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Tips For Nutritious Healthy Living While On The Road

by CampspotterJan 25, 2021
Tips For Nutritious Healthy Living While On The Road

By Campspot Ambassador, Hannah Heredia, MS, RDN, CNSC, evokeyouradventure.com

Journeying on the road can lead to many great destinations, but having frequent stops along the way to fill up on food can be expensive and unhealthy. Take the stress out of figuring out where your next food stop will be by following these tips! 

My best advice for a successful nutritious road trip: plan your grocery list ahead of time with nutritious food. When on the road, bring a small cooler that you can pack with healthy snacks. You can save money this way and won’t have to try to figure out what to eat (or what to grab) from a gas station. Choose a variety of snacks with different textures and flavors to keep you entertained.

Favorite Quick & Healthy Snacks:

  • String Cheese or Babybel Cheese (portable and easy to carry)
  • Applesauce packets 
  • Hummus with carrots, cucumbers, and celery or pretzels & pita chips (use the travel sizes to make them more portable)
  • Celery boats – filled with cream cheese & everything but the bagel seasoning or peanut butter, cinnamon, and raisins
Celery boats - filled with cream cheese topped with seasoning.
  • Tortillas filled with bananas and peanut butter (definitely a kid favorite!) or make pinwheels by rolling toppings in tortillas and cutting them into pinwheels
  • Pre-Made sandwiches using whole grain breads or bagels, wraps, or quesadillas (make ahead of time and put in the cooler)
  • Pre-Made pasta – mix diced chicken or shredded chicken with rotini pasta, broccoli, tomatoes & season with Italian dressing (make ahead of time and keep in cooler)
  • Pre-Made oatmeal and mix in nuts, nut butter, jam, honey, dried fruit, or syrup
  • Pre-Made pancakes to dip in syrup or spread with nut butter & jams
  • Pre-Made blender muffins – use oats, mashed bananas & fruits in these recipes.
  • Pre-Made energy balls – mix in ground oats with nut butter, add in dried fruits, nuts, blended dates, coconut shreds, or chocolate chips
  • Light shakes or smoothie packets, these are easy to mix with a bottle of milk or water on the road. Bring a blender bottle with a blend ball if needed
  • Low-fat yogurt with granola

Other fun items to bring: fruits (like bananas, apples, and oranges) or dried fruit, crackers, pretzels, popcorn, muesli bread, biscuits, gummy candies like gummy worms or twizzlers, trail mix or nuts, beef jerky, tuna pouches, crackers, granola bars, hard boiled eggs, roasted chickpeas, whole grain cereals, rice krispy treats.

And don’t forget – bring plenty of fluids! 

This includes plenty of water! I usually bring a large half gallon insulated water bottle filled with ice & water. The ice normally stays for a few days and I make a habit of drinking water during the trip. Purchasing water bottles can end up costing a ton. They’re also inconvenient, wasteful, and it’s often hard to find places that allow for refills. In addition to water bring drinks you look forward to in the cooler — like a smoothie, juice, vegetable juice, an electrolyte drink, etc. Pro-Tip — You can freeze these beforehand and use them in place of ice in your cooler!

Journeying on the road with your home should be fun and enjoyable! Limit frequent stops and any potential stress by being prepared ahead of time!

Hannah is a world traveler, hiker and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist from Arizona. She currently lives in an RV and is exploring the US. She owns Evoke Your Adventure which provides hiking guides, meal prepping recipe E-Books & training plans. She hopes to encourage everyone to get outdoors, explore, and enjoy nature. Find her on Instagram @hikesandhealth.