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Nutrition for Traveling

I love giving my body the best nutrition that I can. Undoubtedly, I work hard at it. Good nutrition is the best investment in my health I can make.  While traveling, I prefer to continue giving my body the best nutrition possible.

I recently had a backpacking trip where I enjoyed these tips. I am preparing for an upcoming Everest Base Camp trip in November 2023.

Here, I will share what I take to give my body extra nutrition and immune boosting while traveling. 

Usually, I drink 1L of lemon water, 1L of celery juice, and the heavy metal detox smoothie at home each day.   When traveling without my juicer and blender, I get creative. 

Nutrient-Rich Foods for Traveling:

1. Lemon water options/substitutes

Easy tips for Nutrition while traveling:

If I have no lemons, I prefer ginger tea in the morning.  You can get fresh ginger tea at the lodges on the Everest Base Camp trek.  

2. Detox smoothie substitute

Important Note #1: Spirulina and Barley grass juice powder draw toxins out of the body and cleanse the colon.  You will want to use these healing foods before you go on a trip for a while.  If you begin them on the journey, you will go to the bathroom more often and more loosely than you prefer. 

3.  Dried fruit: 

Dry fruits offer great nutrition while traveling with their abundance of vitamins, nutrition, and essential glucose. I dry or find dried fruit without added preservatives (sulfites) or sugar. 

Often I put the fruit in an insulated water bottle and add hot water so that it hydrates well.  I sometimes add a little honey. 

 

Nutrition for Traveling around town? 
I take apples and oranges (sometimes bananas) with me in the car to have something healthy to eat when I get hungry.  Coconut water is my favorite drink to throw in.  

4.  Dried veggies:  

Dry veggies can give us essential nutrition for traveling with high mineral content, vitamins, and nutrients. I make meals for my backpacking trips by dehydrating extra dinners.  For Nepal, I will be eating at lodges.  However, I like to consume lots of veggies, so I will take some to supplement.  Below are the ones that dehydrate and rehydrate easily.  I sometimes cook them first with spices and then dry them.  I do not use oil, though, as that adds fat which I keep to a minimum.  The fat also makes it go bad faster.     

  • Greens –  especially Spinach – is easy to sprinkle onto meals or in soups

  • Onions & garlic

  • Squash & Zucchini

Cut the veggies into small pieces, and they will hydrate more quickly. You can get veggies on the EBC trek. However, they become sparse at higher altitudes.   

 

Nutrition for Traveling on a Plane?
I take things like apples, oranges, carrots, sugar snaps, and a salad to have a healthy meal on the plane.  I bring a bag of spirulina, barley grass juice powder, and dulse to make the Heavy Metal detox smoothie when a blender is available.  I take the travel drink above if not.  

5.  Dried Potato flakes:  

Potatoes contain an abundance of micro and macronutrients.  Learn more here. They hydrate fast in the flake form and can make a quick soup with added greens, veggies, and spices. 

6.  Spices and herbs: 

Spices offer a fantastic amount of nutrition while traveling. Combined with potatoes and veggies, spices bring life to food. Herbs are profoundly healing.  I aim to use only a tiny amount of salt, so having flavorful herbs is critical.  Here is my recipe.  I do about equal amounts of the below ingredients.

  • Dulse flakes – dulse is s seaweed with unique minerals that help draw out toxins 

  • Cumin

  • Coriander

  • Rosemary

  • Thyme

  • Oregano

  • Cilantro

  • Garlic Powder

  • Red pepper flakes or Cayanne – I like a kick

  • Himalayan Sea Salt – less of this

  • Turmeric – small amount

You can choose what to add or leave out.  Please read the ingredients on any spice mix you purchase, as it may contain harmful components like natural flavors, citric acid, or preservatives.  

7. Drink Mix: 

It is challenging to find an electrolyte mix that doesn’t have natural flavors, caffeine, or citric acid.  These are ingredients I try to avoid.  Natural flavors are MSG which deposits heavy metals in the brain.  When produced (not from fruit), citric acid is harsh on the stomach lining.  Watermelon juice and Coconut water are two of the best drinks for replenishing electrolytes.  Below is the only electrolyte drink mix I have found without harmful ingredients.  

  • Lairds Coconut Water has two ingredients:  Freeze Dried Coconut water and Seaweed-derived Calcium.  I get this one because some of the other Laird flavored ones have Citric acid added.  

 
 

Immune Boosters: 

These supplements fill in gaps in our nutrition while traveling. Our foods are depleted of zinc and b-12 due to heavy metals in the soil. In Nepal, picking up a respiratory or GI bug is common.  Here is how I boost my immune system.  It would be too many bottles to carry separately, so I will make a few mixes. 

Liquids mix A –  immune boosting: 

  1. Zinc- Sulfate

  2. B-12

  3. Propolis

Liquid Mix B – pathogen fighting

  1. Cat’s Claw

  2. Goldenseal

I will mix equal amounts and take the equivalent of one dropperful of each daily.  I will throw in a little extra if I get a bug and want to take it more often.  I add it to water.  

Other immune boosters: 

These come in pill form, so I take 1-2 of each/day.  

  •  Lemon Balm is also great, as it helps calm the nerves.  It is helpful to stay calm and relax so the body can acclimate and fight bugs.  

Important Note #2: All the supplements linked above are from the Vimergy.com brand, as they are of very high quality and do not add citric acid, alcohol, natural flavors, or fillers to their products.

Herbal Teas: 

  1. Hibiscus

  2. Ginger

  3. Lemon Balm

I recommend the Traditional Medicines brand as it doesn’t have natural flavors like many others.  They have some excellent cold-fighting teas as well.  

Honey:

I will take some honey along as it is excellent nutrition while traveling.  If I feel a bug coming on, I will take a tbsp of raw honey several times daily.  Otherwise, I will put it in my tea.  Honey has the most benefits when consumed in its raw form.  It has an abundance of vitamins and minerals and is anti-viral and anti-bacterial.  Consider looking for local honey when you travel. 

Friends, 

If you are interested in the Everest Base Camp trek, email or text me to chat. 

[email protected]

206-920-7849

Sunset on Mt. Everest