“You are on vacation, so save your
diet for when you get back.” This is what the cruise director told us the first
night of my cruise vacation – and it’s not the sort of advice I would dole out.
Because I’m on the cruise right now,
I thought it would be a good time to address eating well on vacation. Here are
my top five tips:
1) Be intuitive: No
doubt vacation is the time to eat differently. You are away from home and
experiencing different foods; most are more indulgent than you normally eat.
But there is no need to overeat at every meal.
Instead of trying to eat healthy or
stuffing yourself, enjoy the meals but notice feelings of hunger and satiety,
and stop when comfortably full. The good thing about vacations, like a cruise,
is there are plenty of chances to eat again.
2) Stay active:
Vacations are a great time to get in exercise. Not only does this help you feel
better, it keeps you moving more at a time you are probably eating more than
you normally world. And this doesn’t have to be gym workouts. Dance at night,
go for long walks, and simply find ways to move your body more.
3) Sneak in produce:
Look for opportunities to eat more fruits and vegetables, whether it is in your
hotel room or at a buffet or restaurant. For example, we are chomping on apples
and bananas in between meals instead of going for the overly filling snacks
here on the ship. This means we have good appetites for lunch and dinner.
4) Focus on variety: My
daughter keeps declaring that she wants donuts every morning, but I keep
reminding her about the importance of variety. So one day it might be donuts
but the next day is something else, like an omelet.
The more variety in food choices,
the more opportunities there are to up the nutrition and discover something
new. Thanks to this variety mantra, my daughter has added a few new foods to
her repertoire, like shrimp.
5. Enjoy
eating: For me, eating well is always about
enjoyment. So when it comes to vacation, I say take the time to eat quality
food, socialize, and focus on the wonderful meal someone else prepared. But
this is not about eating too much because you can, like the
cruise director implied, it’s about slowing down and paying attention.
I have to admit, by the end of vacation, I’m
always eager to get back to my normal eating routine. How do you eat on
vacation?
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