What to eat when you’re not in control of the menu

Whether it's summer holidays or Christmas festivities, you might be going away - but what to do about continuing with the healthy lifestyle you've been working on?  Or you may be wondering how to avoid coming home feeling like you've overdone things on the food front.

The good news is that by following a few simple tips, you can feel good and have a lovely foodie holiday!

Breakfast

• Avoid the sugary or high carbohydrate options such as breakfast cereals, preserves, pastries, dried fruits, fruity yoghurts, fruit juice, fried bread and hash browns.

• Choose eggs, omelette, wholewheat/granary/rye toast, smoked salmon, porridge, plain yoghurt, fruits with less sugar like berries, apples or pears and nuts and seeds.

Lunch/Dinner

• Avoid or minimise carbohydrate heavy meals with lots of rice, pasta, potatoes etc, or sandwiches/rolls/pizza, as well as sugary sauces or dressings.

• Choose fish, poultry, lean meat or vegetarian protein with vegetables or salad.

• You can request extra vegetables or salad if what you'd like to choose doesn't come with them.

Desserts

Lets face it, most dessert options are not going to be healthy.  However, you're going on holiday, so lets be realistic...

• Good news! Ice cream is better for you than sorbet, because it contains protein.

• Berries are a great lower sugar fruit to choose over tropical fruits.

• A small portion of cheese (even better with celery or apple) is also a good option.

• And if you really want the sweet dessert, just don't go crazy on portion size or frequency.

Drinks

• Most importantly, keep hydrated with water, especially if you're going somewhere hot.  

• Don't overdo the alcohol.  Enjoy a couple if you like, but remember that alcohol can raise your blood sugar just like some food and it also lowers your resistance to temptation.

• If you are having an alcoholic beverage, the 'better' options would be:

  • Vodka, soda and fresh lime

  • Vodka and tomato juice

  • 1 small glass of wine

  • Half a pint of beer

• Avoid cider, sugary liqueurs and drinks with high sugar mixers such as lemonade.

Also 

Remember, if the portion sizes are huge, you don't have to eat it all.  Stop when you feel comfortably satiated and you'll feel so much better.