Dr. G vs The Airport

Traveling while trying to eat a healthy (plant based of course) diet can be a bit of a challenge.  Even the airport can be full of booby-traps.  Everywhere you look  (and smell) there are enticing junk foods all crammed into a small area.  Maybe you are stressed, or tired, or just so freaking starving and willing to eat anything that you are considering getting into line to get a cinnamon bun the size of your face.  Stop, pull yourself together.  You are probably on vacation if you are in an airport and there will be plenty of opportunities to stray from your healthy food choices; don't waste those opportunities in the airport. 

Let the epic battle of Dr. G vs The Airport begin!

Dr. G vs Airport Breakfast

Steel cut oats with berries, walnuts, and agave nectar and iced blackberry & tea.

Simple, healthy, and delicious.  I didn't even have to look very hard, there were three places in my terminal that were serving oatmeal.  

Dr. G: 2   Airport: 0

Dr. G vs Airport Lunch #1 (on the way to vacation)

Ban Mi sandwich with chili tofu and vege summer rolls. 

I'm not going to lie....this was f@&*ing amazing.  

I found this in the food court where there were 3 other places serving tofu options (all Asian cuisine).  There was also lots of salads and vege burgers available too.   Don't forget smoothie places like JambaJuice, they always have animal free options.  

Dr. G: 2   Airport: 0

Dr. G vs Airport Snack

Fresh fruit cup & a soy latte (yes with chemicals that taste like pumpkin spice, I was on vacation).  There seems to be more and more fresh fruit options in the airports lately.  Usually the fruit is more expensive than it would be otherwise, but hey, it is still cheaper than a heart attack.  

Dr. G: 1.5   Airport: 0.5 (for the pumpkin spice)

Dr. G vs Airport Lunch #2 (on the way home from vacation)

Portabello mushroom "burger" with a carrot dressing and side salad.  

Roasted beets over a fennel puree with cheddar cheese (what? I was on vacation)

Dr. G: 3   Airport: 1 (cheese!)

Final score:

Dr. G: 8.5   Airport: 1.5 

I won!

By the way, I do make food choices that I typically wouldn't while I'm on vacation, doesn't everyone? This past spring I took a trip to South Carolina and I ate southern BBQ…like the kind with meat (ethical vegans, please forgive me).  Whatever, I wanted to try it.  When I stray from the plant based diet I do so thoughtfully, meaning that I don't just go crazy and eats food that I normally wouldn't just because they are there and I am on vacation.  I make the food choices I normally would when I can, and stray from them when I want to try a local specialty or when something is just too good to pass up.  It's vacation, you've got to live it up.  You aren't going to develop heart disease from eating animal based foods a few times a year.  When all was said and done, by the end of my vacation I still ate less than 10% animal based foods.      

A few other travel tips:

1. If you are staying somewhere for a while (hotel, resort, whatever) and you don't want to eat out every meal, hit up the grocery store and pick up some whole food plant based snacks and meal items.  If there is a Whole Foods near by, even better.  They have tons of prepared plant foods - veges of all kinds, tofu, grains, soups, etc.  Make some veges bowls or salads and pop them in the fridge in your hotel room.  You might spend a little more than you would if you cooked the food yourself at home, but it is still probably cheaper than eating out (and healthier too) and is definitely cheaper than developing diabetes.
2. Choose the lesser of 2 evils - haha that is a little extreme, but what I mean is when I am not going to eat plants, but am not necessarily choosing to stray (aka the restaurant doesn't serve any plant based options) I often will opt for fish instead of beef or chicken, or at a breakfast place have eggs and veges but hold the cheese and meat, or get a salad topped with chicken instead of a cheese burger. 
3. If you are going to be sad that you didn't eat (fill in animal food that you really want here) then just eat it!  Again, you are on vacation!
4. Fresh fruits are your friend for snacking.
5. Exercise on vacation.  Go for a hike, rent bikes to ride around and explore your surroundings, take a walk, go kayaking, do yoga on the beach, etc.  

Happy vacationing and best health,

Dr. G