If you’re a doctor, nurse or hold another important job that requires intense periods of focus, commitment, and energy, you can’t afford to make the mistake of eating poor quality food while on assignment. As a traveler, you may know all about the vacuum packed, plastic wrapped food that’s served as breakfast, lunch, or dinner on the plane. On top of poor quality, the portion sizes never seem to touch the edges, leaving you forever opening your wallet for even more overpriced bite-sized morsels. Depending on where in the globe your plane is touching down, you might also have to deal with poor quality food at your destination. With a bit of planning, you can stay healthy while on assignment by making wise food choices to keep energy levels high for the adventure that awaits.
Research Local Cuisine Ahead of Time
The beauty of our modern day lives is that there’s just so much information available at our fingertips. Think of all those that traveled to your destination and have already blogged about their experience in detail. Dedicated foodies will shuffle about the globe for the sole purpose of tickling their taste buds by exotic cuisine, and I think they might just be onto something. Search for recommendations on the best restaurants and special diet options if you’re a vegetarian or vegan. As a traveler, make the most of these moments in transit by carrying out this important research to avoid a headache later.
Take Your Own Snacks
This is painstakingly obvious but often overlooked in the chaos of packing for your trip. Taking the time to plan and prepare snacks at home and throwing into your hand luggage is the perfect way to set foot on your travels. Think of cacao energy balls, homemade muesli bars, or high protein options. Protein is the key to keeping fuller for longer and removing the temptation to buy overpriced airline food. I’ve even noticed some budget airlines charging more than eight times the price of supermarket items!
Take Your Own Supplements
While most of your nutritional needs should come from fresh, whole foods, they’re not always available when you’re on the go. While traveling, always take your daily intake of vitamins and minerals through supplement form. Check with your doctor before taking supplements as they can conflict with medications and with each other.
When you’re on an assignment and you reach the end of a tiresome day, you can be confident that you’ve bumped up your mineral intake.
Find Out Where Locals Shop
This is important, especially if you’ve traveled to a country where tourism is booming. There’s just so many tourist traps when it comes to dining out and often prices are dramatically inflated. Kick back in a local café and people watch for a bit. Try to pick up on the eating habits of the locals versus the tourists, as I guarantee you they will be vastly different.
You can even ask some locals where the fresh food markets are and prepare your own travel nurse meals. This will save you mega bucks, and ensure that you’re getting the freshest varieties of all the local delicacies.
Staying healthy while on assignment takes planning but can be an adventure all its own too! Here’s to your healthy experience.
