Staying healthy, affordably, on the road?

[HotPursuit]

I'm planning a longer 2-4 week trip around the Southwest, and in the interest of saving money, I plan on camping for most of the trip.  Also, in the interest of eating better, I plan to minimize eating at restaurants and gas stations, and instead try to eat fresher (and better) from grocery stores.

As far as a mess kit, I'm bringing a backpack with a hydration bladder (water w/ electrolyte tablets), a water bottle (1L plain water), Jet Boil (with 2 cup pot/coffee press), a small skillet*, a coffee mug, a collapsible bowl, flatware, and a plate*.  I may consider bringing a small insulated lunch bag so I can salvage left overs.  *Space permitting

When I normally camp, it's usually oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, which I think I'm going to stick with.

For lunch, I'm thinking I'm going to try to pick up grab and go salads, or maybe find delis or sub shops.  Again, grocery stores usually have pretty affordable grab and go lunch options.

And then dinner back at a campsite.  I'm thinking I can ditch the skillet and plate if I stick to soup/chowder/chili/ramen for dinner.  I'm not big on preparing courses while camping.  Car camping, we splurge a little with the typical camp food fair, but I'm obviously not taking an SUV.  I think if I'm really in the mood for a good meal, I'll just find a local restaurant.

Usually when I travel, I eat out a lot, and I eat a lot of garbage, especially when camping (pizza, burgers, grilled cheese, etc.).  Last trip I took, I tried to replace my lunch with the SlimFast Meal replacement cookies, but they wouldn't last until dinner, so I was still eating some other kind of junk food snack during the day.  I think I'd be better off to just eat a better lunch.

I also usually end up buying at least one Gatorade/Powerade, and multiple energy drinks per day.  I know Camelbak makes caffeinated electrolyte tablets that won't make your hydration bladder nasty.  I figure if I'll be sipping on that all day, I can skip the sports and energy drinks.

It's real easy to fall into the trap of eating fast food and gas station food on the road.  Considering the potential length of this trip, neither my wallet, nor my health could afford either.

I don't take vitamins or supplements usually, with the exception of Airborne, when I'm sick or flying.  I think it may behoove me to add a glass of Airborne to my morning routine.

I typically don't keep any sort of exercise regimen on the road either, but I'm reconsidering that also...  The Art of Manliness has a playground based exercise routine I might try, considering playgrounds are pretty abundant, and usually pretty vacant early in the morning.

Anyone else have any suggestions/tips/ideas regarding trying to eat/stay healthy on the road?  And how to do so affordably?

[Sport-Touring]

[skihor]

For lunches I carry Flour tortillas and get stuff to put in them. Another favorite of mine is to buy a foot-long at Subway and eat half for lunch and the other half for dinner. That's 2 meals for $7 or $8. hard to beat that price. Also not necessarily healthy but many taverns have Taco Tuesday or... whatever. have a beer and a meal on the cheap.

[Biking Sailor]

I've found when traveling on the bike a few staples that are easy to pack and are relatively healthy are jerky, dry cereal like Cheerios, raw veggies like carrots/broccoli/cauliflower, apples/oranges, dried fruit like raisins/cranberries, and nuts. I'm also a regular consumer of good protein bars, even when not traveling, as they have good calorie content and pack easy and small. Tortillas and peanut butter have sufficed as a good dinner on many occasions.

I used to spend a lot on drinks, until my wife taught me to fill a large water bottle when at gas stops. Of course, the morning doesn't begin without coffee, but long trips are better if you can wean yourself off caffeine before hand. Remember staying hydrated is just as important as calories.

What works for me best is to start the food routine well before leaving on the trip to get your body used to what you are going to be eating, shopping at grocery stores and splitting large packages of bulk items into small zip lock bags to control calorie intake. I learned a lot about food doing off shore sailboat racing where we prepared individual daily food kits.

All that said, what is traveling to different areas without sampling local foods?

[zer0netgain]

Depends on what you mean by “on the road.”

For motorcycle trips, exercise (other than stretching) isn’t a high priority as riding involves a fair amount of energy.  At the least, I like to get brisk walks in...treadmill use at hotels if available while catching up with news and stuff on YouTube or podcasts.  I suppose the same applies on other forms of travel.  I’ve been out of the gym for a while now, so weight training isn’t a concern (which is good as it’d mandate packing protein powders and stuff).  Again, a gym chain with branches everywhere can solve most issues.

