We’ve been on vacation for six days now and it sure is a lot harder to avoid processed foods away from home.  For the most part we’ve been doing well.  There have been a few slip-ups – some bottled lemonade here and a few cheerios there, but all-in-all our diet has stayed pretty sound.  It helps that we did bring some snack foods with us so we are able to avoid some of the worst processed foods.  And it is definitely easier to eat well in the summer, I think.  When you can get your fruits and vegetables fresh from the farm, they are so much better. 

Here are a couple of tips for eating well away from home:

* Stay somewhere with access to a kitchen.  If you have to rely on restaurant foods for your trip, you are going to have a hard time eating well. 

* Look into farmer’s markets/farm stands in the local area.  They are your best bet for healthy foods.

* Bring food with you if you are going out for the day.  As I said before, most places will allow you to bring food in.  We’ve packed lunches and snacks for zoos, parks, museums and Disney World.

* Try to rely on simpler foods (fruits, nuts, baby carrots) that require minimal preparation so you can eat well and still have time to enjoy your vacation.  Even I don’t want to spend my entire vacation preparing foods. 

I will have limited access to a computer next week for the second half of our trip, but I will give you an update on how we fared eating well on vacation.  Enjoy your summer!