YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Summer 2015) | Page 15

CLARE WOLSKI, APD Clare is a passionate Accredited Practicing Dietitian with The Healthy Eating Hub (healthyeatinghub.com.au) who loves empowering people with good nutrition information so they can make the best decisions for their long term health. Clare loves food and the role that it plays in our lives, both as a provider of nutrients and as an expression of our social and cultural environments. It was this interest that ultimately drew Clare to the study of food and it’s impact on the body. While studying Clare also discovered a passion for understanding the role of nutrition in the prevention and management of disease. Click here to learn more about Clare. HEALTHY EATING WHILE TRAVELLING Nutrition expert Clare Wolski shares her tips to eating healthily while travelling. ecently, I was lucky enough to have a ten-day holiday in lovely New Zealand. It was so great to have a break and see some new places, but when tripping around from place to place we were forced to eat out – A LOT. Don’t get me wrong, I love trying restaurants in new places, but it can often hurt the waistline and the back pocket. So, here are a few things I did during this trip to keep my cash and kilojoule budgets in check. R Supermarket snacks I really enjoy eating at restaurants for dinner and stopping at a nice cafe for a coffee when exploring new places, but I always drop into a supermarket and grab some easily transported fruit and snacks. This way we saved a bit of coin on eating out and made sure that we were getting a regular dose of vitamins and minerals. Some ideas include: • • • • • • Apples Mandarins Oranges Bananas Small packets of nuts Muesli and nut bars. Buy your own breakfast… When you’re eating out for most of your main meals, buy a tub of yoghurt and a piece of fruit for breakfast the next day. This can be a great way to save money and reduce your kilojoule intake.  …Or do brunch Alternatively you could sleep in and have a larger breakfast that can keep you full right through to the afternoon. When we were in Rotorua we took our time getting up and ordered breakfast at a cute little cafe/ grocer. We ordered eggs with sautéed mushrooms on toast and French toast with mixed berries. It was very decadent. The portions were quite large and we didn’t feel hungry until dinnertime. Carry healthy food with you It’s always better to have something on hand for when you unexpectedly become tired and hangry (hungry/angry). On one of our days away we went for a walk from Lake Taupo to Hukka Falls. It was only meant to be 3km – not too strenuous. We didn’t anticipate so many hills and by the time we got to the falls I was pretty irritable. I was so glad we had packed a couple of muesli bars and some mandarins. I think my travelling companion appreciated it too.  Take a water bottle  It’s so easy to forget to drink when you’re out exploring a new place. It’s also particularly important to stay hydrated when flying for many health reasons. I take a drink bottle with me everywhere and find that it prevents me from spending money on bottled water. Having water on hand also stops me buying soft drinks and snack foods when we are out.  Order a side of steamed veg I am always conscious of eating enough fruit and veg when travelling to prevent myself from getting sick. But I have noticed that a lot of main meals in restaurants are largely meat with only a small amount of vegetables. In these situations I like to order a side of steamed vegetables or a green salad to make sure that I am getting enough vitamins and minerals to support my immune system.  Listen to your body This one is applicable to all situations but I find when I am travelling that it is particularly easy to overindulge in the delicious new foods. In this case it’s best to listen to your own body’s cues. If you aren’t hungry don’t eat. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but it’s always worth a try! Happy travels! SUMMER 2015 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE 15