Traveling

In a day and a half I will make the drive from Virginia back home to New York for the first time in over three months. This is the longest I have been from home since this time freshman year, so I’m pretty excited.

One thing I have been contemplating though is how to try to make healthy choices during such a long drive. I can normally do the whole drive as long as I have a cup of coffee in my hand. And something to snack on, like chips, usually helps too. So, I was nervous about how I’m going to eat right come Friday while I’m traveling. I was able to manage a few good ideas though and they’re very budget friendly too.

Buy your snacks beforehand.

I think I’m going to be less tempted at convenience stores along the way if I already have my stuff packed up ahead of time. I have some leftover grapes and carrots from grocery shopping last week so I’m going to put a handful of those in a container as well as some cut up apples that I got from the dining hall these past couple of days as well. I have already paid for all of this food, so it will be a cheap snack that is better than digging into a bag of chips.

Avoid the soda by planning your drinks ahead of time.

Bring your water with you instead of buying it. That saves money and also it relieves the temptation of buying soda. For my caffeine fix, I’m actually bringing some Starbucks Via packets. Normally, I absolutely despise coffee but this is actually some really good stuff. It has three packets for around three dollars and it’s yummy iced coffee. It’s already pre-sweetened so I'm not adding a bunch of junk on it and the calories in it are very reasonable. Saving money and cutting calories. It’s all good.

So that’s my thoughts on snacking on the road. I’m still quite leery about lunch/dinner since it will definitely be fast food. Most fast food salads are full of sugar and lots of unnecessary stuff, but I may just have to bite the bullet.

Happy and safe travels this week!

Don't drink your calories!

              I live by this. Seriously. First order of business last month was to cut out soda. I know, it’s delicious and on most college campuses it’s everywhere. It is offered with pretty much any meal at any dining location on campus. But soda has absolutely zero nutritional effects. Of course, I’m sure you already knew that. It’s addicting though, so drinking seltzer water for the first couple of days to get over it isn't a terrible idea.

            

             What about the caffeine?! I know caffeine is vital to college life as it definitely still is to mine. The only thing I drink besides water is coffee or tea. And that doesn't mean coffee hyped up on sugar. Tea with some honey does have some nutritional value and coffee with a little bit of nonfat creamer isn't half bad.

            While juice does have some nutritional effects, some juices have more sugar in them than coffee. So, I try to steer clear of them too.  Occasionally I’ll have a glass of juice but it’s definitely not a habit.

            So I have water as a way of cutting out some unnecessary calories. I know water isn't everyone’s thing, but putting a lemon in water does make it extra tasty and it does help to think of the weight that it will help you lose.  

It just makes sense, cutting out unnecessary calories in what you drink alone will put you on the right track to a healthier lifestyle!