6 ways to fuel healthy road trips

William Branch and Lori Jones take many road trips with their son, 10, and 3-year-old daughter.

Recently the family drove about 3½ hours from their home in Bristow, Virginia, to visit family in Willingboro. Branch and Jones also make annual road trips to Orlando, Florida, to enjoy a magical family vacation in Disney World.

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“My husband likes to drive so we take a lot of road trips,” says Jones. “If it were up to me, we would fly everywhere.”

Jones says road trips can be difficult because she is always trying to plan ways to entertain her kids, especially her daughter who doesn't like to sit for long periods of time. Jones also worries about the kids receiving proper nutrition while driving to their destination.

“Eating on the road stinks,” she says. “If we are going to be health-conscious while on a road trip, I have to be proactive.”

Jones tries to pack healthier snacks, such as pretzels, water, apple juice and fruit. It's stopping fora meal that gets tricky, she says.

“Every sign you see on the road is for McDonald's or other fast-food places,” she says. “If you want a quality meal, you need to stop at a restaurant and that means a longer time off the road when we really just want to keep driving.”

Her husband also acknowledges that cookies, cupcakes and fast food can become unwanted detours on the road. But he has a strategy that helps ease the temptation.

“We do a lot of driving at night with the kids because they are asleep for most of the ride,” says Branch. “But it is not easy for everyone to do this because it can be difficult to stay awake.”

April Schetler, director of nutrition for Virtua, offers ideas for families to eat healthy while on the road or on vacation.

If you must stop for fast food, look for grilled options such as grilled chicken breast sandwiches or grilled fish, along with salads with lean protein and drinks that are not full of sugar. Another way to lighten up is to hold the cheese and mayo that come with many fast-food sandwiches.

“I would say the goal is to make healthful choices the majority of the time, whether we are on the road or not,” says Schetler, a registered dietitian. “I like to follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time we should focus on eating whole, fresh, colorful foods, the other 20 percent of the time we can have fun.”

Road trips can be seen by families as a time to eat anything they want, but Schetler warns the result of this is stomach aches, bloating, sluggishness and more. These feelings do not enhance anyone's vacation.

“Vacations are about splurges,” she says. “I challenge you to rethink the splurge a little. Try sleeping in late, staying up late, spoiling your kids a little more than usual, spending hours doing fun family things you never have time for — this is fun. The choices you make with your food while away are such a small part of what makes a vacation memorable.”

Schetler shares six ways to help keep families healthier while on the road:

1. Bring snacks — Schetler advises families to bring their own healthy snacks to enjoy when the munchies strike while driving. She suggests apples, nuts, bottles of flavored seltzer water or plain water, and other foods that don't need refrigeration but boost energy.

2. Share scrumptious sweets — “Enjoy a dessert together as a family,” she says. “If eating on the go, choose one dessert off the menu and share it. Everyone gets to enjoy a treat without packing on the extra calories and sugar found in most sweets.”

3. Keep exercising — Long hours in the car can lead to stiff joints and sleepy passengers, says Schetler. Keep exercising and moving while having fun, by turning rest stops into a game. “Stop every 100 miles and do 10 jumping jacks,” she says. “Stop every 50 miles and walk for five minutes to shake out those legs. It doesn't have to be boring, getting everyone involved will make it fun.”

4. Be picky when ordering fast food — Choose lighter menu items to ward off the sluggishness that comes with fat- and salt-laden meals, says Schetler. Most chain restaurants offer grilled chicken or fish sandwiches, salads with lean proteins such as eggs or chicken, yogurt and fruit parfaits and more.

5. Watch portions — “When we are on road trips we naturally eat out a lot,” says Schetler. “Restaurants have many offerings that sound like a great deal – bottomless fries, over-sized sodas, desserts with meals, etc. While bottomless fries sound like a great idea, they won't taste any better if you have 100 or 10. Enjoy some and move on. Keep portions in check by choosing normal/standard-size menu items and resist thinking that more is better.”

6. Say no to “extras” — Try to choose just one “extra” during meal time, she says. Instead of having an appetizer, cocktail and dessert with your meal, just select one of these items. “We probably don't need all of them, but there's nothing wrong with choosing one,” says Schetler.

More information 

Registered dietitians at Virtua offer healthy living advice. Call (888) VIRTUA-3.