True/False: What you eat on vacation impacts your energy levels, ability to be present, comfort, and overall experience.
The answer is obviously true, and as a registered dietitian I know that what you eat on vacation matters for so many reasons:
- Food helps you engage in culture
- How you eat impacts how comfortable you feel in your body
- What you eat impacts your energy and stamina for exploring
- We have to make eating decisions all day – they matter
If this is your first trip since leaving diet culture behind, you might be tempted to slip back into old habits. Keep reading to build your confidence in intuitive eating on vacation.
Traveling as a Dieter
Imagine this: you’ve been working out more and eating less in an attempt to look leaner for your upcoming beach vacation. You bought new outfits and are excited for all the photo opportunities and to forget your diet rules.
What probably happens next in this scenario is, in an absence of diet rules to follow, you eat past comfortable fullness and binge on otherwise “off limits” foods.
Traveling as an Intuitive Eater
Practicing intuitive eating on vacation changes the game. Food stress is kept to a minimum after building a better connection with your body and having the efficacy to follow its cues. When traveling, you don’t have to worry about what you can and can’t eat, only what you want to eat and what will make you feel your best! This allows you to try new foods, embrace culturally significant cuisines, and overall feel energized and peaceful at meal time.
8 Tips for Intuitive Eating On Vacation
- Be mindful.
- Eating intuitively is a balance of eating what you want and adding what you need. I recommend my clients still try to have balanced meals when traveling, including a protein, carb, and fruit or vegetable at each meal and snack. Sometimes this isn’t always realistic, and that’s ok! Practicing food neutrality on vacation will help you with this step.
- Eat authentic.
- Try new foods and venture out of your comfort zone! Food is such a prominent part of culture and can tell a story about the new place you’re visiting. Don’t be afraid to dig in.
- Wear comfortable clothes.
- You’ll thank yourself later! Yes I know you want to look fabulous, but you can look amazing AND feel amazing. You can’t be present in your body or experiences if your clothes are tight and uncomfortable.
- Don’t stress about movement.
- I don’t know about you, but my travels always involve miles and miles of walking everyday. If this isn’t your experience, know that you still don’t to worry about staying on your workout schedule when traveling unless it really serves you to do so. If your body is craving movement and it works with your schedule then by all means, but don’t miss a tour of the colosseum for a run!
- Trust your body.
- Your body can be trusted! No matter what you’re eating or doing, listen to your body. Honor hunger and fullness, add in move when you crave it, manage stress with tried and true techniques, and take good care of yourself. Rely on the profound connection with your body to tell you what you need every step of the way.
- Stay hydrated.
- Even slight dehydration, 1-2%, is shown to have an impact on mood and of course body functions. You will overall feel your best if you stay hydrated as well as you can. One problem I encounter when traveling internationally is finding bathrooms, so oftentimes I’ll strategically hydrate in the morning when I get ready, at meal times, and at night. I prefer to not have to carry a water bottle around, but if I do it’s usually a small reusable 16oz plastic bottle that will be lightweight and fit in my bag vs my metal insulated 30 oz reusable tumbler
- Settle in for meals.
- Stress really does impact digestion, so consider regulating your nervous system before meals. Take a couple deep breaths, notice the food in front of you, the sounds around you, and chat with your travel buddies. Allow yourself to be relaxed for your meal to feel your best.
- Bring Snacks.
- One thing I don’t want to be on vacation is hangry! I like to pack shelf stable snacks that will fit the equation of carb, protein, and fruit or veggie.
Best Travel Snacks
All of the options below are in travel packs and don’t need to be refrigerated! Perfect for travel.
- CHOMPS Beef Jerky Sticks as an easy protein source
- Individually Wrapped Prunes as a delish, convenient, lightweight on the go fruit as well as fiber to help keep you regular! This is such a common problem when traveling.
- GoGo Squeeze Applesauce for a shelf stable fruit option
- Nuts for satisfying protein, fiber, and fat
- Trail mix for a good mix of protein, carbs, and fat. Just be careful of chocolate melting!
- Crunchy Chickpeas for protein, carbs, and fiber
- Wilde Protein Chips for a unique and flavorful protein option
- Cheez It’s – a flavorful carb, nothing really special about these but they’re one of my favorites!
Now that you’re prepared, I hope you enjoy your trip! Whether you’re exploring or laying on a beach somewhere, these tips will come in handy.
About The Author
Chelsea Shafer, RD, LD, RYT graduated from Purdue University in 2020 and completed the Wellness Workdays Dietetic Internship in 2022 where she specialized in sports nutrition and entrepreneurship. Chelsea is a proud Registered Dietitian who has helped over 300 clients live healthier, happier lives and accept their bodies. Currently, Chelsea is pursuing blogging, working as a registered dietitian at Happy Strong Healthy and teaching yoga at a local studio in Atlantic Beach, Florida.
