How business travelers can eat healthfully on the road

Nation's Business, Oct, 1990 by Phyllis M. Barrier

Managing well includes managing your own health; here is advice to help you do that better.

When you're on a short vacation, eating high-fat, high-sodium foods for a few days probably won't cause you many problems. But for those business travelers who spend a lot of time on the road, combining too much high-fat, high-sodium food with too little exercise over the months and years can be disastrous.

Getting a quick, nutritious breakfast is difficult when you're traveling. If you eat out, choose foods such as pancakes (short stack) and eat them with syrup or preserves and no added butter or margarine. Other possibilities: whole-grain toast or bagels (plain or spread lightly with margarine or jam), hot cereal with fresh berries or fruit, and low-fat milk. Be wary of the "breakfast special," which usually contains foods that are no bargain for your body.

Consider taking breakfast items with you from home or picking them up at a local store when you arrive at your destination. The possibilities include wholegrain, ready-to-eat cereal, banana, and skim or 1 percent milk kept cold in a hotel ice bucket; nonfat yogurt with fruit; or even graham crackers with fruit and skim milk. If your only choice is a continental breakfast, stick with the bran or corn muffins and avoid the doughnuts and pastries.

Midday can be a difficult time for many health- and weight-conscious business travelers, since time and choices may be limited. Happily, fast-food establishments are offering more and more healthful choices for their patrons. Among them: a grilled skinless chicken-breast sandwich, a roast beef sandwich, or a regular-size hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and mustard. Try a side salad with diet dressing or a baked potato that isn't soaked with butter, instead of fries.

Another way to get your daily ration of vegetables is to choose the salad bar. Stick with plenty of the veggies and add small amounts of the protein choices, such as tuna, egg white, kidney or garbanzo beans, cottage cheese, and boiled ham or turkey. Beware of the mayonnaise-laden salads dripping with fat and calories. Order juice, milk, iced tea, diet soda, or water, rather than a shake or regular soda. Remember that a hot dog from a stand contains twice the fat and salt of a hamburger.

Some national chains offer soup-and-salad or soup-and-sandwich specials at lunch. Be sure to ask for salad dressings on the side and no added mayonnaise on the bread.

If you prefer deli sandwiches, stick with sliced turkey or chicken breast, boiled ham, tuna, hummus (Middle Eastern chickpea spread), or lean roast beef, rather than cold-cut subs, BLT's, or Reuben sandwiches. You can make a big difference in fat and calories by eliminating mayonnaise and cheese from your sandwiches. If possible, try to get less of the above fillings and then fill the sandwich with vegetables: lettuce, tomato, sprouts, or cucumber slices.

What about pizza as another alternative? Stick to pizza with vegetables and skip the fat-laden meats and extra cheese. Be sure to order pizza in the appropriate portion, so there isn't a temptation to overeat. Salad is a good starter while you're waiting for the pizza to arrive.

If you're traveling by car, it certainly is possible to carry along a cooler packed with healthy lunch items. This can give more variety for lunches for the first couple of days on the road. Your cooler could include healthful left-overs, low-fat cottage cheese, three-bean salad, or sardines in mustard with low-fat crackers.

When it comes time for dinner, avoid the "all you can eat" places. Good choices for restaurant dining are places where foods are individually prepared. Even though French restaurants have the reputation for being all cream and eggs, you can easily get broiled fish or seafood with sauces on the side, fresh vegetables, or salad, by making your desires known to the waiter. Be sure to ask how foods are prepared, because sometimes the description on the menu can be deceiving.

Ethnic restaurants that can provide good dinner choices are Indian, Italian, Japanese, and Afghan, among others. Choose broiled seafood, lean grilled kebobs, or spaghetti with clam sauce or red sauce (avoid cream sauces). Of course, portion size is a major factor. Try to get a three- or four-ounce portion (about the size and thickness of the palm of your hand or the size of a deck of cards). If the portion you're served is too large, ask for a doggie bag; you can put the leftovers in your hotel ice bucket and have them for breakfast or lunch the next day.

If you're a frequent flier, don't forget to order a special meal. Depending on the airline you choose, a variety of special options are available, from a seafood or fruit plate to low calorie or low cholesterol. These special meals can get your trip off to a healthy start. Usually, you must order them at least 24 hours in advance. The low-cholesterol breakfasts are especially good for saving on fat, cholesterol, and calories.

There are always those times on the road when we don't want to worry about fat and calories. It is probably OK to indulge yourself occasionally, as long as you get back to normal the next day. And take advantage of hotels that offer exercise facilities to burn off those extra calories.