Summertime is the ideal road trip season. If you’re heading out of Chicagoland and preparing for a nutritional road kit, read through this list of the best road trips snacks to power through the drive.
Humankind eats the year away in cycles. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve to Valentine’s Day involves a sweet season with all sorts of temptations. We enjoy the seasons as they come and indulge in every experience that they bring. Summertime is the sunny, hot season, with prime opportunities for adventure and burning calories. Enjoyable weather may lessen the need for comfort food, but nutritional common sense is still important. If adventure awaits you and your family on a road trip, it’s best to prepare for what lies on the journey ahead.
Quality snacking on the go is the epitome of a road trip. Road trips are connected with lack of activity, confinement and lack of functional food if you don’t prepare a nutritional food kit. Regardless of whether you’re spending hours or days in your vehicle during your trip, food and beverages are an integral component of time spent on the road. Don’t forget a cooler to keep beverages cold and opened packages safe.
Food trip kits should be designed to control moods, supply energy, reduce excess fat-producing calories and provide hydration. You should also pay attention to how various foods affect your need to use the toilet. If you are taking guests on your trip, make sure you ask them about allergies, and simply what foods are good for them. You might want to offer to bring their food for them to avoid any guest bringing some nasty surprise — or just ask for the sake of supervision.
To avoid the striking hunger of a snack attack, we’ve compiled a list of healthy road trip snacks to get you through any drive. No need to run into the nearest convenience store near the exit for sugary or salty staples. Here’s what you need to know about the ultimate snack selection.
Skip the Chips: Go Nutty
Chips are the superior embodiment of snack time but don’t rank high health-wise. Chip often bring high salt, and will affect your hydration. More fluid needs results in more bathroom trips. Chips can be messy too. For a road trip, you should skip the chips and focus on all things nuts — low sodium. Consider these absolutely nutty fun facts and know that those without allergies can’t go wrong with popping open a bag of their favored nuts or seeds.
Peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and more are excellent combos of healthy fats and proteins. However, don’t get too out of control with portion sizes when chowing down. This snacking is always best in moderation.
Finger-Friendly Fruits or Veggies
Boredom road-trip snackers should reach for fruits or veggies—you can go to town on these munchies for miles and miles and not feel like a nibbling criminal. Any fruit or veggie will do but keep a few considerations in mind. Stick with produce that isn’t messy, won’t bruise easily, and won’t stain if you drop it in the car because let’s face it, mishaps happen. Carrots and celery with some cream cheese or other cheese are a plus. Juicy pears, overripe bananas, and splotchy berries are best to avoid if possible.
Freeze-dried and dehydrated fruits are a just-as-yummy alternative that adds a nice crunch and doesn’t spoil quickly. Consider fresh vegetables, baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, and grape tomatoes at the top of the list. If you or any kids in the vehicle aren’t a fan of straight-up veggies, pack some dippers such as hummus, tahini, ranch, or guacamole.
Energy Bars Over Candy Bars
You may have fond vacation memories of your youth when your parents let you have candies and fun treats in the car. While there’s nothing wrong with a go-to special treat for the road, granola bars, energy bars or protein bars are the best healthy road trip snacks to get you through any drive. Protein bars can help keep blood glucose levels, which prevents moodiness, hunger craving, and encourages mental alertness.
Other Protein Sources
You can even make your own protein bars made of peanut butter and nuts and some chocolate to boost the protein and fiber intake and lower the sugar trap of pre-made bars. Don’t forget about the standard peanut butter sandwich with honey or a light application of grape, blackberry or strawberry jam. Tuna or chicken pouches, such as Tuna Creation also make a great source of protein without any mess.
Hydration
Water bottles, Gatorade, are Pedialyte Sport are good examples (instead of colas and other soft drinks) to keep you hydrated and fresh with a good balance of electrolytes.
Avoid Surprises
Be careful when you select food you’ve never eaten before. An unfamiliar protein bar mixed with other unfamiliar food could have a laxative effect and be a disaster in the middle of nowhere on a road trip. Other foods, especially those connected to a sudden increase in consumption of cheese could cause constipation, which might not be a problem on the road trip, but could be a problem at your destination. Be careful about excess hydration to avoid too many needs for rest stops, or plan your hydration and rest stop availability carefully.
With the plethora of nibbling options available, these hearty road trip snacks are sure to please any palate. Hit the highway with some of these mighty morsels to keep everyone full and satisfied on your summertime jaunts and excursions. Eating and drinking right during a trip will reduce the chance of being exhausted at your destination, too.
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