Those who have tried a paleo lifestyle understand that once you go paleo moving back becomes a challenge. It is such a great lifestyle that you would want to carry it along when you travel to different parts of the world. But the biggest challenge comes when you have to stick to your paleo diet yet the places you visit don’t assure you of getting the ingredients or items needed to guarantee the preparation of a complete paleo meal.
However, this should not hinder you from sticking to your paleo diet when you travel as there are many solutions you could embrace to make it easy for you to survive. D. Scott Carruthers, a food expert, and a professional travel photographer has been offering solutions to help travelers stick to a paleo diet and take amazing photographs. He today shares some of the most useful tips you could embrace to make your dream paleo diet a reality even when traveling.
Pack your meals
The first suggestion when it comes to sticking to a paleo diet is packing your meals when you travel. This is a good idea especially when you are not traveling to a place you will stay for a long period. Snacks come in handy in cases of emergencies, and among things you might want to try are granola bars. They are arguably better than sweets as they contain refined grains and little sugar. But instead of just opting for snacks, you could carry your preserved meat.
You can dry your meat and salt it well to prepare it for long periods of storage, and this also comes as a perfect choice for a paleo meal. However, make sure to check the ingredients list to ensure the things included in the packaged foods you carry are perfectly in line with your needs to have a complete paleo dinner. There is always that first option of getting the food that can last you a specified period so you can later think about getting other meals in the destination you travel to, of course after researching to know what is available to make a complete paleo meal. So, instead of just waiting for the day to come without the right food with you, carry enough for few days so you can research while you also continue taking the right ingredients.
For someone just out on a short trip and would not need food that will stay fresh for a long period, you will be good with hard-boiled eggs. They can remain edible for several hours if you keep them at room temperature. The benefit is that these are highly nutritious and a perfect low-salt option for those who would not want to consume jerky food. You might also consider packing some canned olives, bottles of water, and packs of nut butter depending on the type of place you will be traveling to.
Eating out
As much as you might want to prepare your food when you travel you are not certain you will have enough to last you the entire time you will be on the journey. You might need to pop into one or two restaurants for a meal, and since you are committed to keeping it paleo, things might turn out challenging when the place you are visiting is not cultured to taking a paleo diet. When that is the dilemma, you need to research a lot about the area and restaurants available to know the meals you are likely to get once you arrive.
Many restaurants offer custom menus where you are allowed to request for a meal to be prepared according to your preferences, so you could take advantage of this to ensure you enjoy a full paleo meal that is prepared to your specifications. You are advised to place your orders in advance, so your food is prepared before you arrive. It also allows those preparing it to source for the ingredients that might not be within reach. If you plan on photographing your meals in the restaurants, make sure that the lighting isn’t subpar.
If you have a smartphone, install the Paleo Go Go app. It will help you search for good restaurants where you can eat out, and it also gives you food recommendations that suit your preferences. Foursquare and Yelp are also other resourceful options that you will find if you take time to go through the user reviews on the platforms. Just keep a list of options that you understand can be useful for your paleo needs so you will not need to stress about getting exhausted. If this option fails, check with different restaurants to see if they can allow you to customize your menu or prepare what you want to take.
On long trips away
When traveling for a long period, you should strive to find a solution to help you cook your food to avoid failing to adhere to your schedule. One perfect choice you could embrace in this case is long-stay apartments because they offer kitchenettes and cooking facilities, so you can quickly do your meals according to the way you want them to be. You could also get good facilities at some hotels that will allow you to do your meals while staying in there.
If your travel includes staying in someone’s home, you should alert them about your idea of sticking to a paleo diet so when you arrive; you don’t inconvenience them with having to push them into getting something different when they have already prepared food. Giving this information in advance will also help them look for the all the ingredients they don’t have so you can get a complete supply of what you need to prepare your paleo meals. After all the options you have failed, you should compromise a bit, but make sure you take foods you can tolerate. Go for foods that are not reactive and closely related to your paleo choices to fill the gap for the time you will be away.