WHEW! Just got home from a 12 day get away and found it challenging to maintain our toxin-free diet BUT WE PROVED IT IS DO-ABLE!
Here are some tips:
2. When traveling by car, rental car or train, invest in a styrofoam cooler (or use your own if using your own car). This was a HUGE life-saver for us. It was in our rental car as we traveled and was loaded up with yogurt tubes, fruits, bottled water and nitrate free hot dogs! When the kids got hungry, we stopped at a gas station and used their microwave to heat up the hot dogs. It saved us money by not eating out, my kids were happy as a lark, and we didn't eat junk! (ok, nitrate-free hot dogs aren't exactly the epitome of good health but its better than fast food alternatives!) We would stop anywhere that had ice and kept our foods cold as needed. Our little $2 cooler lasted all day at the beach, on hour-ride drives, etc. (we bought ours at a gas station)
3. Pack your protein shakes and bars. These are the BOMB when traveling. We had the bars on the plane, on the beach, in the car, at Animal Kingdom...protein bars make our lives happy. :) It's important to get a bar that is high quality ingredients and high in protein. Click HERE for more info or you can email me personally at: happyhearthomeproducts@gamil.com. For your shakes, you can pack a handheld mixer like this one and you can stop anywhere there is an outlet and make your shake. My husband takes a shake cup and mixes his the old fashioned way...shaking! Again, be sure and use a shake that is soy and gluten free and doesn't use any artificial colors, sweeteners or flavors. We LOVE our Isagenix shakes...email me for more info!
4. Seek out Whole Foods stores (or something similar) and GF friendly restaurants. As soon as I landed, I was googling the nearest Whole Foods and stocked up so I would cook from our home-away-from-home. We had easy-to-fix meals like GF spaghetti, GF homemade pizza, grilled chicken and homemade fries, etc. (if there isn't a store like Whole Foods where you will be you may need to pack your own noodles) Over the course of 12 days, I ate out at 3 different places: 1. Whole Foods: Whole Foods is a national chain and has an awesome organic salad bar and deli section. 2. Organic Burger Joint: we found a fun grass-fed burger joint in our area that was eclectic, affordable, and delicious. I ordered a bison burger (no bun) and had it along side local grown organic greens, EVOO and balsamic vinegar. 3. Local Restaurant: our family went out to a local place known for its loaded-up-with-bad-foods-hot-dogs. While we eat really well, we are still human! :) My man went all out for his meal. I, however, would have been sick in bed for days on end, so I opted to order a grilled chicken breast w/ grilled mushrooms. My kids had a cheeseburger (no buns) and my son had fresh watermelon and my daughter had some fresh cut fries. The point is this: most restaurants will work with you, even fast food restaurants can "hold the bun". Don't feel like you can never eat out. You can, but you'll need to seek out foods on the menu that you know you can handle and won't make you totally derail. And 1 cheat meal on vacay won't be the end of the world for most of you. (It would have been for me, but my man can handle more foods than I can. When we got back to our hotel I loaded him up with Digestive Enzymes, stomach acid, and liver support...he had a mild case of gout the next day but overall wasn't too bad)
5. Skip the fancy hotel rooms and opt for a cheaper suite equipped with a full kitchen. Places like Extended Stay America's are great when you are tying to avoid eating out.
6. Pack your lunches. I ALWAYS pack my lunch when we are out exploring for the day. I tend to pack things I don't have to refrigerate and can pack easily in my little backpack purse. I ate a lot of almond butter/agave spread on spelt tortillas along side some organic apples. I also had almonds and granola to snack on. These always seem to satisfy my hunger cravings and taste great.
7. Don't forget your supplements. I travel w/ my "9-1-1 bag" for times when we are exposed to toxins. I pack the following made by Standard Process (I order through my chiro): Digestive Enzymes (to help break down foods in the gut, I pack one for gluten and one broad spectrum. You can order through me), Probiotics by Metagenics, (immune builder), Happy Heart Home Instant Hand Sanitizer (boy does this come in handy! I travel w/ our travel sized option), Olive Leaf (to fight virus/bacterial infections), and our multi vitamin by Metagenics. TO ORDER METAGENICS, simply go to their website and type in my PRACTITIONER CODE NOU111 to get my discount!
I'm sure there are tons of other tricks, but the above works for us. You'll find your own "system" that works for you, too! Happy traveling!
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