Vacation Eating Strategies

I’m just back from a week in Hawai’i, so vacation eating strategies is on my mind.  This was a relaxing vacation.  We did a lot of walking, reading and eating.  We were in a condo with a kitchen, so we ate most of our meals there.  That made healthy choices much easier. 

My own vacation strategy is to enjoy foods that I don’t eat on a regular basis – but in moderation.  And to walk a lot.  At home I don’t have ice cream very often, but we have a favorite ice cream store there (Lappert’s) and we got cones twice while we were there.    Since the ice cream is more important to me than the cone, I skipped the waffle option and one time had a plain cone and the other time just had it in a cup.  We ate lots of fish and pineapple.  We ate whole grain cereal for breakfast and made a big salad most days.  What I found I missed the most was beans, so next time I’ll get a can (or two) of garbanzo beans for our salads.

At home we drink wine on the weekends only, but on vacation we have wine or a cocktail daily.  I don’t feel good with more than one drink, so I did well this trip in listening to my body and stopping at one.  Snacking with the cocktail was my biggest challenge.  When I have a drink before dinner, it seems so natural to eat with it.  But I’ve noticed that eating and drinking together make me want to eat and drink faster and in greater quantities.  I countered this by just putting out small amounts of snacks (we only bought one small can of macadamia nuts).  I did get over-hungry and snacked too much a couple times – but that was balanced out by good choices most of the time.  My vacation strategy is to indulge a little – within a basically healthy diet.

I’m sharing my own experience as an example.  What works for you is going to be different.  My advice is to come up with a strategy ahead of time.  When you are in the middle of it, it is a hard time to start setting limits.  Set reasonable goals – vacations are probably not a good time to expect to eat your best.  Yet it is unnecessary to go off the deep end either.  Find the balance that works for you.

Many of my clients find that it is actually easier to eat well during vacations than at home.  They don’t have the food around to tempt them; and they focus on getting out and seeing things – staying active.  If this is true for you, pay attention to what makes eating easier in these circumstances and see if there is a way to bring part of it home with you.

I’ve worked with others who equate vacations with “vacation food” – which usually means chips and dips, cookies and candy, etc.  This is more common on camping trips or cabins – types of trips where you take food with you.  If this is true for you, then pay attention to the patterns.  What about these vacations, besides the food, do you enjoy?  Is it a time to enjoy being with friends and family?  Is it a time to be outdoors in beautiful country?  Change your associations so that the food doesn’t have to be so important.  Choose what things you want to keep and decide which vacation foods you can let go of. 

Some vacations mean eating out in restaurants the whole time.  It is harder to get whole grain choices or as many vegetables in restaurants.  If your hotel room has refrigeration, you may be able to have a whole grain cereal and fruit for breakfast.  Some trips lend well to an ice chest with lunch materials.  Even if you are eating most meals out, still consider a visit to a grocery store for extra fruit and vegetables. 

Vacation strategies will be different for each of us.  As I mentioned earlier, the main thing is to think about it ahead of time.  If eating on vacations are not a concern for you, then whatever you are doing is working and you don’t need a different strategy.  If vacations are a time of overeating and over-indulging, then set up a reasonable game plan that you can live with and feel good about.  And have a great vacation!

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