only have a chance to read about or see on television, we headed for the serene beaches of Cancun. We had the privilege of visiting more ancient ruins among the breathtaking beaches of Tulum and learning more of the Mayan people that once existed here. Although Cancun has become very Americanized catering to tourists, we were able to avoid much of that and experience more of the history of this beautiful city.

11 days in all and although the food was amazing in many areas, it is often difficult as you travel to find foods that your body is used to and that are healthy and fresh. Cities catering to tourist for some reason tend to not offer many fresh healthy options and lean more toward those foods that are of comfort to many people such as cheesy fried dishes and sugar in everything!

So.............I will tell you how I go about staying healthy on vacation even with limited options especially when you are traveling from place to place and spending several trips at the airport. There are two ways that I do this. One is to search out the most healthful items on the menu or in local markets and I will tell you what to look for, and two is to be prepared with easy to pack super-foods that you can bring along and that will help you avoid the much dreaded travel constipation from eating foods your body is not used to.

Finding healthy options in local markets and on the menu can sometimes be challenging depending on where you are traveling to but there are always options. When looking for healthy menu ideas stick with the freshest ingredients possible and look for whole foods or superfoods when available. I will give you an example. When I see a menu that contains items that are fried, covered in cheese, or seem too heavy or gluten filled I will opt for a nice soup with a broth base. I will ask for them to add fresh avocado and order a side of cooked veggies (in mexico i try to avoid the fresh veggies and salads due to parasites), or I will look for steamed, baked, or grilled fresh non farmed fish, or chicken. In Mexico beans are a staple so I would always include a serving of whole beans and ask that they hold any tortillas . I use a lot of salsa for flavoring and it keeps my digestive system fired up. Hot sauces, cilantro, and onions also help protect against parasites. 

• Generally when travelling it's best to look for lean protein sources such as eggs, fish, chicken, beef, or other interesting locally available animal proteins, and if not a meat eater look for legumes and bean dishes as well.
• Veggies are almost always available on the menu and you can ask them to add a big side of either fresh or cooked vegetables to your meal, or look for big salads containing a rainbow of colors
• Fresh fruits can be found as a side dish on many menus and often times from vendors on the streets depending on where you are travelling. Also many local markets will have plenty of fresh fruit but try to locate what is local to your destination rather than fruit that has been shipped in from other areas. 
• Many menus will offer oatmeal as an option which is great for keeping those travel sluggish bowels moving. Skip the added sugar and add fresh fruit, nuts and seeds if available.
• Healthy fats available while traveling are typically avocado, and olive oil but if you are lucky enough to be traveling to a tropical destination you might be able to find fresh coconut like I did in mexico.
• And dont forget water, water, water. It is all too common for the traveler to become dehydrated which also contributes to constipation, headaches, an fatigue. Skip the sugary or alcoholic drinks and opt for water as much as possible.

Ok so now you have a general idea of how to order healthy or shop from vendors or local markets but what about being proactive and packing wisely with an arsenal of superfoods at your disposal? This is a simple thing to do and you can pack a ton of snacks into a small carry on bag or cooler bag. The following items are things that I always carry with me when traveling.

• Justin's almond butter single serving packets
• homemade trail mix or granola with raw pre-soaked nuts and seeds and super food dried fruits such as gogi berries, mulberries, raisins, apricots, shredded or flaked dried coconut, cacao nibs, chia seeds, hemp seeds
• gluten free, sugar free instant organic oatmeal packets
• hard boiled eggs for day of travel
• flax crackers
• Navitas power snacks
• dates or individual packs of prunes or figs
• veggie sticks
• fruit such as bananas, oranges, lemons, apples
• avocados
• Himalayan pink salt
• "2 mom's in the raw" nut bars or "PURE" bars or any other gluten free, non gmo nut and seed bar
• homemade granola or protein bars
• homemade protein balls
• roasted seaweed snacks
• free range grass fed beef jerky

This is my list of foods that I take along that help to keep me and my family healthy while we travel. I would love feedback and love to hear what you take along with you or things you do to stay healthy while you travel. Post your ideas in the comments below :)

As always

In Good Health and Happiness,

Brandy Augustine

Nutrition For Healing Wellness Center