Vacation time includes stops en route at convenience stores where your family traditionally rummages the aisles looking for the perfect in-car snack. Generally, these snacks are highly processed and loaded with sugars and fats. To increase the likelihood of maintaining your weight rather than gaining weight while away from the comforts of home, give the following tips from the Orlando medical weight loss clinic at Svelte Medical Weight Loss a try.
- Treat the convenience store like the grocery store – browse the perimeter rather than the center aisles, and have a list of friendly foods in mind as you choose your snack.
- Don’t be sidetracked by the ice cream bars and bite-sized candy bars. Use good self-control and find only the foods recommended for your weight loss program.
- Look at the labels for a balance of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. For every one gram of fat, you should have two grams of protein and three grams of carbohydrates. This balance provides you with nutrient-rich foods that keep you full longer. Naturally, this balance occurs in many fruits when they are paired with cheese or another dairy product.
- If the food you choose has around seven grams of protein, it should be considered a snack. Anything around 21 grams of protein should be considered a meal.
- When in doubt, use this handy list of choices you may find in any convenience store. Remember that packaged foods often contain high sodium levels, so drink water with your snack.
- Milk, Greek yogurt, and cheese sticks are a great blend of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
- Fruit snack cups or fresh fruits are good choices since they satisfy your sugar craving while supplying you with plenty of vitamins.
- Wraps and sandwiches are generally high in carbs because of their bread content. If the ingredients from half the sandwich are removed and added to the other half (in other words, ditch half the bread), the correct balance is more easily met.
- Seeds and nuts are high in fat, but filling. Eaten in moderation, they are a great snack, but find the plain variety rather than the flavored nuts since they are higher in sugars.
Enjoy your vacation knowing you can maintain your healthy eating plan even with the temptations from convenience stores while you are driving to and from your destination. For more healthy eating suggestions, read our blogs or call 407-804-5200 to talk with the Orlando medical weight loss team at Svelte.