Tips for eating right while on the road, or at home

All of us who travel for a living are faced with the situation of finding food away from home on a regular basis, but this is true of most people when they go to their day job.  It's become all too regular for people to eat at a restaurant every day for at least one meal, and often 2 meals if they don't feel like cooking when they get home.

The sad part of this situation is that most restaurants deliver very little in the way of healthy nutrition, don't support portion control of any kind, and can blow your hard work in the gym out of the water in a matter of minutes.  Look at some prime examples like the Bloomin' Onion, from Outback Steakhouse, which tops 2000 calories (the RDA of calories for the average person)!

Here is what I do while traveling to avoid the gut-bombs that most restaurants offer:

1) Plan ahead.  If you know where you will be at your meal times, you can figure out if there will be a microwave there for you to heat up something you've brought with you.  If there won't be, you can also plan ahead for something like sandwiches that don't need to be heated up.

2) Pack your own snacks.  Putting a lunch bag together with nuts, fruits, vegetables, maybe a protein bar, can save you from diving into the candy machine at the office, or snacks available in airports like donuts, pastries, etc.

3) Stick to water, or unsweetened coffee or tea (which allows YOU to control how much, and what kind, of sweetener is used).  By drinking low, or no, calories per day, you can save hundreds of calories compared to sugary soft drinks, or calorie dense lattes, Frappuccinos, or "healthy" fruit smoothies that may contain as many as 800 or more calories.

4) For meals that travel well, cook some 4-6 oz chicken breast cutlets, or chicken sausages, or other lean meat, and add that to 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa, and 1/2 cup of cooked frozen corn in a small sealable container.  You can heat those up and have a 350-450 calorie meal that is balanced and healthy.

5) If you are staying in a hotel that doesn't have a fridge in your room, ask for one, or ask the front desk to put your stuff in one for you.  They normally have one available because some guests have medication that must be kept cold, and they are required to have the ability to do so.

6) If you are in a situation where you will eat from a restaurant, stick to lean meats with little or no sauces.  Order salads without cheese, or croutons, and dressing on the side.  Avoid fatty dressings like ranch, thousand island, or Caesar.  Balsamic Vinaigrette is usually a safe choice, but still use it sparingly.  Ask for what you want..usually a restaurant will work with you and their menu to get something healthy.

7) Track your nutrition.  When you're outside of your home, it helps to regulate what you are eating if you track it, because your subconscious will be aware of where you are with your limitations, and remind you that if you eat it, you have to add it to your list.  I personally use the Calorie Count app by Fatsecret in my smartphone.

Make a plan and stick to it.  Hold yourself in check, don't try to sneak anything past yourself.  Getting into a daily routine for this is what will help get you in shape, and keep you there for years to come.