The RV road trip is often used as a scapegoat for a failed diet, an unexplainable increase in weight, and even an abrupt decrease in overall health. What many try to ignore is that the road trip itself isn’t to blame for any of these negative situations. RVers who tend to use the RV road trip as an excuse for health problems, weight gain or dieting failures should consider what it is about their habits on the road and in the recreational vehicle that are creating negative effects. For most the answer is in their snacking.
The majority of individuals have “go to” RV road trip snacks that they don’t question. They are just habitually include in any experiences on the road. RVers who find themselves blaming their latest road trip for negative health changes should pause and reconsider their “go to” snacks. There are dos and don’ts that can make a big difference and remove the stigma from the road trip once and for all.
Common RV Road Trip Snack Don’ts:
- Fast Food
- Candy
- Chips
- Soda
In addition to these excessively popular road trip snack items, RVers typically reach for other variations of the same theme. This theme could be described as foods that are available through the drive thru or the nearest convenience store that are easy to handle and eat while driving. These tend to be high calorie, high fat, low nutrient foods.
Instead of falling into the rut of eating what’s easy, consider some better and healthier variations on the same theme. Easy to handle and easy to access foods that make great road trip snacking options don’t have to be high calorie, high in fat, and unhealthy.
Common RV Road Trip Snack Dos:
- Nuts – Aim for low salt varieties.
- Fruit- It offers a much more healthy and “light” alternative to candy.
- Sit Down Dinners and Fresh Foods – Avoid the drive thrus when possible.
- Water – Replacing water with soda while on the road isn’t a good idea.
- Gum – Eating constantly while on the road isn’t a good idea. Keep busy with some low calorie, no sugar gum.
Many people feel that while they are on vacation they should be able to indulge and since food can be a fabulous indulgence, this can result in a no rules attitude towards snacking in the RV. Instead of dropping all pretense of caring about health and fitness, simply go for a controlled indulgence. Instead of eating only fast food while on the road, choose that one fast food place that isn’t to be missed in the area and then avoid the run of the mill stops that are more unnecessary than anything else. Limit soda intake by focusing on getting enough water in your system. Supplement RV road trip snacks with healthy options like unsalted nuts and fresh or dried fruit. Most importantly, remember that eating while driving is an option and not a requirement. There aren’t very many of us who eat constantly throughout the day. Suddenly eating constantly all day for several days because of a road trip is obviously going to have negative ramifications.
Consider the RV road trip snacking dos and don’ts on the next trip. It makes a big difference. Feeling good while traveling will not only increase your feeling of indulgence when you do reach for a snack that’s not on the healthy side, but it will increase the enjoyment of the trip in general. Traveling is not much fun at all if poor eating habits have resulted in an upset stomach, lack of energy, indigestion, etc.
Avoid the negatives of the snacking don’ts by being aware of how habits change while on a common road trip. Keeping a handle on road trip snacking increases the chances that the trip itself will be a success as well as eliminating the temptation to “blame” the road trip for weight gain, mild stomach issues, etc. once the trip has been completed.
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