Awesome tips for a healthy low-carb road trip. These will make it easy to stay low carb these holidays.
Because if you're travelling, it might just undo all your hard work.
Discover the tricks to snacking and eating on a road trip and the best items to order at a fast food restaurant.
Going on a road trip doesn’t have to spell disaster for your low-carb diet or your keto diet. With a bit of planning, eating healthy low-carb is actually pretty easy! Here are 5 tips for a healthy road trip, and 5 snack ideas - enjoy!
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Tip #1 - How to prep meals and snacks
The easiest way to be prepared is to organise your foods and snacks ahead of time. Pack a cooler full of healthy snacks like cheese, boiled eggs, deli meat, nuts and more.
What’s easier (and more delicious) than an avocado cut in half with a tin/can of tuna?
Sprinkle some macadamia nuts and salt over the top and you’re done.
Scroll below for my top 5 healthy snack options.
Tip #2 - Does your route help?
If you rely on gas stations and rest stops for snacks, you’ll quickly get bored of your options.
Before you embark on your road trip, see what restaurants and shops with low-carb options are along your route.
You can use apps like Google Maps to plan your route via your favourite restaurants or stores.
This is a great way to explore AND stay low-carb!
Tip #3 - What are the best menu options?
You might not have any other option other than stopping at a fast food restaurant. If this is the case, it’s important to be prepared and know HOW to order your meal, low-carb style.
Some burger joints or sandwich shops will do burgers or sandwiches wrapped in lettuce. This is a great low-carb option! If it’s not on the menu, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Other well-known sandwich chains, will allow you to ask for a "naked" sandwich - AKA a salad. They are HUGE and will keep you filled for hours. Remember to ask them to load up with the cheese, meat and olive oil.
You can also focus on salads at fast-food restaurants. Choose one with grilled chicken or steak, plenty of leafy greens and make sure you choose a sugar-free dressing.
Aioli, mayonnaise or extra virgin olive oil poured over the top will keep your body fuelled until the next meal. Do NOT choose the sticky sweet sauces.
Tip #4 - Does drinking help?
Sometimes cravings or hunger are just your body’s way of telling you that it’s dehydrated.
Make sure to bring along plenty of water or your own refillable water bottle.
While it may be tempting to choose other options like coffee, soda or juice, water will keep you hydrated and is the healthiest option.
Add lemon or lime if you want a bit of flavor. Cucumber slices and a cinnamon stick are an amazing way to jazz up water.
Tip #5 - Can you cheat on a road trip?
Road trips are supposed to be fun and exciting! If there’s a stop along the way with something delicious and not low-carb, it’s ok to indulge a little bit.
The key, however, is a little bit.
Don’t let one slip-up turn into an entire week off your low-carb plan. The more you splurge, the more your body will crave sugar and make it harder to return home to your usual healthy eating habits.
Don’t let one-week off-plan, ruin possibly months of your hard work.
5 BEST snacks to pack
1. Nuts
Nuts are easy to pack and easy to find on the road too. You can find nut packets in any gas/petrol station or convenience store. Make sure to check the nutrition label for any added ingredients. Go for lower carb nuts such as macadamias, almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Avoid cashews.
Read my Ultimate Guide To Carbs In Nuts. The good, the bad and the ugly.
2. Hard-boiled eggs
While your road trip buddies might not like the smell, this is one of the best snack options. Eggs are packed with nutrients, healthy fats and protein. Focusing on adding protein to your diet will keep you satiated longer, meaning less hunger and cravings.
Why not make my Paleo Scotch Eggs? These pack a mean protein punch without having to rely on heavily processed protein powders.
3. Crunchy crackers
If you still want that crunchy texture to snack on while on the road, make your own and store in airtight zip lock bags. You know if you buy a bag of regular processed crackers or crisps, they will disappear before your very eyes, leaving you wanting more.
Why not make some wheat-free crackers or Fathead cheesy crackers. These will certainly keep you fuller longer and is a great on-the-go snack option.
4. Canned tuna or salmon
This is a great option because it does not have to be refrigerated. You can eat it on its own, or combine with vegetable slices for a nutritious, low-carb and protein-filled snack.
Check for sneaky hidden ingredients and sugar in added sauces. It’s best to choose tuna in olive oil or water and avoiding those packed with sunflower oil or canola oil.
Read this article to see which are the healthiest oils to eat and cook with.
5. Veggies
While you’re making vegetable slices for your canned tuna or chicken, why not make some stuffed baby peppers or some courgette fritters in your chiller bag? You can also dip your veggies into some homemade guacamole! Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds for some extra crunch.
BEST things to order at fast food restaurants
Let's be realistic. When your are travelling with friends and family, there will be a time when you want to order take out, fast food and enjoy a restaurant meal. But what should you order? What fast food menus do you need to avoid?
Once you have been on your keto diet for some time, you will instinctively learn how to nail eating keto at restaurants. Maybe keto Mexican food is your favourite food? Maybe it's a bun-less burger? Whatever it is, these are the best guides to help you stay keto and enjoy a healthy low-carb road trip.
- 6 tips to nail eating low-carb or keto at restaurants
- Keto Chipotle: The best low-carb menu options
- The ultimate fast food guide
How to dine out and stay keto Best Chipotle low-carb options
Final thoughts
Travelling doesn’t have to lead to unhealthy snacks and splurges.
With a bit of planning and meal prep, you can have a great road trip full of healthy and low-carb options.
And if you're off to sleep under the stars, I have a keto camping food list for you too.
Have fun and bon voyage!
Please leave a comment with your favourite snacks you take for a healthy low-carb road trip.
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5 Tips For A Healthy Low-Carb Road Trip -
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Stephanie Spencer
Hello. I am very new to learning the keto lifestyle Any ideas on snacks and meals with a picky 4 year old during out of town, all day events :-/
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
Hi Stephanie, come and join my Low-Carb Lunch Box Hacks group, you can see what I pack for my kids and hubby. The group is full of ideas, tips and tricks too.
Tim Yaotome
I completely agree that one can avoid eating carbs on a trip by eating more veggie-filled dishes such as stuffed baby peppers or courgette fritters. Aside from these, would choosing a restaurant's all-veggie items help? Eating like this will help everyone get rid of the toxins they absorbed from the air during the trip.
Libby www.ditchthecarbs.com
It really depends on the vegetarian dish offered. So many are high-carb as they are based on pasta, rice, bread etc. If you chose a vegetarian frittata for example, brilliant, but if it was vegetarian tomato pasta dish, then it's not offering much in the way of nutrition or vegetables.
Yoshiko Flora
Thanks for the heads up to ask whether one can get their sandwich or burger wrapped in lettuce to eat healthier on a road trip. In my opinion, one can stay fit when eating out by choosing restaurants whose dishes feature a lot of greens. That way, one can get enough energy to power through the trip while giving their bodies a needed detox at the same time.
Emilu
Thank you for this post! I'm very new to the keto lifestyle, and am going on a roadtrip for a wedding over a weekend soon. I needed a few tips and tricks of how to geth through it without major slip-ups!
Bonnie
Last year when we took a combination train/car road trip, I bought the single sering size of tuna in packets. No cans, no draining, no can opener needed. I also took Epic meat bars & individual packets of mayonnaise.
IBikeNYC
I feel like an idiot, but it never would have occurred to me to buy those individual tuna packets!
Thanks for a great idea 🙂