Tips for Eating Healthy on Vacation

Summertime means vacation time, and along with vacation comes delicious food at every corner. It's hard to eat healthy when your mindset is on vacation mode, so how can you prevent gaining those unwanted pounds before you even get back home? Follow these smart eating tips to help you stay healthy on your vacation.

• Breakfast: is the most important meal of the day and should not be skipped! If your hotel has a continental breakfast, choose wisely! Stay away from bagles, pasteries, and donughts. Instead, choose fresh fruit or fiber rich cereal. If you are on your own for breakfast, avoid fast food breakfasts like McDonals or Burger King and quickly run to the market to get fresh fruit or granola.
• Eating out, not pigging out: Almost every restaurant has healthy options to choose from, however don't be fooled! Stay away from anything fried, and choose a dish that is grilled or broiled. Portion sizes are imporant to be aware of as well. Just because you still have food left on your plate, doesn't mean you have to finish it all! Lastly, sharing meals is a great way to save money and cut down on big portions.
• Tasty treats: There will be times when you are presented with treats throughout the day and it is your decision whether to pass them up or not. It's okay to indulge occasionally, just make sure to limit your treats to once a day.

Eating healthy on vacation is easy to do if you keep these healthy eating tips in mind. Remember, its okay to indulge now and then, if you make healthy decisions the rest of the time!

Eat Smart!

Being healthy begins with learning how to eat smart! Learning the habits of healthy eating can improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory, and stabilizing your mood. These tips will help you expand your range of healthy food choices, and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy diet.

1) Take small steps. Approach your new diet in small manageable steps as opposed to a drastic change. By making small steps to your diet, like baking food instead of frying it or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking will greaten your chances of successfully transitioning to a healthier eating style.

2) Moderation is key. Despite what certain diets have you believe, we all need a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to sustain a healthy body. By reducing portion sizes or not eating certain pleasure foods as often, eventually you will find yourself craving them less or thinking of them only as occasional indulgences. Visual cues can help with portion sizes as well. Use smaller plates or cut measurements in half when cooking from a recipe.

3) It’s not just what you eat, it’s how you eat. It is important to slow down and think about food as nourishment rather than just something to gulp down. Listen to your body. Ask yourself, “Am I really hungry?” It may be hard, but try to stop eating before you feel full. Eat slowly so you can appreciate the food. Also, eating a healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day can keep your energy up and metabolism going.

Remember, eating healthy is the first start to improving your overall lifestyle! When you start by changing your diet, you then become motivated to begin changing all aspects of your life to a much healthier one!