The month of August has been non-stop traveling for me, from California, to Spain, to Nicaragua.  As fun as it has been, all the traveling poses a big challenge to my healthy lifestyle.  My body is very sensitive to changes in setting, time zone, air pressure, and of course, changes in routine.  My body KNOWS when its not at home. 

Luckily I've learned a few tricks over the past year (as traveling overseas has become a monthly occurrence) that really work well for me.  I’ve made it my mission to find ways to have my body adjust as much as possible, and avoid the bloating and fatigue that often comes with these long flights. 

It all starts with the flight itself, which is always one of the most challenging things for me.  For starters, I’m someone who has a big appetite, and cannot go more than a few hours without eating.  And, similar to many of you I'm sure, I have a hard time sleeping more than two consecutive hours on a flight.  So if it’s an overnight flight, I’m tired, restless, and my body naturally craves food.  Therefore, I would usually end up eating eat plane food (even though the food isn’t great, and of course, it’s highly processed!) just because I was bored and couldn’t sleep.  And since the meals are quite small, I would eat almost everything, including the sugar-loaded dessert.

So what have I done to improve my long flights and disruptive travels? 

First and most importantly, I’ve come up with a go-to recipe for healthy food that I can take with me on the flight, through security with no problem, and that tastes delicious even at room temperature.  It’s my Sweet Vegetable Bake.  I make a large batch, and take that with me, together with some raw nuts and fruit, and I’m set for the entire plane ride.  This way I fill up on healthy homemade food, and can avoid the airplane food filled with chemicals and preservatives, and most importantly, I am able to resist the unnecessary desserts.