Next week I’m flying out to Austin, Texas to attend the South by Southwest Interactive conference, also known as SXSW.
Traveling always involves a lot of planning from the plane tickets to the accommodations. One of the things that I’ve found incredibly useful is to also plan out my healthy eating strategy.
To give you a glimpse into what I’m doing to get ready for SXSWi here are my suggestions to eat healthy at SXSW…
Note: All of these recommendations are based on my extensive travel experience throughout Europe and Asia. I learned a lot of these the hard way, so you don’t have to. :)
Eating Raw on the Plane
If the first part of your journey takes you on an airplane, you’ll need to bring some food that you can eat immediately.
I like to bring some fruits that don’t bruise easily like apples, peaches, plums, and so on. I also usually bring a few bananas to eat at the gate while I’m waiting for my flight.
I have had trouble bringing oranges onto a plane going from Canada to the United States. The citrus import laws are different, but it still baffles me that you can’t bring and orange that was grown in Florida back into the United States. Anyways, that’s just my little rant.
In general you can bring fresh fruits and vegetables onto a plane, as long as you plan on eating them in the air. They just don’t want you to declare any plant products at customs when you land.
Bring Food From Home
There are certain things that you can pack and bring with you, saving you time and effort once you arrive.
Dehydrated Snacks
If you have a dehydrator you can make some fruit leather to pack with you. I’ve already made a large batch of green smoothie “leather”, that’s just a green smoothie that I’ve dehydrated.
I’ll be bringing several sheets of green smoothie leather in a baggie and it makes a great snack because it’s light and super nutritious.
Make a Trail Mix
Another great thing to bring is a trail mix or some nuts and seeds. You can bring a few different types of nuts or you can just mix them all ahead of time. This is an awesome snack if you need something a little heavier too.
Pack Larabars
Of course you can always bring along a few Larabars
They’re also very much like a treat, so carry one with you if you feel tempted by unhealthy desserts or snacks while you’re out.
Do Your Research
You can always do research about nearby restaurants and juice bars before you leave. If you leave it to the last minute or plan to do it once you arrive, you’re a lot less likely to follow through.
Here are a few Austin specific restaurants and juice bars, just to get you started:
- Beets Cafe: Raw restaurant and cafe, with good reviews.
- Barboleta Gourmet: Raw restaurant opening up again right before SXSW.
- Daily Juice: Fresh juice bar, a bit out of the way but may be close to where you’re staying.
- Yelp List of Juice Bars: A massive list of juice bars in the Austin area.
- Eat Well Guide Austin: I’m not the only one with the idea of eating healthy at SXSW. Download your Eat Well Austin guide here.
How did I find these places? One of my favorite vegetarian friendly restaurant review sites is called Happy Cow. Check out the Vegetarian restaurants in Austin.
Get Thee to a Grocery Store
One of the first things I like to do when I land is to find a grocery store. You can research these before you leave and find the closest one to your hotel.
Some of stuff I buy when I go to a grocery store on a trip include:
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- Baby carrots
- Whatever vegetables look good
Bring a Reusable Water Bottle
I’ve found that the most important trick to stay healthy when traveling is to drink plenty of water. It’s hard to think of drinking water when you’re always on the go, so bring your own reusable water bottle.
They may make you empty your water bottle before you board the plane but at least you’ll have it when you land and you can use it throughout your trip.
Trust me when I say that drinking more water can make the difference between getting sick or feeling tired. Water is definitely more important than food in this way.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Bring food with you everywhere you go, even if you’re going to a restaurant at some point during the day. You never know when you’ll be hungry or faced with nothing but a vending machine.
Another tip is to bring a blender with you, or find out if anyone will have one with them. This may be a little bit hardcore for some people, but I know that I personally do better with a green smoothie or green juice daily.
If you don’t bring a blender then you can definitely get green juice at most juice bars.
I usually bring a few whole fruits with me wherever I go, along with some nuts, and a water bottle.
It may seem heavy, but when you’re getting a lull in energy it’s totally worth it to take out a banana from your bag and feel satisfied.
Go with the flow & have fun!
After all of these tips, I’m going to recommend that you not be too hard on yourself! After all, you’re going to SXSW or whatever event you’re going to for a reason. And it’s probably to have fun, learn some stuff, and meet great people. Not to be obsessed about the food.
You’ll probably eat something that you wouldn’t have eaten were you in your normal environment. That’s fine!
Like I mentioned in my how to eat raw when you’re eating out post, it’s a lot more about your attitude than it is about the food itself.
So enjoy yourself, be gentle on yourself, and enjoy the great company. :) If you’ll be at SXSW interactive, follow me on Twitter and be sure to say hi!
Got Any More Recommendations?
The tips in this post are all based on my experience, but I know you’ve also got some great tips and expertise to share.
Leave a comment below and let me know what has worked for you, and what you recommend for making the best of SXSW and travel!
