More on Travelling Raw

A week of yoga

I’m leaving for a trip to Mexico in a few days.  I’m going on a yoga trip with our oldest daughter, Lisa, and her recently-graduated-from-college-daughter, Melissa. At the same time, several folks have been asking me about maintaining a high raw diet while travelling. I have addressed the issue in other blogs (search in  the archives for "travelling raw").  This trip, however, has given rise to some questions that I’ve not had to deal with before, so I’m in the process of tweaking my “usual” food provision ( as if every trip doesn’t require some creative thinking about food) routine.  Some of these works in progress may be helpful to you the next time you travel.  If not, do feel free to work out your own solutions ….anything to keep you out of a lot of food on the road that you really don’t want to be eating. Let us know your ideas.  We can all learn!

1.  Making green smoothies.  I got lucky here.  We’ll be staying in a bungalow for 4 which has a kitchen.  I checked with the leader of the group and found out that there, is, in fact, a blender there.  Thus, I can make green smoothies every day, which, for me, settles lots of angst right there.

2.  Fresh produce.  We’ll be fed a sizable brunch buffet each day we are there, which I assume will have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  If I’m lucky, there may be some nuts and seeds at them as well.  I may pack a small container of sunflower seeds to use on salads or as a snack.

Puerto Morelos, Mexico

3.  Other meals.  It’s a ten minute walk to the town of Puerto Morelos, where there are restaurants, (for evening meals), and grocery stores, (for fruits and dark leafy greens for the smoothies I’ll make in my kitchen).  The exercise will be good in itself, and I shouldn’t want for plenty of good fresh food.  I wonder about how well I will be able to eat in the restaurants, staying as raw as I can.  The good news is, though, that if I can buy grocery produce and take it home, I won’t need to worry much about evening meals in restaurants.   I can just make another smoothie or a salad in our room.  (Note to self: take a shopping bag or two, and don’t forget  to pack a small knife in the suitcase that will be checked for the flight.

4.  Extras.  Mexico doesn’t allow fresh produce to be brought into the country, and suggest that any other food that’s imported be still in its factory wrapper.  I’m bringing an assortment of raw bars that I get in the Health Food Store.  I also made a large bowl of trail mix, which I divided into ½ cup servings, packed in snack bags.   I think that if they’re deep in my checked suitcase, they won’t be bothered.  If I’m questioned, I’ll say that the trail mix is necessary for my diet.  True enough.  I am printing the guidelines below for my trail mix, but this time, just to be safe, I cut way back on the dried fruit, lest it make the TSA folks nervous.

If any of you have other good ideas for me, leave them in the comments section below.  I hope that the trail mix guidelines will be helpful for you at some point.  For me, the little baggies full make a perfect after-biking snack, and I usually pack some along to conferences, as well, where the salads have a tendency to get boring.  The little protein/fat boost provided by the nuts and seeds gives me a good boost, physically and mentally.

5. Water.  I don’t usually drink tap water in Mexico, so I hope that the place we’re staying will supply us with good, safe water.  Stay tuned.

Jane’s Trail Mix Guidelines

Easy to make and pack

Homemade trail mix has many advantages over varieties that are already packaged for you. It is cheaper, allows you to add as much or as little of whatever you want, and, if you pick raw ingredients, provides you with the maximum nutrition value. It’s hard to go wrong!

There are no rules here.  Trail mix is a good way to give you lots of nice crunchy things in your diet, all of which are nutrient laden.  You can add in as many dried fruits as you like, keeping in mind that dried fruits have a higher sugar content than regular fruit.

When I make trail mix, I make a lot of it in a big bowl—a really big bowl.  Then I measure out ½ cup portions, (which may not look like much, but is plenty satisfying), into snack- sized baggies.  I carry a couple of those in my purse just on general principles, as it does me good to know that I have good, nourishing food available, and I will not starve, even if I’m caught in bad weather, traffic, etc.

So, begin in the bulk foods department .  I buy one of those medium sized bags of each of the following:

-Raw Nuts and Seeds—almonds, Brazils, pecans, cashews, walnuts, filberts (hazel nuts), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. (Macadamias and pine nuts don’t keep quite as well, and they are very expensive, so I skip them for trail mix.)

-Dried fruits from the bulk bins or the packaged bulk shelves in Clover’s : raisins, currants, goji berries,  etc. Others, which I then cut up, include papaya spears, mango slices, date rolls, pineapple, etc.   Take care to buy the ones that have no sulphur, sulphites or sugar included. 

-There are other bagged, raw berries that I like and are labeled “raw”, like golden berries and mulberry berries. 

-Raw cacao nibs add a really nice surprise chocolate treat in trail mix, and are high in magnesium and anti-oxidants.

