Health + Fitness: Making Healthy Choices
Fuel Your RV Trips with Better Food without Sacrificing Taste
Image Caption: Image Courtesy of Stefany Adinaro
As someone who RVs a lot, I know how hard healthy eating on trips can be. It’s almost an oxymoron, isn’t it—the idea of eating healthfully while traveling? You’re on vacation after all. Relaxing on your diet should be part of the deal! But here’s the good news: It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can eat better on your RV trips AND eat deliciously. Here are some tips to help you build healthier— and still just as tasty—nutrition habits while on the road.
Plan Meals and Stick to a List
Many people are put off by the idea of planning trip menus ahead of time. I get it, it feels like a chore. But it doesn’t need to be a daunting undertaking. You can plan literally anything, even NOT to cook. What’s important is that you’ve created a helpful road map; one that will save you time and avoid the dreaded “What should we do for dinner?” dilemma. When you plan ahead, you’re ensuring you’ll have more food variety. Not only does that mean your meals will be more interesting, but it also increases the likelihood of meeting your nutrient needs. And when it’s time to hit the store to gather the things needed for your plan, your list will help you ensure you won’t do any impulse buying. As a bonus, sticking to a list and following a plan means you’ll reduce what ends up thrown away at the end of the week.
Choose Restaurants Wisely
Eating out allows you to experience the area you’re visiting—a vibrant and decadent part of any RV adventure. Luckily, these days it’s easy to preview menus online. Between that and reading reviews, you can choose restaurants that offer healthy—and tasty—choices. Give priority to farm-to-table restaurants or any that mention they use local foods.
But don’t stop there; choose your meal wisely, too. Look for menu items that have lots of plant-based foods included. Choose raw where appropriate, and select steamed, baked, or grilled where you can. Don’t be afraid to ask your server to help health-up your meal—perhaps swapping one of the sides for a fresh salad, or asking for dressings and sauces on the side. And here’s my favorite advice to share: Slow down. The pace at which you eat dictates how much you will eat. So, slowly savor your meal, and enjoy the experience of being somewhere unique and special.
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Jazz Up Your Water
You can easily transform a humdrum glass of RV tap water into something refreshing and appealing—something you’d look forward to drinking. I like to fill up a pitcher of water in the morning and add whatever I have on hand—usually lemons, but also cucumber slices, fruit, or herbs—and I’ll stick that in the RV fridge and then continue to refill it throughout the day.
I’ve also noticed a trend with our RV friends who have compact RVs and small refrigerators. They don’t bother bringing ice or making ice, and instead settle for drinking room-temperature water on RV trips. Traveling with ice may sound like a small thing, but it has a way of making water much more desirable, especially on hot summer days. The more appealing you can make your water, whether that be with fresh add-ins or ice, the more you’ll drink. Make it tasty enough that you’ll go for that instead of any sugary or unhealthy diet drinks.
Swap the Chips for Popcorn
Enter any grocery store and it’s likely you’ll find one aisle completely dedicated to chips. You can improve your nutrition immensely by breaking the habit of buying them. If you don’t have any chips in your RV, you can’t eat them. James and I gave up buying chips years ago. Instead, we travel with popcorn kernels, a microwave popcorn bowl, and various toppings. Now that we’ve parted ways with chips, I don’t miss them at all. Popcorn is not only healthier and tastier, it allows us to get creative with making our own spice combinations.
RVing is a time to explore and have adventures, and eating well is how you fuel the journey. While you might be tempted to indulge or eat for convenience when traveling, consider finding some balance. Because when healthy eating becomes a valued part of your travels, your body will reward you with sustained health and energy, making your trip all the more spectacular.
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Easy Microwave Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
- 1 microwave-safe popcorn container (brown paper sacks work, too)
Pour the kernels in your container and microwave 2–3 minutes. Once popped, spray your popcorn with olive oil, add your preferred seasonings, and enjoy!
Got Seasoning?
Let’s be honest here. Popcorn is just a vessel for other flavors. That’s where we can get into trouble. And that’s exactly why you should try these super-easy healthed-up seasoning recipes.
BBQ Flavor
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- ¹⁄₈ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Mix together and place in a small spice jar. This makes enough for about 3 bowls of popcorn.
Note: The flavor will vary depending on which ranch powder you use. Be sure to read the labels, as not all ranch powders use natural ingredients.
Taco Flavor
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
Mix together and sprinkle as much as you’d like over your popcorn after spraying or drizzling on your healthy oil option. This makes enough for probably around 5–7 bowls of popcorn, depending on how thick you sprinkle it on!
