Healthy diet habits while on vacation

Planning to travel anytime soon? These tips will help you stay fit even when you are on the go

Travelling calories don't count, but it's essential to keep yourself in shape. Working out has become more of a lifestyle than any leisure activity. It indeed gets difficult to maintain timely eating habits. But there are always some ways out if you are willing to choose healthily. Dietician and nutritionist Sakina Mustansir shares few ways to keep a balanced diet:

Try to cook your own meal:

There is an old saying, "your mood changes when you eat according to the person's mood who made it.” Even when you cook unhealthy food, it becomes healthy when it's made at home. It's always convenient to carry food from home rather than eating at roadside vendors or unhygienic food.

Stay hydrated:

No amount of soft drinks or hard drinks will subside the need for water in our body. Research shows when you are dehydrated; it results in forced hunger cravings. You confuse hunger with thirst and get sugary food cravings or indulge in binge eating. Drinking water before every meal cuts the portion size, and you end up intaking fewer calories. Don’t skip breakfast:

Most people don't eat breakfast while travelling, which makes them more lethargic. If you eat a healthy breakfast, your body fills up the nutrients and proteins it requires for the day and starves the carvings off. Buffet breakfast is a trap, don't indulge in overeating either. Cater to the energy your body needs at the moment. Always aim for a good healthy breakfast so as to avoid hunger pangs and binging on unhealthy snacks later during the day. —IANS

Avoid sugary beverages:

The calories in drinks are more reactive than the calories in solid food. Being on vacation doesn't mean your liver is on vacation as well. Cutting on calories or alcohol fat is more difficult than cutting down the vacation fat. Avoid sodas as much as possible.

Stick to the local cuisine:

Usually, the most authentic local cuisine also happens to be the healthiest. So while travelling, always try the country's authentic cuisine rather than fast food joints and processed foods. This will not only keep you healthy and give you more energy to explore, but you will have an opportunity to taste different cuisines and experience their culture.

Don’t stress about treats:

Give yourself a break, don't keep a count on everything you eat. You always end up eating more if you stress about what you eat all the time. Having a healthy relationship with what you eat is important.