Healthy food selection takes every vacation to another level

of rejuvenation and replenishment. The best part is when you eat good, healthy food, you feel better than ever. If you don’t believe me, give these tips a try on your next trip and see for yourself.

Clients who follow my tips for food and movement on vacation have come back to tell me that they’ve had the best vacation they can remember. Some even lose weight (although unintentionally). I’m never surprised because I’ve experienced it myself.

(Click here for my biggest tips on how to keep up your exercise while on vacation.)

1. Get a hotel room with a kitchen

and cook food from the local grocery stores, delis and mom-and-pop shops. It’s a great way to experience food like the locals. In Italy we shopped at the local farmers’ markets and got tips from the farmers on how to cook the food in real Italian style. You’ll save a ton of money, and you can buy healthy ingredients that allow you to keep the calories down to your level.  Now with VRBO and Airbnb you can rent an actual home or apartment and really feel like you’re living in the area.

2. Use the mini-refrigerator

in the hotel room. If you don’t have a kitchen, it’s a great place to keep foods like yogurt, cold drinks, milk, cheese and meats. If I have to, I take bottles out of the mini bar refrigerator and stock my own food inside. (Just make sure it’s not the kind of mini-bar fridge that charges you when you take out a bottle.)

3. Stock non-perishable foods

in your hotel room. Breakfast foods and healthy snacks are the easiest. Think dry oatmeal or grains, fruit and veggies. Place them on a shelf or even a dresser top for handy snacking and quick access to food in the morning and in between meals. One of my clients said the breakfasts she brought saved her $15 at the breakfast buffet every morning, and her food was better than what they were serving! (That’s not an uncommon experience, folks.)

4. Order vegetable side dishes

along with your restaurant meals. They pack a punch of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep you going on vacation. They fill you up and keep you satisfied with less calories – so you won’t need that extra slice of bread or pizza. As you may have noticed, most restaurant meals don’t come with vegetables so you’ve got to order them separately. But, whatever you do, make sure to ask the waiter how they’re cooked – even healthy sounding foods on the menu can deceive you.

5.  Become familiar with the serving sizes

of your top ten favorite foods. When you can estimate how many servings are put in front of you at a restaurant with some accuracy, it’s easier to eat one serving of pasta instead of four at a meal. And if they pour you two servings of wine instead of one, you can think about whether you want that second glass.

Don’t forget that vacation time is YOUR time

It’s a time for you to pay attention to your SELF.  It’s a time to treat yourself right in every way. If you forgo the healthy food and exercise, you’ll be missing the opportunity to truly feel AMAZING by the end.

Do you have any tried and true ways to make your vacation healthy?

Let me know in the comments below.

By the way, if you’re looking to

create balanced habits around nutrition and exercise you may be interested in my online group course MindBodyBlast (which will be opening up for students again very soon). I also offer coaching training through individual appointments. Or, you can simply subscribe to this blog for free, weekly tips on how to be healthy in a balanced way.