Living the high-fruit lifestyle at home can have unique challenges that take time to map out, find solutions, and integrate. It’s not a difficult lifestyle, however it does have a period of transition and the lifestyle can be refined almost indefinitely.
Nothing puts this lifestyle or its follower to test quite like traveling. With plenty of forethought, traveling may seem difficult at first as a high-fruit devotee, but after successfully venturing out into the world away from home, it becomes easier with each subsequent trip. Before you know it, eating fruit until 5 pm is just as easy away from home as it is at home.
Here is a recent hotel breakfast that I enjoyed: grapes, pineapple, chlorella tablets, and tea (not pictured).
Road trips are fairly easy. Load up the car with easy traveling fruits and plan to stop at grocery stores along the way instead of restaurants. Use baskets and coolers to keep your fruit safe and cool. Flying is a little more challenging.
Last Christmas we flew to Colorado and I maintained my Fruit Til Five™ approach quite well for a week. We stayed in a condo which had a kitchen, so the first stop after checking in was to the grocery store. I was sure to get plenty of lemons for morning hot lemon water as I don’t usually travel with my matcha green tea. On the road, Earl Grey is often my tea of choice.
Bananas are a staple. Enjoyed ripe and room temperature with hot lemon water and/or tea, it was a comforting breakfast in the cold Colorado climate. I ate other fruits like citrus, pineapple, and apples which were easy to keep and eat at room-temperature.
In the evenings I would eat with my family in restaurants after 5 pm or in the condo. I enjoyed all kinds of different traveling food and paid the price with an outbreak of eczema. I resolved to do better next time, namely avoiding grains.
This Spring my daughter and I traveled to New York City. As I did for my Colorado trip, I traveled with bananas in my carry-on bag and a refillable SIGG water bottle. Many airports now have refilling stations inside the terminal past security (bottles must be empty through security) which is nice.
We started our visit in Brooklyn and luckily there were several markets near our hotel. I loaded up on lemons, bananas, grapes, pineapple, nuts, roasted seaweed, and several bottled juices and coconut waters. Our hotel had a small refrigerator for the drinks and cut fruit.
I managed to eat fruit until 5 pm and then enjoyed dinner with our traveling group. I ordered mostly vegetable dishes and avoided grains, especially bread. Lesson learned in Colorado!!!
This was a wonderful apple, beet, carrot, and celery juice enjoyed at Nature’s Grill in Brooklyn.
Harmless Harvest has got to be the best tasting coconut water I’ve ever had! This Tumeric elixir was not so tasty, but it was chock full of super foods and spices. Staying healthy while traveling is a must!
Once we parted with our traveling group, we moved into a Manhattan hotel. Again, there was a small refrigerator in our room, thankfully. I had to empty it of all the $10 bottles of water, beer, and sodas, but I was able to fit in my juices and fruits.
Some bananas didn’t switch hotels too well.
It pays to do your research prior to leaving home:
• is there a grocery store near your hotel or location of stay?
• does your hotel room or host have a refrigerator? If not, you can get creative with some filled ice buckets. Most fruit can stay unrefrigerated 2-3 days especially bananas, grapes, apples, citrus, and mangoes.
• can you order up hot water or is there a coffee pot in your room? If need be, very hot tap water can be used in a pinch for hot lemon water or tea.
• consider packing a knife, fork, unbreakable mug and bowl in your suitcase. I always travel with my Swiss Army knife in my checked baggage. If available I often order up room service for my daughter at least once to feed her but also to get the dishes. They can be rinsed and reused to your delight. I often forego housekeeping services (keep the Do Not Disturb sign on your door and call the front desk to inform) so that the fruit about the room doesn’t get disturbed and the dishes don’t get removed from the room.
• pack a couple cloth bags for shopping. Yes, I travel with my cloth bags.
