On The Road? Tips to Eat Right

It’s been quite a while since I’ve last posted here on GarmaOnHealth.  A death in the family tossed a curve ball into my life, and the trip it required taught me a lesson on preparing to be out of one’s element when it comes to food and exercise.  Here’s what I did right and wrong.

Tips for avoiding fast foodGROWING UP as an “army brat”, my roots spread broad and shallow rather than narrow and deep.   High school years were in New Jersey, near the shore.  Before that, Ethiopia.  After that, California.

But it’s to New Jersey that I’ve returned to administer the Will of my recently departed step mother.  And this experience has been an emotional and physical roller coaster.

Since this is a blog about health matters, let’s stick to the physical elements.

Life along Route 37 in Toms River, New Jersey is decidedly different than my home in Marin County, CA.  This road is the main artery that feeds the body Toms River.  Just about everything that people consume, from food to doctors, is found along Route 37.

Especially pizza.

I was really looking forward to Jersey “pie”, one thing that the Garden State definitely did better than the Golden Bear.

Big disappointment.

Could it be that I selected a sub par pizza joint, or that my years of turning away from bread and cheese dominated meals shifted my appreciation of one of America’s favorite foods?  Well, the food alternatives to pizza along Rt. 37 weren’t compelling either.

Salty soup, monoculture salads, tasteless chicken (and it was advertised as “spicy Jamaican”) and non-descript Lipton tea.

Twelve days of the salt/sugar/fat trifecta combined with just a whisper of exercise gave me empathetic insight about how Americans have become so fat and unhealthy. No sidewalks go by the many MacDonalds along Rt. 37.  Plenty of cars do.

I could have planned better for being out of my element, although I did bring a nearly random, small (for me) selection of vitamin supplements, which were:

–          Resveratrol, cause of its promise (according to studies) to improve longevity, this one I rarely skip.

–          Olive Leaf Extract.  Nearly 12 hours of round trip flying, potentially next to sneezing passengers, and some really cold weather in New Jersey made me want to get some oleuropein into my body, a compound which can help the body battle viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

–          OsteoTec.  I’ve been loading up on this undenatured type II collagen builder due to a joint injury in my wrists and one elbow (not to mention chronically intermittent knee creaking).

–          ImmunePlex, a whey-based protein powder so I can start the day with some high quality, muscle-fueling protein in my body.

–          Maximum Wellness Vitamin/Mineral Powder.  Mixed in a shaker jar with ImmunePlex, this provides a kitchen sink worth of 40 different supplements.  Think of it as an insurance policy.

–          At night before bed, Pro-Dophilus with FOS (probiotics) to ensure that my digestion is fine during a time of different, relatively unhealthy food to which I’m unaccustomed.

This was my minimalist approach to ensuring I get some basic nutrients and a good, though low calorie, breakfast in me (through the protein and vitamin powder) to begin the day and provide some energy for about two hours before hunger for more calories became insistent.

What I should have done is to also bring along a bunch of high quality food bars, such as Macro Greens Bars, so that hunger wouldn’t compel me to gobble garbage cause nothing better was convenient.  If the food bars were in my back pack, I’d be saved from empty, fattening, hard to digest calories.

So, for those of you who inhabit your very own “Rt. 37” somewhere in America, or elsewhere, I suggest you dig in and find out how to cope with it as you pursue a road that can lead to a happier physical place.  Toward that end, consider the points I’ve made about bringing along a grab bag of nutritious stuff.

Now that I’m home, I’ll be getting back to my old and good habits that support living a long and strong life.

For more on diet and nutrition, check out these posts:

–          Diet 101

–          A Blueprint for Eating Right

–          Superfoods, Anyone?

–          86 Year-old Billionaire’s Recipe for Longevity

–          The 40 Best Age-Erasing Superfoods

Last Updated on February 27, 2022 by Joe Garma

Share. Someone you know will be thankful.
Joe Garma
 

I help people live with more vitality and strength. I'm a big believer in sustainability, and am a bit nutty about optimizing my diet, supplements, hormones and exercise. To get exclusive Updates, tips and be on your way to a stronger, more youthful body, join my weekly Newsletter. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 0 comments

Leave a Reply: