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Healthy Road Trip Snacks

Healthy Road Trip Snacks

Healthy Road Trip Snacks

This post will give you some ideas for some healthy road trip snacks. These travel meal ideas or snack ideas are all simple recipes and foods which most people should be able to easily put together. All the ideas here I can buy at my local supermarket, Aldi.

These ideas can also be used to prepare a healthy picnic. The focus of this post is to help you select healthy foods when you travel. Remember it is all about getting a good balance.

I hope you will be inspired to prep some healthy food to ensure you have the perfect road trip or day out!

healthy road trip snacks

 

What is Meant by Healthy?

There is a lot of information out there describing what is healthy and what isn’t. At the end of the day, the trick is to have a balanced diet which is one gets by eating a variety of different foods.

vegan road trip

The main things to think about regarding healthy eating, are to avoid foods that are heavily processed or with too much fat, salt and sugar, as all of these can be detrimental to health if taken in excess. All is OK though, of course, in small amounts.

There are of course plenty of diets out there like keto, weight watchers, gluten free etc etc. Some of these may be healthier than others and many are aimed at achieving weight loss.

Some have completely opposite approaches to nutrition. I will not be following any of them in this post, but just applying some common sense to avoid foods that we know are not perhaps the best for us.

 

Some Tips to Provide Healthy Snacks to bring on a Road Trip

Some simple tips when preparing your healthy road trip foods are to try and avoid using ingredients with high saturated fat levels. For example, use margarine instead of butter in sandwiches, or limit the amount of mayonnaise you use in a sandwich.

It will still taste good if you use less – it just does not have to be drowning in it.

Use 0% fat yoghurt as opposed to full fat. There are some great tasting low-fat yoghurts out there. Use low-fat milk instead of full fat. 

Some high-fat foods are also highly nutritious and good for you, like eggs, avocados, nuts, fish and olive oil.

So just remember to try and keep a good balance as you need healthy fats as well.

healthy travel meals

 

Avoid foods with high refined or free sugar levels like candy, cake, soda and donuts etc. They are not essential in a healthy balanced diet.

There are plenty of foods out there with natural sugars like fruit, which are more healthy for you. Natural sugars are sucrose, fructose and glucose and contain calories just like refined sugar but fruits have lots of nutrients and fibre which helps provide the balanced diet.

Try not to eat too much salt as it can raise your blood pressure. One bag of potato chips is not going to kill you of course, but everything in moderation, which is why I have left potato chips off this list as there are more healthy things to take with you.

Use whole grain bread rather than white bread in your sandwiches (unless in France of course – see later on!).

How to eat healthily on the road

Do not overeat. Some foods are so tasty that we want to eat loads. But resist the temptation to overeat.

We only need so many calories a day, which depends on our body size, level of activity and gender.

When we are travelling on a road trip we are likely to be sitting for long periods so we may not need as many calories as on a normal day of activity.

Remember anything we do not burn off will turn to fat, and this is what causes heart disease in time. 

So try and get some exercise if you can – if you stop for a rest break – do some walking to stretch your legs.

Drink plenty of fluids. Make sure you have water with you on your trip to keep yourself hydrated. Ensure you have some sort of cooler box or cooler bag to keep your food cool.

I will now go through some ideas for you to consider if you are needing some inspiration for healthy food ideas for travelling.

 

What are the best healthy road trip snacks?

So, what makes good road trip meal planning? What to pack for a road trip? Which healthy travel food to prepare?

How to plan healthy travel meals? What is the best healthy road trip food?

From our experience, the best healthy car snacks to eat on a road trip are the ones you can easily make yourself at home.

You know exactly what has gone into them, how fresh they really are and you can prepare your own healthy snacks for travelling in the car before you leave.

road trip snack box

Lunches for road trips

Obviously the products that stay fresh on the road are also to be recommended.  Think about stuff you can bake at home, prepare, wash, cut and package that is ready to eat at any time.

We will not give a complete healthy road trip food list here, more a few ideas to help you plan your own healthy snacks for long road trips.

Healthy non-perishable snacks are a great choice obviously and are food that travels well. You can make them yourself like some of the healthy snacks for the road that I share below.