On diet, well, I’m “lucky” in that I’m gluten sensitive and largely live gluten free.  I’m used to not having options at most places.  Normally, I pack some protein bars so I have a fall back position.  For me if I stay in a hotel that offers “free breakfast,” I really need them to offer healthy options (which more do nowadays).  A couple of hard boiled eggs, a cup or two of coffee, and some fruit does me fine.  Maybe I’ll have some scrambled eggs or sausage/bacon.  No juice (high sugar concentration), and I don’t dare touch the waffle maker (last time I treated myself it knocked me on my ass).

On motorcycle trips, it’s easy.  Breakfast bar at the hotel if I can safely eat what they offer as I’m already paying for it.  I normally don’t eat during the day so the food doesn’t make me dopey.  This is where the protein bars come in handy.  I normally pack two 4 packs of protein shakes in my gear and top off via a trip to WalMart every other day.  I will either buy something to eat at a grocery store or opt for an affordable meal near the end of the day or after I get to my destination.

On other fronts, I have all my supplements presorted in pill trays for the time I’ll be gone.  If I can’t fit it all in, I take the bottles of stuff easy to track (evening meds), and I bring a couple of used pill bottles to carry stuff I need for the day (set them up the night before).  When I travel, I pack all meds I typically need for allergy, sinus, chest congestion, etc. to the degree I expect to need them.  Basically, anything that’s your “go to” drug(s) when you feel a cold coming on so you can knock it down ASAP.  You don’t want to look for a pharmacy to get what you need after you need it.

That last bit I learned on a River Cruise with mom in Germany last September.  Exposed to cigarette smoke, my issues kicked in and I got the crud...which mom then got...and someone on board (if not several passengers) had the crud from people who were on the plane with them from the USA.  I packed lots of Mucinex, but not enough for two people for two weeks.  They don’t sell Mucinex in Germany.  Fortunately, we explained what it was and the pharmacist got us something that did the same job but was a different drug.  It’s also hard to determine what you need when all the labeling is in German and Google Translate (while translating the ingredients) doesn’t give you an idea of if it will do the job for you.

On that river cruise, the “fitness room” was largely a joke but adequate given the small size of the ship.  I did 90 minutes every morning on the treadmill (8+ km) to stave off the impact of what I ate.  I was also fortunate that portion sizes were very small but by the time you went from soup to nuts, you felt full.  All I had to do was avoid breads and make smart choices at breakfast (which was always buffet style).

[jay547]

I've found when traveling on the bike a few staples that are easy to pack and are relatively healthy are jerky, dry cereal like Cheerios, raw veggies like carrots/broccoli/cauliflower, apples/oranges, dried fruit like raisins/cranberries, and nuts. I'm also a regular consumer of good protein bars, even when not traveling, as they have good calorie content and pack easy and small. Tortillas and peanut butter have sufficed as a good dinner on many occasions.

I used to spend a lot on drinks, until my wife taught me to fill a large water bottle when at gas stops. Of course, the morning doesn't begin without coffee, but long trips are better if you can wean yourself off caffeine before hand. Remember staying hydrated is just as important as calories.

What works for me best is to start the food routine well before leaving on the trip to get your body used to what you are going to be eating, shopping at grocery stores and splitting large packages of bulk items into small zip lock bags to control calorie intake. I learned a lot about food doing off shore sailboat racing where we prepared individual daily food kits.

All that said, what is traveling to different areas without sampling local foods?

You ain't no Okie. Turn in your Okie card.  

[Bounce]

My list is simple so it's easy to do and plan.

Low carbs, fat, and sugar.
Water water water (without additives). Unless it's extremely hot, riding isn't the physical thing that hard work is, so electrolyte replacement can easily be over done. Best to do water and ensure your diet is balanced to get those from your meals.

[Biking Sailor]

You ain't no Okie. Turn in your Okie card.  

I'm not sure whether that is good or bad?  

Hey, I eat lots of dried dead animals (jerky). That should help, right?  

