8 Tips for Eating Healthy While Traveling

Airports, gas stations and restaurant meals make healthy eating harder — and travel food is often very salty, which matters if you watch your blood pressure. A little planning goes a long way.

1. Pack your own snacks

Unsalted nuts, fresh fruit, cut vegetables, whole-grain crackers, roasted chickpeas or a protein bar with little sugar. They keep you from relying on chips and pastries.

2. Bring an empty water bottle

Fill it after airport security. Air travel is dehydrating, and thirst is easily mistaken for hunger. Go easy on alcohol, especially on flights.

3. Scan the menu for smart choices

Look for grilled, baked or steamed dishes; ask for sauces and dressings on the side; swap fries for a salad or vegetables. Many chains list nutrition information online — sodium included.

4. Watch the salt

A single restaurant meal can exceed a whole day's recommended sodium (2,300 mg). Skip extra salt, choose fewer cured meats, soups and pizzas, and drink water. If you have high blood pressure, take your usual medication on time — time zone changes make that easy to forget.

5. Build a balanced plate

Half vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter whole grains — the same rule works at buffets and hotel breakfasts. Eggs, yogurt, fruit and oatmeal are usually available.

6. Stock the hotel fridge

A quick grocery stop for yogurt, fruit, salad and whole-grain bread saves money and gives you a healthy breakfast or lunch.

7. Keep moving

Walk through the terminal, take the stairs, explore on foot. On long flights, get up and stretch every hour or two to protect your circulation.

8. Enjoy local food — mindfully

Trying regional dishes is part of travel. Share dishes, eat slowly, and balance a rich meal with a lighter one. In regions with less safe tap water, follow food safety basics: Avoid Food Poisoning: High-Risk and Low-Risk Foods.