For those who have travel-friendly jobs and require frequent flying or long-distance driving, the thought of having a healthy and well-balanced diet often goes right out of the window. But, we can still adopt a healthy lifestyle by incorporating a few changes into our eating habits.

Here is a few tips on how to eat a healthy and balanced diet without adding too many calories, even while traveling:

Stock up on healthy snacks on the go:

While packing, you can make sure that you carry enough healthy snacks in case of food cravings. According to Dr. David Katz, Director of Yale Griffith Disease Prevention Research Center, we often approach the food environment passively, and we do not apply the same logic that we do to other aspects of the environment. He suggests that just like we take preventive steps in the case of bad weather, we should also stock up on healthy and low-fat snacks in the case we get hungry during the journey. We can include wholesome snacks for our cravings like granola bars, nuts, or even fresh fruit. 

By adding these healthy snacks in your travel bag, you can have control on what you eat and diet efficiently. These options will help curb hunger pains during transit, prevent you from frequently visiting fast food joints, and also help you keep in shape by providing a feeling of fullness without the burden of extra calories.

Stay hydrated throughout the day:

Most of us mistake thirst for hunger and end up overindulging in fattening and calorie rich food. To prevent this mistake, we should increase our liquid intake such that it does not negatively affect our weight. The Mayo Clinic recommends that one should drink at least 12 glasses of water each day to stay hydrated efficiently throughout the day. While men should roughly drink about 12-13 glasses, women can drink up to 9-10 glasses of water to prevent overeating. Hence, always keep a large bottle of water handy and sip from it constantly.

Stay physically active:

Just because you are on the move, it does not mean that you should leave out physical activity from your routine. It is recommended to indulge in physical activity of at least 30 minutes every day for 5 days a week to keep our bodies healthy and fit.

Simple exercises, like pull-ups, running, or even a walk, will help you burn calories and stay in shape easily. While the diet does its bit by avoiding those extra calories, by being physically active on a regular basis, we quicken the process of weight loss.

Hence, by taking a few steps every day and indulging in healthy eating habits, we can diet even during a travel job and stay in shape a lot more effortlessly.

References:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/healthy_living/getting_fit/hic_Maintaining_a_Healthy_Weight/hic_The_Very_Best_Way_To_Lose_Weight_and_Keep_It_Off (accessed on 3/2/2015)

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/hydration/artid/How-to-eat-and-drink-healthily-when-travelling (accessed on 3/2/2015)

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/Anatomy/your-digestive-system/Pages/anatomy.aspx (accessed on 3/2/2015)

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/78/3/660S.full (accessed on 3/2/2015)

Helpful Peer-Reviewed Medical Articles:

DeFrank, R. S., Konopaske, R., & Ivancevich, J. M. (2000). Executive travel stress: Perils of the road warrior. The Academy of Management Executive, 14(2), 58-71.

Welch, D. E., & Worm, V. (2006). 15 International business travellers: a challenge for IHRM. Handbook of research in international human resource management, 283.

Welch, T. F., & Mishra, S. (2014). Envisioning an emission diet: application of travel demand mechanisms to facilitate policy decision making. Transportation, 41(3), 611-631.