EATING CLEAN AWAY FROM HOME - By Patti Lawson

Vacation. A break from work, a break from our regular routines. A time to relax, refresh, regroup. Time spent with family and friends doing things that we love and discovering new places and new adventures; there’s nothing like it! But…..what do we do about food??? This question comes up every day with our nutrition clients and so often we hear, “well, I’m going on vacation so who knows what I’ll eat this week.”

For years I would go away on vacation and although I was in the process of changing my diet to a super clean, whole foods diet, I would throw it all out the window for a week and eat like the “old me”.  As the years went on and my new way of eating became a permanent lifestyle, I started to “stick with it” while traveling and I have found that it is pretty easy to do in most circumstances. 

If you’re on a vacation where you are eating out, there’s good food to be had and in this age of food allergies and sensitivities, restaurants are more willing than ever to respond to special requests. If you are renting a beach house or camping in the mountains and making your own food, take advantage of local produce stands and stock up on tons of fresh vegetables. Fire up the grill, make some salads and you’ve got quick, easy healthy meals. 

Think about how you feel when you’re eating really well and working out; you feel amazing, right? What better time to feel your absolute best than while on vacation; most of us are lucky to get at least one week away a year, why not feel your best that week?!

Another great incentive to continue eating well while away is that it’s nice to come home from vacation without 5-10 pounds as a souvenir! Your metabolism works way better without tons of processed foods, sugars and refined carbohydrates being consumed for sure and the effect of those foods on your energy and your digestion are not what you want when you’re trying to have some fun! 

Below are a few pictures from the photo food log that I kept while in Mexico with my family last week. Delicious fresh whole foods accompanied by some wine and beer and even a little tequila…because it’s all about realfood_reallife which is the name of my instagram page; follow me if you’re not already and join me on this awesome journey!

Patti Lawson and Ryan Hansen are available for nutrition consultations we will discuss the best way implement real food into your real life!