[Biking Sailor]

What works best for me is regular short stops, about 100 miles apart or half tank of gas, where I eat a small snack and drink some water. That keeps me fresher, with more stable blood sugar levels for alertness and energy, and I stay better hydrated. If I manage the calorie intake of the snacks right, I never get hungry throughout the day.

[Bounce]

What works best for me is regular short stops, about 100 miles apart or half tank of gas, where I eat a small snack and drink some water. That keeps me fresher, with more stable blood sugar levels for alertness and energy, and I stay better hydrated. If I manage the calorie intake of the snacks right, I never get hungry throughout the day.

I do that while the wheels are turning. Hydration system and snacks in the tank bag (low fat/carb/sugars).

[rajflyboy]

Go to bar around 1:30 in morning

Hook up with cutie.   Stay at her place for the night.  Make sure to take Fitbit off.   Enjoy the stay.

[HotPursuit]

Go to bar around 1:30 in morning

Hook up with cutie.   Stay at her place for the night.  Make sure to take Fitbit off.   Enjoy the stay.

*adds contreceptives to packing list*

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[rajflyboy]

*adds contreceptives to packing list*

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[slvrsprint]

Why eat better on the road than when at home?

We spent a week at the beach recently.  Every morning, there would be fat guys jogging on the sand.  I know I don't look great in my Speedo, but I'm not going to bounce my fat down the beach.  One week of that before going back to my sofa ain't gonna do anything but trigger the big one.  

The same with food.  My diet concerns have to do with being comfortable and regular.  I cut down on caffeine.  The rebound of the coffee high leaves me sleepy a few hours later.  I could have an energy drink or I could not have the caffeine in the first place.  Tea bags are easy to carry, so I have one a day.  That works far better for me.  It's cheaper, too.  Far a snack, I'll have granola bars with water.  They help keep things flowing.  No soda.  

Dinner might be supermarket deli food or bread cheese and red wine.  Occasionally a restaurant.  

[rajflyboy]

Why eat better on the road than when at home?

We spent a week at the beach recently.  Every morning, there would be fat guys jogging on the sand.  I know I don't look great in my Speedo, but I'm not going to bounce my fat down the beach.  One week of that before going back to my sofa ain't gonna do anything but trigger the big one.  

The same with food.  My diet concerns have to do with being comfortable and regular.  I cut down on caffeine.  The rebound of the coffee high leaves me sleepy a few hours later.  I could have an energy drink or I could not have the caffeine in the first place.  Tea bags are easy to carry, so I have one a day.  That works far better for me.  It's cheaper, too.  Far a snack, I'll have granola bars with water.  They help keep things flowing.  No soda.  

Dinner might be supermarket deli food or bread cheese and red wine.  Occasionally a restaurant.  

Speedos ain’t bad.   Now those banana hammicks I just do not like.

[jay547]

In order to stay healthy on the road, one would have to already be healthy. I'm not, so it's Waffle House for me.

[rajflyboy]

In order to stay healthy on the road, one would have to already be healthy. I'm not, so it's Waffle House for me.

We gotta love Jay  

[Blue is Best]

There are very affordable camping sites that have showers and laundry. Nice people too. I buy spray stink sweet (cologne) at the Dollar store for my trips for a day or two that we may wild camp and miss the shower for a night.

You are on the right path on soup and such. Most times we have one meal per day at a restaurant. Sometimes not. I like coffee, oat meal, soup and my deluxe mixed nuts. I always carry at least one quart of Gatorade/similar in the tank bag. When I run out I use the qt jar for water at camp.

Of course, my FJR and Bandit (after I set it up) has the room for everything I need.

[micah2074]

meh.. I eat gas station hotdogs, sleep where I can and enjoy smelling like the "road". My one "want" is a clean place to $#!?.
I've found that TA's and Love's usually have a pretty clean place to have a sit.

[rajflyboy]

meh.. I eat gas station hotdogs, sleep where I can and enjoy smelling like the "road". My one "want" is a clean place to $#!?.
I've found that TA's and Love's usually have a pretty clean place to have a sit.

Ain’t that the damn truth  

[jay547]

I've found that TA's and Love's usually have a pretty clean place to have a sit.

Casey's are generally pretty clean, if you have them in the area. Avoid Quik Trip and Kum and Go.