I was asked by a client if I could advise what would be the healthier choices to make when on holiday....my initial thought was, just go and enjoy the holiday. However, I appreciate that if you have been making steady progress and don't want to derail yourself, then having a few common sense "rules" in place never hurts. Equally if you travel a lot whether, for pleasure or work, sometimes just having these ground rules can help.
Oftentimes with holidays, weekends away or simply dining out...trying to "stay on track" can feel impossible as you become daunted by choice and with no actual idea of what the calorific content of things are. (Unless you have been meticulously tracking your food via My Fitness Pal or similar)
I love food as much as the next person so, if I am trying to watch my meal choices, I usually aim for a dish which has a high protein content and is colourful:
Protein
Meat - (Free range/organic ) Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Any Fish (try to avoid farmed or purse seine fish)
Vegetarian/Vegan - Tofu, Seitan, Quorn etc
Cooking method;
Grilled, flash fried, sauvide/poached, oven baked
Carbs:
Go colourful and you can't go wrong (green, orange, red, yellow) think green leafy veg, peppers, tomatoes etc
Fats:
Such as Avocado, Tahini, Walnuts, Dark chocolate, Chia seeds, sardines/mackerel (obvs protein as well) full fat natural yoghurt
The protein based part of the meal should allow you to feel satiated and therefore not feel the need to reach for more.
Try to avoid (and this is purely if you are trying to stay on track I'm not saying these are "bad" foods in general but rather extra calories that are not necessarily as nutritionally beneficial)
Sauces:
Using a base of butter, cream or coconut milk*
*Whilst coconut milk alone in small quantities is very beneficial to you, consuming high quantities in something like a curry isn't great due to the sugar content
Anything deep fried (flash fried is fine)
Obviously alcohol holds a huge number of calories as well so a good way to offset this slightly is to drink water in between drinks or avoid alcohol altogether.
Fizzy drinks, those extra sides and sadly those rather yummy desserts!
You may eat more, you may not. You may gain or lose weight. You may actually find your body feels stronger when it returns to training,
as you have put your body into a rest and relax state rather than the constant "on" stress mode that can affect how we hold onto weight.
So be mindful, but don't let food and drink be the thing to stress about and ruin your holiday. Enjoy yourself!
