How to eat intuitively while traveling.png

There’s no denying that eating intuitively isn’t so “intuitive”, especially in the early stages. Add traveling into the mix and it can be enough to make your head spin.

I have had the incredible privilege of being able to travel to some really amazing places with my husband and family over the past few years. Traveling is my husband’s greatest joy, and he is adoringly referred to as “Trips” in our family. Chances are, if he isn’t working, he’s planning a trip. So, I have been a very willing participant in his hobby and we have visited countless places together.

Overall, traveling was and has been incredibly healing for me. I believe that traveling can be instrumental in healing from disordered eating or an eating disorder if you have the time and financial freedom to do so. It offers so many opportunities to challenge food fears, be flexible and spontaneous and learn about other cultures and their food traditions. (Can I just say, we in the USA have a lot to learn from other cultures!) That said, it certainly doesn’t come without its fair share of anxiety.

Earlier on in our relationship, I still subscribed to the “calories don’t count on vacation” or worse the “get back on track” after vacation mentality. I was healing my relationship with food, recovering from the psychological aftermath of my eating disorder and working on eating intuitively. In a sense, it was conditional food freedom for a while because while I would partake in all the food and drinks that sounded and looked good while traveling, there was this internal understanding that it was temporary, that I would undo the damage I’d done by restricting or adhering to “clean eating” when I got home. By having this mindset I was creating a scarcity mentality. I was self-sabotaging because while I was giving myself the physical permission to eat foods on vacation, there was lingering guilt and judgement attached to eating them, and this unspoken condition that I would “make up for it” when I got back.

What this did was also prevent me from FULLY living in the moment. The preoccupation with food was still present. I wasn’t fully able to eat based on preference and level of satisfaction because there was some underlying last supper mentality. There was the internal dialogue of “I better enjoy this now and eat all of the things because when I get home I can’t indulge like this”. It was also an important part of my intuitive eating journey and learning experience.

The key with eating while on vacation or while traveling is that nothing actually needs to change or look different from your usual day to day eating. Why? It can still just be normal eating. This can be such a powerful mindset shift. “Normal eating” was best described by Ellyn Satter. While I would argue this isn’t a *perfect* definition (I don’t think there are mistakes in eating, just learning opportunities), it is a helpful explanation of what eating would feel like if we were never exposed to diet culture. So, say you eat normally day to day: three meals, some snacks, with a variety of satisfying, nourishing foods that are not based on rules or restriction. If we eat without food rules in our regular life, while honoring preferences and hunger/satiety levels (with flexibility), why should our eating look any different while traveling?

Don’t get me wrong, the food can be a wonderful and exciting aspect of traveling or visiting a new place. Trying the local cuisine is undoubtably one of the best parts of traveling and an important aspect of experiencing a culture. The food is often part of the tradition, history and heritage of a place and if you’re living with food rules or fear it can really detract from the overall experience. If you’re stuck in a rigid black and white mentality around food and only giving yourself permission to enjoy food on vacation or other special occasions, that preoccupation or fixation on the food can take away from other enjoyable aspects of the trip. When you’re obsessing over the food in any regard- that can potentially rob you of your capacity to feel fully present in the moment in non-food related experiences.

Years ago, I would document every bite by taking tons of photos of the food. You know, “phone eats first”. I considered myself a “foodie”, but I think I was just obsessed with the foods I wouldn’t normally let myself have. I would scour the menu where we’d be having dinner that night rather than just letting myself arrive to the restaurant and choose something spontaneously and in the moment. So while I may not have had any food “rules” per say, this attitude was not how I wanted my relationship to feel long term.

Fast forward to today and for me personally, food is one aspect of traveling that is enjoyable, but it is not necessarily the highlight or the focus. This really shifted for me when I began giving myself true, unconditional permission to eat. Meaning, it began to deeply sink in that I could have any food, any time, whenever I wanted. This means that I have unlimited access to food, not that I have to eat ALL the food, ALL of the time. I think this is an important distinction to make. When you are a normal eater, there is no pressure or obligation to eat just because its in front of you or because you are somewhere it is available and you’re afraid you may never have the opportunity to try it again.

Food is now an enjoyable and sometimes exciting part of traveling, but it isn’t so alluring as it once was. For me, this feels much more fluid, peaceful and pleasant. There’s no heightened anticipation for the food leading up to vacation, nor any intentional changes made to my diet or exercise when I return.

Ceviche in a coconut on our honeymoon in Bora Bora!

When traveling these days, I view food like I always do. The calories from it provide the energy for me to sightsee and explore, I choose things that sound satisfying without feeling obligated to choose anything in particular, and it can be exciting to try something new but it is not the highlight anymore. I can have the salad without feeling deprived or regret for not choosing something more “indulgent”, just as I can have the more “indulgent” thing without guilt or shame. When all foods are neutral, its much easier to honor what you’re actually in the mood for.

Tips for eating intuitively while traveling:

1.) Let go of the idea that “calories don’t count” on vacation. They DO count and thank goodness for that! Without them, where would you get the energy to sightsee or even turn the pages of your book while laying on the beach?

2.) Tune into hunger and fullness cues with flexibility. Its 100% OK to eat past comfortable fullness. You will be hungry again tomorrow.

3.) Aim to eat three meals plus snacks. This is a good structure in general for energy balance, mood etc.

4.) Try to drink lots of WATER. Traveling can shift things in our gut and we are more likely to be dehydrated, especially if we are drinking more “fun” drinks than usual. This can lead to constipation for some.

5.) If you happen to notice that you haven’t had a vegetable in a while, practice a little gentle nutrition and see where you can add one in easily. (The fiber can help with any constipation as well.)

6.) Permission, permission, permission. You have permission to eat what sounds good, in whatever amount it takes to feel satisfied. You have permission to eat everything on your plate, and you have permission to leave some behind if you’re satisfied. You have permission to eat even if others aren’t, and you have permission to opt out if something doesn’t sound appealing to you. You have permission to eat even if you aren’t hungry, because whatever it is just looks too good to pass up.

7.) Bring along some favorite, portable snacks like bars, nuts or dried fruit. Not because you are reliant on your “safe” foods, but because its good to have some on hand in case you have a long flight, drive or are in a bind while traveling.

8.) Try not to threaten yourself with intense workouts or other forms of compensation while traveling. If movement sounds good to you, then go for it. But if the intention is to punish yourself for eating or take away guilt for what you’ll eat later- maybe hold back. It’s really OK if you don’t engage in intentional movement at all.

Okay, now I'm curious! Where is the BEST food you’ve had while on vacation? For me, I would have to say Greece! The food there truly was one of the highlights of the trip :)