Drive to Survive (Your Diet) – Healthy eating on the road

How do you feel after a long car trip? Tired? Irritated? Car sick? Next time you’re on the road, take stock of what you eat. Although it often seems the logical option, fast-food is likely to make the ill-effects of lengthy car travel worse than they need to be.

Eating healthily on the road can take some preparation - but if you don't have time before you leave, there are some tricks you can rely on along the road. Often a supermarket can be just as fast a food-fix as a burger joint, and getting out of the car to stretch your legs rather than going to a drive-through has to be a bonus. Even if it takes another five minutes of your time, alternatives to fast-food are bound to make your car trip a more pleasant one. Take a look at these ideas.

Read more :

• Lunch box
• Deli delights
• Picnic perfect
• Best fast food options

Lunch box

A lunch in a box is a good idea, but it doesn’t have to be greasy, fried, or come in a box labelled 'Happy Meal'! Plenty of foods make an interesting and healthy snack box for the road.

Dried fruit – Get adventurous! Sultanas and apricots aren’t the only dried fruits around. Try dried pears, peaches, apples, dates, prunes, mango and papaya. Skip the banana chips as these are cooked in oil and are high in saturated fat. Also avoid fruit leathers that have added sugars.

Fresh fruit – Apples, oranges, and grapes make the best travelling fruits because they don’t bruise easily, but if you plan on eating your fruit early in your journey try plums, pears or bananas as well. And of course, if you’re feeling extra harried, you can buy tubs of pre-cut fruit salad!

Nuts & seeds – Nuts make a great snack for the road as they’re extremely filling. Raw nuts are your healthiest option, but roasted, unsalted nuts are also a good choice. Watch your portion sizes, and skip the flavoured or coated styles.

Snack bars – Not all “nutrition” bars are nutritious so make sure you read the labels before you choose. Watch out for bars that are high in fat, calories and sugar - many so-called 'healthy' snack bars are actually comparable to chocolate bars in nutritional value.

Baby carrots – A bag of baby carrots or some celery sticks are great for munching on, especially if you might be snacking due to boredom!

Cheese – Surprisingly, some cheeses keep very well for a day without refrigeration. Choose hard cheeses like cheddar, romano, or Swiss. Wrap them tightly in cloth or waxed paper to stop them sweating, or pack them in a cooler with freezer bricks.

Peanut butter and crackers – Take the jar or fill a mini plastic container with peanut butter. Put a few plain rice crackers or other reduced-fat crackers for dipping into a snap-lock bag and you’ve got a snack fit for any peanut-butter-nutter! Other nut butters like almond or cashew are also good.

Tuna lunch-packs – You can now find ready-to-eat tuna snack packs in supermarkets that contain tuna and crackers all in one package. These provide a high protein snack that helps stop those hunger pangs.

Water – No need to stop for litres of soft drink if you’ve packed water beforehand. If it’s warm weather, try freezing a few bottles before you go – they’ll melt through the day but keep cold. (Don’t forget to leave a few centimetres at the top of the bottles before you freeze them.) If it's cool and rainy, consider packing a Thermos® of hot water so you can stop for cups of tea or hot water and lemon.