Driving for more than a couple of hours can be exhausting. Sun glare, traffic, and endless highway miles make for a driver who is fatigued, irritable and easily distracted. Maintain your focus by eating power foods to improve not only your concentration, but your mood as well. Keep your cool by getting cheap auto insurance before heading out, so you can feel confident as you traverse the miles.
Road trips are by far among American’s favorite vacations. By most people’s definition, a road trip is more than one day of traveling to a destination that is outside of the norm. While you can pretend going to the store is a road trip, it technically isn’t!
Everyone knows that packing the right necessities for a road trip make it that much more fun and comfortable, and snacks should certainly be included on that list. Along with all of your other gear including clothes, camping equipment, and song lists, pack the best snacks that will keep you focused on the road.
- Granola Bars. Protein and granola bars make great road trip snacks because they are portable, convenient, and can withstand pretty much any environment (they don’t need refrigeration). While there are lots of varieties that are meant to please the palate, if you’re truly looking to be healthy on the road, consider bars made from chia seeds, dried fruit, nuts, and oats.
- Nuts & Seeds. Speaking of nuts and seeds, you can’t get much healthier on the road than a handful of pumpkin or sunflower seeds. You can also pack cashews, almonds, walnuts, and macadamia nuts. Any of these delectable packets of goodness will boost you up and – bonus – decrease your risk of heart attack.
- Yes, you’ll need to bring along a cooler for this snack option, but chances are good that if it is truly a road trip you will be bringing one along anyway. Yogurt is great because it’s packed with yummy protein and you can mix in all of those nuts and berries for a bit of variety on the road. It makes for an acceptable breakfast, lunch, and snack. Keep in mind that unless you’re replenishing the ice or ice packs, the yogurt will spoil.
- Fruit & Veggie Chips.Potato chips are filled with sodium and ultimately will only make you tired. But, because they satisfy that need for crunch, you can choose the fruit and veggie variety instead. You might be amazed at the offerings these days, including kale chips, plantain chips, and baked apple chips.
- Hard Boiled Eggs. Another item for the cooler, hard-boiled eggs provide B12, choline, antioxidants, protein and healthy fats. They are powerful little nuggets that pack quite the energy punch. But you might want to roll down the windows when you eat them!
- Truly nature’s butter. Avocados are among the most divisive of foods – you either love them or hate them. Regardless, they are still waiting to hit you with all sorts of vitamins and nutrients, and you can eat them in a variety of ways, mashed, scooped or served with crackers or tortilla chips.
- Dark Chocolate. If you have a bit of a sweet tooth, you don’t have to be afraid of chocolate. Dark chocolate is the healthiest chocolate option because it’s loaded with antioxidants which are powerful anti-inflammatories, giving you that sweetness you crave without having to pull over to a convenient store for some pre-packaged chocolate donuts.
- You simply can’t go wrong with cheese. String cheese is among the healthiest cheese options and is convenient and portable enough for any road trip. Lactose will provide you with an instantaneous energy boost, and the protein will help stave off the desire for less healthy snacks. Choose mozzarella because it’s low in calories and sodium.
- Fresh fruit. While they might take up a lot of room in the car, bags of oranges and apples are a tremendous addition to any road trip. With natural sweetness, vitamins and minerals, their high fiber content provide satisfaction on many levels.
Planning well ahead of time is essential when it comes to a successful road trip. Half of the fun is actually driving to your destination, so you want to be sure you haven’t forgotten anything!
- Coffee cups – disposable or travel types
- Plastic cutlery
- Paper towels
- Wet wipes
- Trash bags for car clean up
- Cooler with ice and/or ice packs
Eating healthy snacks as you cross the miles will boost your energy and your mood. You’ll more easily combat fatigue, and in the end the memories will be that much sweeter.
