Navigating Food Choices

I have talked previously about making healthy food choices by reading labels, buying organic ingredients, and doing a self check-in. Sometimes it can be difficult when you are out of your normal environment to keep your choices in line because of various circumstances. For example, if you are on a business trip, vacation, at a family event, or party it may be more challenging to navigate the available food options. Here are a few tips that I have found helpful in these scenarios.

Business trips/Vacations: pack your own food snacks and breakfasts are easy, ask to choose the restaurants (if possible) that offer food within your dietary needs, and don’t be afraid to ask for substitutions at restaurants, look at menus ahead of time to prevent making rushed choices, make quick trip to the store to buy food rather than eat out every meal this is a money saver as well, try to get accommodations with a fridge or better yet a kitchenette to prepare and store food.

Family events/ Parties: eat before you go, if its a potluck bring food that is in line with your dietary needs, spend more time talking with people than lingering around the food table, stay hydrated to help prevent the miscommunication of hunger signals, chew gum.

You can also use these principles to help make healthy food choices a little less daunting: choose whole foods, real ingredients, limit chemicals (preservatives, additives, dyes, sulfates etc.) NOT calories, carbs or fat, avoid refined sugars, fried and highly processed foods.

Let me know what tips and tricks you find most helpful and some of your own.