Road trip: Skip The Fast Food And Bring A Healthy Snack

You drive anywhere in North America and you will spot a McDonalds along with several other fast food chains bunched up together on the side of a highway. You look around but no healthy restaurants are in sight. Where are the healthy restaurants? Apparently they do not exist. If you are a health freak like me this is really inconvenient. Making healthy choices is extremely difficult in fast food joints since salads are made into a handful of lettuce with mostly fried chicken and high calorie dressing or oatmeal is mixed with several spoonfuls of sugar and added preservatives. No wonder more and more North Americans are becoming obese!

This is my advice: Don’t waste your money and calories on Fast Food chains. Prepare something at home for the trip so you are satisfied with your options.  Here is a list of quick pre-made meals or snacks that you can bring with you on a road trip to satisfy your hunger:

 SNACKS

•  Almonds and blueberries – Blueberries are known to be an excellent source of antioxidants, but they are also known to be a good source of dietary fiber and can protect us from aging! Almonds are just as nutritious with plenty of vitamin E and potassium and can help prevent heart disease. 
• Apples, cauliflower and raw broccoli – Like the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away! Apples not only enhance dental hygiene but can help prevent heart disease. Apples, cauliflower, and broccoli are low calorie snacks and can be eaten any time and anywhere.
•  Grapes with cottage cheese – Make your bones stronger with cottage cheese! Eating only a half a cup of cottage cheese can help prevent osteoporosis. Grapes are a low calorie snack high in bioflavonoids which can reduce risks of cancer and stroke.
•  Oatmeal with fat free yogurt and strawberries – Oats are an excellent source of fiber and contain several other important source of nutrients such as iron, vitamin E, and vitamin B. This almost perfect carb reduces your cholesterol as well as blood pressure. Note: Try to reduce the amount of sugar you add to the oats.
•  Banana and three tablespoons of peanut butter – Peanut butter is a healthy fat that should be added to your diet. It is rich in Vitamin E and potassium. Bananas are rich in potassium as well as fiber and combines well with peanut butter.

 MEALS

• Turkey (ground lean) sandwich with lettuce and mustard
• Whole grain pasta with spinach, tuna, and tomato sauce
•   Zucchini, cucumber, and onions added with couscous
•  Omelet (with three egg whites and one whole egg) added with green peppers, tomato, onions, and spinach
•  Tuna sandwich with ONLY one tablespoon of mayonnaise with a piece of lettuce.

Try just this once not to add any extra ingredients to the list. Eating simple and basic foods is what we need now more than ever. ENJOY!

If you want to know a good snack size or have any questions about preparing any meals listed above, feel free to leave a comment below.