Packing lunch on a daily basis does not have to stop because of travel. I often hear from clients that hectic schedules and days on the road constantly throw off their healthy eating goals. With a little planning and commitment you can brown-bag it in any town even if you are just passing through. Here a few how-to tips for travel:

• BYO:  The best way to avoid grabbing convenient but often unhealthy meals on the go is to pack your own. Meals and snacks made from home can often get you through a day or two on the road or at least your travel day.
• Plan ahead: book your hotel in close proximity to a grocery store or convenience store and make time for a little shopping. You can grab easy items like yogurt, hummus, canned tuna, beans and bagged lettuce to easily put together a quick and healthy meal. Make sure your hotel has a refrigerator to store some perishable items (and a can-opener if you buy canned foods). Here are a few quick meal ideas that work great for lunch and dinner. Try to re-use ingredients so nothing goes to waste

• Salad with tuna, white beans, grape tomatoes and olives
• Whole grain pita with hummus and veggies like peppers, grape tomatoes (a tasty, sweet snack on their own) and olives
• Yogurt with berries (berries don’t need refrigeration) for a snack or quick breakfast
• Almond Butter can be paired with sliced bananas or apples on whole grain bread
• Oatmeal packets like Kashi Go Lean which have a good amount of protein can be made with hot water from your hotel coffee machine and topped with the leftover fresh berries from your yogurt meal
• Prepared foods make simple sandwiches. Try cooked turkey burgers and chicken burgers or even vegetarian items like Veggie Patch falafel paired with some leftover hummus and veggies. With a microwave and a little creativity you have a hot lunch!

• Re-use containers:  pack snacks for the road in a reusable container that can be washed and re-used for other meals during your time away.  Bring a small cooler bag and ice pack that you can re-freeze and re-use throughout your trip to keep perishables cold.
• Leftovers: last night’s dinner is a staple of many brown bag lunches at home so why not on the road as well? This trick makes portion control a cinch; ask for half of you dinner to be packed to-go so you won’t be tempted to overindulge.