• research vegetarian and vegan restaurants and juice shops on HappyCow.net
It is worthwhile to make an effort to stay on a Fruit Til Five™ pattern away from home as you would at home. You will sleep better, have more energy for exploring and enjoying long, full, active days, recover from jet lag faster, and maybe even lose weight (if you have extra) while away rather than coming home heavier.
If you are traveling with others who don’t eat like you do, compromise. Promise you’ll have dinner together. I’ve been known to send my husband and daughter down to the restaurant for breakfast while I enjoyed my fruit in the room. If you must sit for a meal before 5 pm with companions, do your best to order cut fruit or a green salad. If it doesn’t bother you or them, enjoy just hot water with lemon at the restaurant and then return to your fruit in your room. Or you can always eat first before going to sit with them.
There are so many beautiful vegan and raw restaurants in NYC but I only got to go to one since I was traveling with my daughter who doesn’t eat like I do. Compromise. I felt like one lucky duckie eating from One Lucky Duck in the Chelsea Market!
You must become creative, flexible, determined, dedicated, and forthcoming while traveling, especially if you’re traveling with others. There is no reason to set aside your eating style while away from home if you don’t want to. Those who love you will support you and help you achieve your goals. If you don’t make a big deal out of it, it won’t be a big deal. Being unhappy and feeling terrible or bothersome while away from home not only darkens your trip, it will also stifle your desire to travel in the future.
These raw, Thai wraps were so good! No need for a nap when fueling clean!
Le Pain Quotidien is an international chain restaurant which serves beautiful food. It is wonderful for all types of eaters who appreciate whole, real food. It’s there that I enjoyed the Detox Salad of quinoa, cabbage, carrots, avocado, micro-greens, and gomashio (Japanese sesame seed salt) below. Check out their website and see if there is a location where you’re going. It’s worth the effort! The adults and children of all eating types with whom we ate all enjoyed it equally.
(Have you noticed all the plastic containers (drinks, cut fruit) in these photos? I rinsed them out and stashed them in a bag thinking I’d see a recycling bin sooner or later. The nice waitress at Quotidien was kind enough to take it for me to add to their bin. Bonus!)
Gone are the days of blowing caution to the wind and feasting like a hedonist while away from home. Chances are high that you will become unhappy with yourself, feel sluggish, and need recovery once home. Staying well & vibrant while traveling is achievable & desirable! And it will only be as difficult as you make it. Take it easy on yourself the first time and you’ll improve with each trip.
Remember, health takes no holiday. Every meal serves to heal or harm your body regardless of location.
Save your indulgences, regional/local fare, and special occasions for dinner after 5 pm, however try your best to stick to the Fruit Til Five™ dinner guidelines as much as possible. Aim to have vegetarian meals if you can’t find vegan meals. Know that scallops, clams, oysters, and mussels are considered non-sentient creatures (without consciousness) and can be enjoyed. They are often featured on menus where few vegetarian or vegan dishes appear.
A lovely meal can be made from appetizers or side dishes. These often feature vegetable options. Don’t be afraid to double-up! Get creative, scan the menu, and know that if a restaurant is serving side-items you want with other entrées, with a kind request they can often be plated together to form your unique, delicious meal.
Stashing some raw nuts or dried fruit in your day travel bag (tote, backpack, or purse) can help you stave off temptations and hunger while you explore. While these foods may be out of sync or not quite ideal on the Fruit Til Five™ plan, they are better than succumbing to a coffee shop pastry, energy bar, or street vendor.
Traveling is so much fun and can be improved by staying true to your high-fruit diet. You’ve worked hard at home to make it a habit. Don’t sabotage your effort thinking it’s impossible or not worth your while to keep it up while away. You are worth feeling great every day. A little extra planning before leaving home will help make it happen!
Post below in the comments any other tips you use to stay well & healthy while traveling. I’d love to know them!
Additional Resources:
• 11+ Healthful Foods to Neatly Eat in the Car
• The Best Essential Oils for Travel
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