The Challenge of Eating Out and Eating Healthy on Vacation

I recently went on vacation to the incredible breath-taking beauty of the Rockies in Ouray, Colorado. I just came off a very strict diet to lose twenty pounds and I was determined to stick with the lower-fat, lower-calorie food choices I had been making for the past few months. Equipped with books on food counts related to various fast food and restaurants, a cooler full of healthy fruits and vegetables, and a sack full of bottled waters, sugar-free flavor packets, baked crackers and my newest favorite discovery “Puffcorn,” I was completely determined to eat low-fat, low-calorie and healthy.

What is it they say about good intentions? Well, in not so many words, the road from Fort Worth to Ouray seems to be paved with Dairy Queen, Sonic and McDonald’s. Those carrots I peeled came in handy and I managed to stay away from Dairy Queen all the way to our destination. Small pat on the back; I could do this thing! We arrived to our destination and set up our tent in much cooler temperatures and rain. My, those things I packed didn’t sound quite as satisfying after all that energy I expended helping to set up….the temptation had just increased. After a week of hiking, and jeeping in much cooler temperatures for hours at a time, my resolve lessened. My activity stayed high though. I am not sure how many calories one expends hanging on to a very bouncy jeep traveling on rocky roads in various angles, but I am sure it must be enough to make up for the donut I broke down and ate before going rafting.

For all the planning and resolve I went into the vacation with, I encountered some obstacles I had not planned for. For one, the cooler full of fruits and vegetables seemed to get tainted by peppers and pickles that I had packed. The cherries became water-logged after several days. Well sealed, water-tight containers are a must for a week in a cooler.

The biggest surprise came when I stopped for fast food, ordered the salad, and found the establishment did not offer “light” or low-fat versions of salad dressings, even though my books said that they did. I would have done better to order the higher fat burger! A purchase of my own salad spray to carry in my purse helped to keep the calories and fat in check. I also found that many places do not offer sugar substitutes or at least the ones that I like. This was another little purchase I found necessary to assist in my desire to keep the calories down.

So what are my biggest lessons learned?
Take your own salad dressing. Wishbone Salad Spritzers, Ken’s Lite Accents, and Newman’s Own Salad Mist offer a mere 10-15 calories, one-half to one gram of fat and 1-2g of carbohydrate in 10 sprays. I could get a little crazy and use twenty sprays and still be within a negligible calorie and fat range.

Carry several packets of sugar substitutes. Splenda, Truvia, and Sun Crystals are just a few of the wonderful selections to choose from.

Look up the foods at Dairy Queen, Sonic and McDonald’s ahead of time and choose carefully. Each of these chains offer complete nutritional information online, which makes planning more productive.

These are just a few of the things I learned during my recent road trip. I can honestly say I did not gain a single pound in spite of all the shortfalls in my planning!

Leslie Crawford, RDLD
Diabetes educator and nutrition counselor
Texas Health HEB