How I Ate Mindfully While Traveling (and how you can too)

When traveling, it can be especially difficult to maintain a mindful, balanced diet. Whether it’s the oh-so enticing ice cream shops or the classic overpriced airport candy, it can be difficult to say no to the sweet treats and indulgences we encounter along our respective journeys.  

Of course, balance is key and we should definitely be treating ourselves to the occasional treat. However, when traveling, it becomes particularly easy to make excuses when it comes to our eating habits. We tell ourselves things like, “I’ll get back on track when I get home” or “I’m on vacation; it doesn’t ACTUALLY count.” The thing is: it does. 

Mindful and healthy eating shouldn’t be considered a trend or an occasional thing we take part in, but rather, a constant lifestyle that we do our best to hold ourselves accountable for. Considering the fact that this is no easy feat for people (including, and especially, myself) I decided to be extra mindful of how I was fueling my body on my recent trip to Princeton with my dad for a college tour. 

Although this is not something I usually do, I took note of everything I ate to hold myself accountable in maintaining a pretty balanced diet. Here’s how I kept a pretty well-rounded diet from the moment the plane took off early Sunday morning till it landed late Monday night: 

Sunday

I woke up at 4:30 am on Sunday morning with a pretty grumbly stomach. So naturally, I stumbled in the kitchen to make myself a toad-in-a-hole egg toast. The issue was, I didn’t realize how much of a rush we were in, so I had to take it off the stove before it was fully cooked. I was left with a sad, soggy toast that I only nibbled on a little bit. Not off to a great start, I was already determined to make a comeback. 

Once we got past security, I purchased a single-serve oikos vanilla protein yogurt. I’ve heard good things about the yogurt, so I decided to give it a try. Let me just say, I was pleasantly surprised: it was creamy, not too sweet, and kept me satiated. 

A short while after our flight took off, the snack cart, as expected, revealed itself. We were presented with the choice of a stroopwafel, dark chocolate quinoa crisp, or pretzels. The flight attendant quickly sensed my indecisive nature, so he graciously just gave me all of the snacks. As the chocolate lover that I am, I first reached for the chocolate quinoa crisp—a light,crunchy, and not-too-sweet option. Feeling a bit nauseous though, I decided to down the mini bag of pretzels as well, which definitely helped. You see, I could have reached for the stroopwafel, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love two thin waffles sandwiched between a layer of caramel?!

While it may taste good going down, it is made up of many, as I like to say, sketchy ingredients: a slew of syrups, stabilizers, and natural flavors etc. All I had to do was turn over to the back of the package to take a quick glance at the icky ingredient list. That’s all I needed to make the right choice in what I was going to eat to nourish my body. It’s not even about the calories, but more importantly, the exact ingredients you are allowing to enter your body. Naturally, when you eat well, you feel good. Let’s make our bodies happy :) 

A couple hours later, once we arrived at Princeton, we headed over to a restaurant to treat ourselves to a nourishing lunch. I ordered an unsweetened matcha latte with whole milk, eggs ratatouille with sourdough bread, and a chocolate chip cookie. Now that’s what I call balance. As a devoted matcha girly, I was very pleased with the frothy matcha I was presented with. The eggs ratatouille was a great option as I got 2 eggs for protein and lots of nourishing roasted veggies for fiber and volume. And of course, the chocolate chip cookie. It was everything I could’ve wanted: crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. After I devoured everything, I was quite full, but I felt satisfied and well-nourished. Oh! I discovered that dipping a chocolate chip cookie into matcha is absolutely delectable— I highly recommend it. Let me know if you try it! 

As the sun began to set and the weather got a bit cooler, it was time for dinner. I ate a veggie burrito with rice, beans, and roasted veggies. It was filling and didn’t make me feel icky. It was a quick, relatively healthy option. We then went back to the hotel, but I still had lots of studying to do. So, I got an iced, unsweetened americano coffee. It surely helped me power through the late-night study session. After that, I was off to bed. The eats of tomorrow await :) 

Monday 

We woke up relatively early as we had a morning tour around the school (a beautiful place, by the way). For breakfast, I opted for a light option: overnight oats layered with a guava paste. This was a good option as it was packed with protein from the oats and chia seeds, but still had a delicious flavor from the guava. I also treated myself to what seemed like a very unique latte: the honey lavender latte. How rad does that sound?? Obviously I had to try it. And as suspected, it was delicious. After the tour, we were quite famished and headed over to the same place we ate the other night for some more veggie burritos. Again, a great option while traveling because it keeps you full and satisfied. It’s crucial to reach for the foods that will keep you full and not the foods that result in empty calories, still leaving your stomach begging for more fuel. 

As I’m writing this, we’re on the way to the airport. I’m still quite full from the burrito, so don't think I’ll be eating anything else until the snack cart on the plane rolls around (because duh). I’ll likely reach for that yummy chocolate quinoa crisp again because it really was that good. Of course, if you want that stroopwafel, go for it! It’s ultimately all about balance. Balance. Is. Key. 

All in all, this was a great trip. I learned that it’s just as easy to make the right food choices as it is to make excuses—at the end of the day, it’s all about having discipline and listening to your body. I urge you to pay close attention to the food you’re putting into your body, choosing the premium fuel over the mediocre fuel whenever it's possible. If you’re finding this difficult, I recommend staying hydrated and avoiding sugary drinks to start. From there, just build up—slow progress is still progress! 

I hope my little mindful eating-whilst-traveling series was of help and provided you with a glimpse of what it’s like trying to be extra aware of what I put in my body, especially when I’m not at home. It’s so easy to mindlessly eat when you’re on vacation: you’re not in your usual routine, there are so many new foods to try, and let’s be real…it’s fun! Whatever the reason is, it’s going to be difficult, there’s no question about it. Therefore, the next time you find yourself away from home, try to make a conscious effort to think about what you’re eating and how it will affect you. Obviously, everyone will be at their own level when it comes to this and you should work at a pace that you can manage. You got this!