Feel Better and Travel More Through Nutrition

If you are like many Americans, you probably don’t travel as often as you would like. This is common for many reasons, including concerns about your health and wellness. If you would like to travel more, but rarely feel healthy enough to truly enjoy your trip, perhaps your diet is to blame. Examining your diet and making healthy changes could be enough for you to feel better and be more comfortable being away from home.

Eating the Right Vegetables

If you think that you don’t really like vegetables and avoid them in your diet, you are not alone. In 2015, the CDC estimated that less than 10% of Americans get their recommended vegetable intake. Even those who eat plenty of vegetables are often eating the ones that provide the least nutrition, such as starchy white potatoes, or reducing the nutrition content through cooking with too much butter and oil. It is best to use caution when cooking with fats so that you don’t overdo it, and be careful not to overcook your vegetables, which can break down healthy components in your veggies as well as make them less appetizing to eat. If you are not sure which ones are the healthiest to eat, try buying more leafy greens and related vegetables such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

Choosing Fruits Carefully

Many people think of fruits as an “easy” way to get their nutrition, but this can be a bit misleading. While many fruits have lots of vitamins and minerals, many are also packed with sugar. Fruit with high sugar includes favorites such as apples, bananas, and grapes. While you should definitely still include fruit in your diet for the fiber and antioxidants, try substituting some options with a lower sugar content such as coconuts or raspberries. Not only will your body appreciate the reduction in sugar, you’ll also likely avoid a few extra calories this way, which is an added bonus if you’re trying to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

Recognizing Healthier Meats

The nutrition advice regarding meat is sometimes confusing since so many different sources seem to offer differing opinions. The good news is that meat can certainly be included in a healthy diet, including often-disparaged red meat. The important part of eating healthy meat and fish is to pay attention to how it is sourced. If you enjoy fish, pay attention to whether it is farmed or wild caught, and opt for wild, which is better for your health. Likewise, chicken, pork, and beef can be eaten as long as you pay attention. Most meat today is grain fed, which is not only unhealthy for the cows and chickens, it also results in a less nutritious meat for you. On the other hand, grass fed beef has less fat, more healthy fatty acids and vitamins. Watch the labels, and try to only purchase meat that has been fed properly and fish that has been caught in the wild.

Avoiding Junk Foods

While nearly every diet known to man advises against “junk food,” the definition of the term seems to vary depending on which nutritionist, doctor, or health columnist you ask. If you are feeling confused, remember that there are plenty of foods that almost everyone can agree you should try to avoid. First, avoid sugar wherever possible, especially in over-sweetened beverages such as sodas and sweet teas. Most can agree that this includes simple carbohydrates like those you find in potatoes, white bread, white rice, and pasta. Then, focus your diet on plants. More green vegetables and low-sugar fruits in your diet will fill you up more easily than other types of food while providing you with more nutrition.

Once you adjust your diet to include less “junk” food and more healthy options, you will notice your health, and possibly your mood, improve. Once you begin your nutrition journey, you will have more energy for the things you love, including planning your next vacation, without worrying about whether your weight or poor health will prevent you from enjoying yourself.