When I put these all together one cup of each thing, perhaps adding an extra half cup of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Suit yourself. This mixture will keep very well and travels very well.  Enjoy!!

Note—buying all these nuts and seeds is a big financial proposition.  However, they keep well, and making trail mix with a cup full of each ingredient will last for weeks—a bargain in disguise.

Travelling Raw -- Homemade Trail Mix!

Assume nothing! Always bring some food
along for yourself

I addressed this travelling issue years ago in an early blog.  You may want to back up and see what I said there.  Today I want to reflect on a recent trip I took, and some of my observations about trying to maintain a high level of raw eating in the situation I was in.

We do lots of travelling these days, since my husband and I retired a couple of years ago.  We drive in the car to visit family, we stay in motels and hotels, and we travel by plane.  I like travelling by car, because it’s easy to pack a blender with me, and I know I’m only a grocery store stop away from my much favored green smoothie operation, no matter where we are. 

Travelling by plane is another animal, however, and for me, more challenging where my diet is concerned.  Last week, for example, I was at a meeting in another city. The sponsoring organization was very solicitous of my dietary preferences, and ordered me special salads, chose restaurants where there was a good salad option with lots of dark greens. 

Additionally, there was adequate fruit around in motel where we were meeting, so the situation washn't entirely bleak, by any means.  It was, though, boring.  apples, oranges, pears, and standard (no frills) salads were pretty much my fare.

Apples, oranges, pears -- beautiful!

Oh, but wait!  In a flurry to get myself to the plane on time, I had not prepared any pate`s which are normally good travel companions, and fun diversions from the “rabbit food.”.  In one sense, I admit, I could have done a better job of taking care of my own dietary preferences in that regard.  I did, however,  carry with me some raw bars, a knife for cutting up apples, and some extra fruit, including grapefruit, which I find very refreshing at the end of the day.

What I was happiest about, though, was that I had put together some of my own homemade trail mix, measured out into Snack bags in ½ cup servings. Having it available was a real treat. And that’s what I want to pitch to you today.

There are so many pre-made trail mixes, especially in airports, and they look enticing and well, maybe not so nutritionally deficient as some of the other things hanging on those many racks.  We all know, though, that a look at the ingredients on the wrapper of any one of those mixtures tells a grim story of salt, sugar, various fats, and a host of additives and preservatives.  Also, all the nuts and seeds that they contain have been roasted, rendering them nutrient deficient.  And, those innocent looking little packages are expensive as all get out!

Homemade trail mix - raw seeds and nuts,
and dried, unsugarred fruits

All that is to say that it’s a much better deal for your health and your pocket book if you make your own trail mix.  It’s very easy, so easy to put together, keeps a long time, and travels well under any conditions.  You can add or eliminate ingredients according to your own taste and diet preference, and you always have a ready source of a tasty energy booster.

Here is my approach.  You’ll find more fun and creative things to add as you go along. 

Begin in the bulk foods department .  I buy one of those medium sized bags of each of the following:

Raw nuts and seeds

-Raw Nuts and Seeds—almonds, Brazils, pecans, cashews, walnuts, filberts (hazel nuts), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds. (Macadamias and pine nuts don’t keep quite as well, and they are very expensive, so I skip them for trail mix.) Nuts are fattier than seeds, and seeds are more protein dense and less expensive. Buy them all raw so you get all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes in  tact. 

-Dried fruits from the bulk bins or the packaged bulk shelves in Clover’s or other health food stores : raisins, currants, goji berries, figs, apricots,  etc. Others, which I then cut up, include papaya spears, mango slices, date rolls, pineapple, etc.   Take care to buy the ones that have no sulfur, sulfites or sugar included.  Sugar is more concentrated in dried fruits than in fresh, so don’t overdue.  It’s all about balance, and there’s lots of room for creativity.

-There are other bagged, raw berries that I like and are labeled “raw”, like golden berries and mulberry berries. 

Goji berries- high in anti--oxidants
and noted for increasing longevity.

-Raw cacao nibs add a really nice surprise chocolate treat in trail mix, and are high in magnesium and anti-oxidants.

Then I put these all together-- one cup of each thing, perhaps adding an extra half cup of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.  Suit yourself. This mixture will keep very well and travels very well.  Enjoy!!

Admittedly, buying all the ingredients can be a shock at the cash register.  I try not to flinch, remembering that I’m only going to eat ½ cup a day, and that everything I’m buying will keep for a very long time.  It’s an investment in my own health and well-being, after all, and far less costly than anything that’s packaged that even comes close to the same nutrient value.  It’s also a nice thing to have in my pantry at home when company comes by.

 Let me know how you do with this venture.  Respond below this post, so we all can benefit from your discoveries.  Happy Travelling.  Happy Healthy Eating!