Summer Travel and Food Choices

Summer time is the time of travel and with it come long hours on the road, motel stays, scenic detours, and of course decisions on where to eat. I remember being a young kid and traveling with my parents and sister across the country to the east coast in a four day period. My father would drive ten hours or more in a day and we would take a rest stop tow or three times in a day. We would have breakfast in the morning before getting on the road, have lunch about five or six hours into the drive, and have a quick dinner before going to bed late at night. Unfortunately, we did not make the best meal decisions during the four day trek across the nation.

For just about every meal we had some sort of fast food. I remember having pancakes for breakfast and a burger for lunch and dinner. It was alright for the first day or two and then it started to take a toll on me. I remember not being able to fall asleep at night because I would end up getting severe indigestion. After a couple days, I could not even smell the fast food and not start feeling sick to my stomach. Sometimes it becomes too much of a 'good' thing.

So how can families make smart food choices while on a long summer road trip? First, don't eat at a fast food restaurant or any other restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It might be alright at first, but it will start to take a toll on the body. If you must eat at a restaurant, consider ordering healthy and nutritious options such as cereal or fruit with a cup of milk or orange juice. For lunch and dinner consider eating chicken Caesar salads, chicken (not fried), or rice with vegetables. If you can avoid eating at a restaurant, stop at a supermarket and purchase a loaf of bread, peanut butter, jelly, chips, granola bars, etc. You can purchase cheap paper plates and plastic silverware and eat in the car or just pull over at a rest stop. In the end, it will be cheaper to do it this way than eat at a restaurant three times a day. Think of it this way. The money that you save on food costs can go to filling your vehicle with gas. Follow these suggestions and you will feel energized and ready to get an early start on your travel.