Eating clean and healthy while in the middle of a road trip can be a struggle for most. With limited options and the presence of fast food joints everywhere, trying to avoid falling into a fast food habit can be quite daunting for those who live out of their cars.
However, James Lynch is an exception. He was able to drive over 15,000 miles in four months and still ate healthy.
How did he manage to do it, though? Here are some tips to still get enough nutrients for your body while going on a road adventure.
Get the Right Gear
Your meals are only as good as your cooking equipment. Before setting out on the road, put together a simple yet flexible kitchen set-up that you could use for all your meals.
James brought with him a two-burner tailgating stove and a backpacking stove. He threw in lightweight aluminum pots and a cast-iron pan to the mix as these can be easily cleaned with a paper towel. He also packed a plastic plate and bowl set, a small paring knife, a small cutting board, and a rubber. His 20-liter cooler was also useful to store food and drinks. He just stopped over at gas stations and grocery stores along the way to replenish the ice.
Keep Breakfast Meals Easy-Breezy
A simple meal like James’ go-to breakfast of cold yogurt with granola can be a good option to make your breakfast fast and easy. From time to time, try out breakfast meals that don’t require that much prepping or cooking.
As a tip, James suggests using single-serve yogurt packs as large containers (although cheaper) have the tendency to spill inside the cooler. To make the yogurt more filling, add in some granola and fruits that don’t need to be refrigerated. Strawberries, kiwis, apples, and oranges can last a day or two.
Go Light on Lunch
Lunchtime is your chance to get those leafy greens in. While on the road, it can be difficult to keep veggies from wilting. Even if you have a cooler, your greens can spill into the water and end up getting soggy.
James recommends stopping over roadside restaurants or stores like Walmart that offer prepared veggies. If you’re in a smaller town, finding at least one salad dish on the menu of a local brewery or pub is the next best thing. James kept peanut butter and jelly, bread, and cans of tuna with him so that he won’t have to devour a hamburger.
Have Soup for Dinner
After hours of sitting behind the wheel, you might not have that much energy or patience to cook. If you’re in that mood, go for a simple hot bowl of vegetable-rich soup for dinner.
To make it more satisfying, James made a cup of quinoa and poured the canned soup over it. If he did heavy physical activity during the day, he added in a pouch of bone broth for his protein needs.
Keep Healthy Snacks Ready
Apparently, having healthy snacks at arm’s reach inside the car can help you veer away from that fast food drive-thru. Vegetables that are durable are the perfect options. During his four-month adventure, James ate bell peppers like they were apples and munched on a handful of carrots when he felt hungry in between meals.
If he craved for something sweet or salty, his bag of almonds or a bite of dark chocolate did the trick.
