Can it be done- YES – Learn how I eat clean even on vacation…
I am often asked if you eat clean all the time. And the answer is yes, even when I go somewhere, for a day or more, and yes I eat clean even on vacation.
So how do you do it?
Well you plan, shop, bag, and bring it with you, and enjoy it. And here I will happily share how I did it. This was my plan for a 5 day vacation that included five full days in a theme park.
Step 1 – Make a Simpler Meal Plan
While I eat a very clean and simple meal plan, I wanted to make sure my vacation meal plan was even simpler. So I cut out a lot of things that I normally would eat in favor of easier to eat items on the go.
I shopped for all of the food, and prepped it all in one day. Then I bagged it, and got it ready to transport, and made it easy to identify which meal was for each part of the day.
Plan to stay at a place that has a refrigerator and microwave. Or better yet a place with a kitchen.
So I basically made it so everything was easy to microwave, or eat as is (even cold). Here is the meal plan that I used. I also was able to work out daily at a gym close by, and I added extra calories for the additional calorie expenditure of walking in the theme park.
1st Meal breakfast usually around 8:00 AM
Egg Whites – these come in a container that is easily transported and easily microwaved.
Oatmeal – I bagged a single serving so all I needed to do was put it in a bowl add water and microwave.
Almonds and Blueberries – I add 10 almonds and 1/2 cup of blueberries to the top of my oatmeal for additional calories.
2nd Meal – usually around 10:00 AM
Mixed Nuts unsalted 1/2 cup and Blueberries 1/2 cup in a baggie. Great snack to eat while in line for a ride.
Lunch usually around 12:00 or Noon
6 ounces of ground beef with a cup of sweet potatoes, 1 cup of broccoli in a zipper baggie or food container.
4th Meal sometime around 2:00 PM
8 ounces of ground turkey with mushrooms. 1 cup of sweet potatoes, 1 cup of broccoli, in a zipper bag or food container.
5th meal or snack around 4:00 PM
Mixed Nuts unsalted 1/2 cup and Blueberries 1/2 cup in a baggie. Great snack to eat while in line for a ride.
6th and final meal around 6:00 PM
8 ounces of chicken, 1 cup of brown rice, and 8 red tomatoes.
Each meal was carefully bagged in a zipper bag, and I stapled several bags together if they were a meal. Then it was only a matter of grab and go. Then I packed everything in a cooler, and added ice for the trip to the hotel.
How did you manage in the park?
This was not as bad as I thought. You have to be willing to carry a backpack, and then bring an extra cooler bag, that you can store in a locker at the front of the park.
The extra bag was because we did not want to carry around two backpacks, but in hindsight this would have been fine.
First meal I eat in the hotel. My breakfast is big and filling. It gives me a ton of energy and I am ready to go after I eat it. I am also well hydrated having drank over three bottles of water already.
A word about water…
We brought two bottles of water into the park with us, and we put two in the extra cooler bag. This is because we did not want to buy water in the park. It is more expensive and its purified. I prefer natural spring water. If we did not bring water in, it would lessen the weight of the backpack.
Then its off to the park for some fun. I pack the first two meals, and bottled water into the backpack. The other set of meals I pack into the 2nd cooler, and the final meal, dinner, I eat when I get back to the hotel. Of course you can pack it was well if you are doing a long day.
Don’t forget some forks, napkins, and anything else you might want. The backpack was not heavy at all.
I usually eat my snack or 2nd meal while waiting in line for a ride. Its quick and easy to grab the zipper bag and toss the nuts and blueberries down. Its filling and provides plenty of energy. I also keep hydrated by sipping my water.
When it is time for a meal I need to sit and eat I just find a comfy spot and eat a nutritious filling meal. No sugar crashes, I am not tired, and I am filled up. Plus I don’t have to wait in a 30 minute line, pay a huge amount, and receive crappy junk food.
Then its off to the locker to get my final two meals and replenish my water. The next meal I sit and eat as well. Each time is a welcome rest for standing in line. And the final meal I eat in line again or if I am leaving the park I eat it on the way out.
The final meal or dinner I eat either in the park if I am there for a longer time or if I leave early I eat it back at the hotel.
Some thoughts about eating clean while traveling…
I thought I would be embarrassed by eating my own food in the park, but I actually felt bad that everyone else was not eating as well as I was.
There were times I thought I was going to cheat or want something unhealthy. Junk food was all around, ice cream, french fries, even the smell of churros was inviting. But the cravings were not terrible because I was eating frequently.
I did not spend full days at the park, so most of the time I did not need the locker.
By preparing all of the meals ahead of time I saved a ton of time. This gave me more time to do fun things!
Picking a hotel room with a kitchen was nice because of the full size fridge.
If you wanted to have a splurge meal or a treat, its ok just stick to eating 80-90% clean and the rest as best you can. I try to eat as clean as I can with one splurge meal each week.
In Conclusion I would have to say…
Eating good food, being full, and nourished gave me lots of energy. It was well worth it! We spent about $200.00 in food for our trip for two people for 5 days.
I would have spent about $200 a day if we ate in the park and at restaurants. It saved us around $800.00 eating this way. It was not hard, in fact eating clean even on vacation is a lot easier than you think!
What is your experience with eating clean while on vacation or traveling?