We love a road trip. Mapping out your route, setting destinations, making a playlist, and setting that OOO status with work… there’s really nothing better. As the weather gets warmer it’s just about time to hit the road.
As you stuff your sleeping bag in the trunk, don’t forget road trip food! Here are some healthy foods to remember as you make a last-minute run to the grocery store.
Packing Up and Getting Out
While you prepare for your road trip, consider how far you’re going, if you’ll have access to a fridge, and where you might stop for meals.
Packing a road trip snack that won’t melt or go bad if exposed to heat from the sun is ideal here. Look for items that have a 7-day or more shelf life such as Perfect Bar made from yummy, better-for-you ingredients. They should be left in the cooler as long as possible, but are good without a fridge for up to a week!
You may be focused on a healthy diet while on the road and so you’ll have specific goals to keep in mind as you pack. A good general guideline is to pack foods that will keep you full and meet your nutrition needs like:
- Fruits
- Veggies
- Fiber
- Protein
Packing up these yummy eats may take a little bit of planning and some containers. Think of the bento boxes you may see at a grocery store, or the snack boxes you may have seen at Starbucks. A stackable meal prep box can help you portion out your favorite snack and make them easy to store in a bag or cooler.
Packing for Kids
Bringing your kids along for the ride can be just as fun and easy to pack for, but there are a few snacking tips to keep in mind.
You may be tempted to grab a salty snack, snacks with added sugar or potato chips for your kids. But these can have downsides that could ruin the trip like upset stomachs, bloating, and an imbalance of
electrolytes. Things like chips, a cookie, and artificial fruit snacks would fall on this list. The same goes for dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. On a long car ride with many bumps, twists, and turns, these foods could hurt their stomach.
Additionally, avoid foods that can melt. Think about how chocolate, cheese, or packets of nut butter could easily end up in the crevasses of your car for years to come.
Instead, a Perfect Bar Snack Size is the ideal size and nutrition value for your kiddos ready for something to munch on between meals.
The Best Road Trip Snacks To Pack
Okay, you’ve got the basics of what to and not to pack for your road trip. Now it’s time for the fun part: putting it all together. If you’re driving, keep in mind to avoid foods that need utensils or require a lot of attention, or could cause distraction.
Instead, here are some yummy road trip snack ideas to pack:
- Fruit: Fruits like apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges, or bananas are easy to pack and yummy to eat.
- Granola bars: Pick to-go bars that are packed with nutrients, and don’t use artificial sweeteners and preservatives.
- Hummus: There are small hummus cups that could pair perfectly as a dip with baby carrots, broccoli, or your favorite pita bread.
- Seaweed snacks: Seaweed is fiber-rich and has all sorts of minerals and vitamins that your body will love such as potassium, iron, calcium, iodine, and copper. The only downside is that they’re not very filling.
- Nuts: Seeds and nuts contain healthy fat that helps reduce inflammation and control blood sugar.
- Fresh fruit: Fruits offer the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs to function as well as dietary fiber for a healthy gut biome.
- Dried fruit: Dried fruit is just as healthy as fresh fruit, as long as it’s not coated in sugar or packed with artificial preservatives. Fruit leather, for example, is easy to pack and stay fresh for longer than whole fruit.
- Peanut butter: This classic protein spread can pair perfectly with any fruit or be amazing on its own. The protein helps you feel fuller for longer and the list of health benefits is long.
Your health and nutrition goals don’t need to suffer just because you’re on the road. Gut health may be something you’ve been working on. Pickling vegetables and other fermented food is a fun way to add a little flavor to your sandwich, and can still support a healthy gut microbiome, for example.
Healthy road trip snacks should attempt to give you energy and curb your appetite until the next pitstop. Perfect Bar has the ideal combination of nut butter, 20+ superfoods, and yumminess that will melt in your mouth, but not on your seats. Browse our options and make your next trip a breeze.
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