Road Trip Sandwiches 

There is nothing easier than making some healthy homemade sandwiches for your road trip maybe?

When we have travelled in France, and we have done some seriously long road trips there, we do not actually prepare sandwiches upfront.

We travel with a multifunctional knife and we know we will find a Boulangerie or supermarket somewhere and buy fresh some bread, ham and French mustard mayo and make our own fresh baguette sandwich on the go.

There is really nothing better than crusty French bread, but it has to be fresh.

french baguettes

 

However, in other countries will tend to prepare our sandwiches beforehand, depending on the ingredients available. Here are some examples of sandwiches we would make if we were travelling from home.

We normally package them in re-sealable plastic bags or air-tight containers.

To make your sandwiches healthier, use margarine instead of butter and do not use too much mayo. They will still be good! 

 

  • Ham and Mayo Sandwich

What could be better than this simple ham and mayo sandwich (apart from one made in a French baguette of course!)? 

READ
Ham Mayo Sandwich

 

  • Ham Cheese and Mayo Sandwich

This ham and cheese sandwich is also a winner with the whole family? Sometimes the simple ones are the best.

READ
Ham and Cheese Sandwich Recipe

 

  • Cold Sausage Sandwich

This cold sausage sandwich is always a success. Pretty filling and even better than the hot version!

You can also just take cooked cold sausages with you wrapped in tin foil – they are also good on their own.

READ
Cold Sausage Sandwich

 

  • Chicken Mayo Sandwich

This chicken mayo sandwich is one of my favourites. So simple and tasty – a great way to use your roast chicken leftovers.

READ
Chicken Mayo Sandwich

 

  • Egg Salad Sandwich

My girls love this. These egg sandwiches are quite filling and provide plenty of protein.

READ
Creamy Egg Salad

 

  • Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich

The ultimate BLT. Delicious always and a good travel lunch idea. 

READ
Ultimate BLT

 

  • Cheese and Pickle Sandwich

This is a typical English sandwich which always goes down well. The traditional Ploughman’s lunch.

READ
Cheese and Pickle Sandwich

 

  • Chicken Curry Sandwich

This is a very tasty chicken curry sandwich that is a great road trip lunch idea if you can keep it cool. 

READ
Chicken Curry Sandwich

 

  • Cucumber Sandwiches

The classic of the afternoon tea. Make sure you slice the cucumber thinly!

READ
Cucumber Sandwiches

 

I am sure you will have plenty of your own favourite healthy sandwich recipes that you can use as well for your sandwich fillings. The possibilities are of course infinite.

 

Healthy snacks for the road

Pre-prepped vegetables are another good way to have some healthy snacks for trips. By pre-slicing and peeling carrots into carrot sticks, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes you can have some healthy food to munch on during your journey. Quick, cheap and easy.

Keep them in an airtight box to keep them fresh. These are some of our favourite healthy snacks and we keep a box like this in our fridge at home now as it is so easy to just grab a healthy bite when you wish.

fresh vegetable snacks

Healthy Road Trip Snacks

 

Healthy Fruit Snacks

Fresh fruit is another easy way to sort out some healthy snacks on the go. Easy to package and ready when you need it. And of course, kids love them!

They can also be transported well in airtight boxes if you think about grapes and berries, as examples. Make sure to wash them before you pack them.

  • Fresh fruits

fresh fruit box

Simply wash and arrange a container with fresh fruits, check out some great containers here.

cherries

 

Bananas and apples you can always just eat as is. Oranges and kiwi fruit you can peel when you want to eat them.

fresh fruit

 

  • Fruit salad

You can also think about making a fruit cocktail and keeping it in small containers to eat when you feel like it. A great sweet treat with plenty of natural sugars!

These are quick and easy make-ahead meals for road trips.

READ
Fresh Fruit Cocktail Salad

make ahead meals for road trip

 

make ahead holiday meals

 

Dried fruit – healthy snacks to travel with

Dried fruits are healthy snacks that you can buy in your favorite grocery store. Think about food like dates or apricots. Lovely to nibble on and a good shelf life so they are good for a long trip.

