Road trips. Adventure for some, a necessary evil for others (I’m talking about you travelling health care workers and business people). Definitely a situation where you are guaranteed to be at least somewhat out of your comfort zone and away from your kitchen. And if you haven’t prepared some snacks for the road, the road trip is an easy place to get off track with healthy eating.
Do you ever find yourself standing in front of the racks in the gas station thinking that hardly any of it is a decent choice so maybe you are better off just not eating at all? Or maybe you find yourself thinking “eff it, it’s all garbage so I might as well get the garbage I like”?
Neither option is great when refueling and sustaining your energy while driving is the goal.
The next time you find yourself slightly hangry in a gas station, here are 6 simple strategies for navigating to the middle of the road in the aisles to find the healthier options.
1. Drinks – Are there any other displays you can think of where an assortment of sweetened beverages looks quite as enticing as the ice-cold fridges that line nearly every gas station and convenience store? F*ck those displays and the empty calories and weird shit in them. If you are looking for a pick me up, brew a green tea or make a coffee (with cream or black if you dig it). If you need refreshment refill your water bottle for free. None of that other stuff they’re selling is stuff your body needs in any way, they will flood your system with sugars, cause a spike in insulin and then a crash making you feel more lethargic than before you drank it.
2. Hand fruit – when buying gas station produce I prefer something with a thick peel, so a banana is my first choice and then an orange. Just my preference of course.
3. Hard-boiled eggs – this is probably the healthiest option on this list. Eggs are perfect proteins, meaning they contain all the essential amino acids humans need from their diets. Two of these and a piece of fruit is a very well balanced snack with protein, fat, and carbohydrates that will make you feel full and keep you alert and perky until then next stop. Unless you don’t do perky.
4. Cheese & pepperoni sticks – A good, filling option when hard-boiled eggs are not available, these have quite a bit of fat and some protein. They also have a lot of sodium so be mindful of that and drink water.
5. Beef jerky – A very salty snack that takes a while to eat and is full of protein. Take a peek at the carb count for a few different flavours, BBQ, teriyaki, honey garlic, sweet chili, etc., all have added sugars. Original flavour is usually the best bet.
6. Raw nuts – These are nuts that haven’t been roasted with questionably processed seed oils and loaded with salt or flavouring. They are great for munching and have loads of good fats, a little fibre, and lots of nutrients.
When debating ordering hot food from a gas station/rest stop, take a trip into the bathroom. If you feel uncomfortable peeing there, stick to the (sealed) packaged options. Because ew and no.
Did I miss any healthy options in my list? I’d love to know what you grab on the go, please leave a comment and tell me about it!
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