Beware though that because they have been dried they contain a highly concentrated level of natural sugars. So they have a lot of calories in a small package.

dried fruit

Dried fruits are great non-perishable travel food.

 

Other healthy travel food for road trips

There are lots of other healthy car snacks you can consider purchasing before going on your road trip. Think about food like:

 

  • Mixed nuts, cashews or peanuts

Beware though as you do not want to give kids nuts if they have a nut allergy. Apparently peanut allergy is one of the most common causes of allergy in childhood and can be fatal.

So if you are travelling with kids that are not yours and not sure of their medical history, be careful when dishing out nuts!

mixed nuts

 

  • Ritz crackers

Crackers are always a hit with my kids, but they can make a mess if not controlled in the back of the car!

RITZ CRACKERS ORIGINAL

 

  • Protein or granola bars.

ONE Protein Bars, Chocolate Lovers Variety Pack, Gluten Free 20g Protein and only 1g Sugar, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter Cup & Almond Bliss, 2.12 oz (12 Pack)

Energy bars or protein bars are of course a super easy trip snack. A good alternative to chocolate bars.

 

  • Biltong or Beef Jerky

Biltong or Beef Jerky is also a great snack to take on the road. It will keep for ages and provide plenty of protein. Delicious.

biltong road food

 

  • Cheese dips or cheese triangles

Cheese strings or other cheese snacks like cheese triangles or cheese dips are always a good way to keep the kids quiet. Even better if you can spread on a cracker somehow without making a mess.

string cheese

Cheese triangles

road trip snacks for kids

Cheese dip

 

Homemade Healthy Road Trip Snacks

There are plenty of homemade healthy travel snacks that you can prepare up-front for a road trip, rather than buy ready-made.

Here are some food ideas road for travelling in a car that you can make beforehand. All the recipes mentioned are on this blog site and can be accessed by clicking on the relevant links.

 

  • Bacon egg muffins

These little savoury cupcakes can be made upfront and eaten when required. They will not keep that long though outside a fridge so you should eat them on the first day.

READ
Keto Bacon Egg Muffins

 

  • Yoghurt Fruit Pots

These are great healthy snacks for long car rides. You need to keep them cool but they are tasty and easy travel food.

READ
Healthy yoghurt fruit pots

 

  • Hard boiled Eggs

These are simple to prepare upfront and will give you a protein boost if you need one.

READ
Hard Boiled Eggs - how to cook, store and use them

 

  • Meat balls

These are a great snack that we love to take on a trip. You need to keep them cool but they are really tasty and will not last very long. Similar to a cold cooked sausage.

READ
Frikadellers - Danish meat balls

 

  • Cold pasta

For an easy pre-prepped pasta you cannot find an easier recipe than this one. Cool in the fridge before leaving, pack in separate containers and keep it cool until eating. Delicious!

READ
Quick and Easy Tuna Pasta

Or perhaps you have your own healthy salad recipe you wish to prep.

 

healthy salad

 

Or a healthy salad wrap maybe?

READ
Chicken Salad Wraps

 

Hot Food on the Go

If you have a well-insulated flask you can, of course, take some healthy hot soup with you if you are going to need to be warmed up.

A good idea if you are travelling somewhere cold in the winter and there is the slightest risk of you breaking down. Best to be prepared – you never know…

Taking some hot meals and keeping them warm for a long time may be more of a problem though and I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thermos Stainless King Vacuum Insulated Bottle

 

  • Soups

With the proper thermos flask you could easily keep a mushroom soup or a tomato soup hot for several hours! 

READ
Healthy tomato soup recipe

 

Drinks for your  road trip

 

  • Cold drinks

You will also want to take some drinks with you along the way to prevent dehydration. We have some great metal vacuum insulated water bottles that we take with us which keep our water or fruit juice cold.

Fruit juice does contain quite a lot of sugar so normally we just take water with us, although sometimes we will take flavoured water or a fruit squash with us.

We do not take soda with us on a road trip normally as it is not the healthiest of things to drink due to the high sugar levels they use these days.

Vmini Water Bottle

 

 

Healthy Smoothies for on your travels

Smoothies are great healthy travel snacks for road trips. They are tasty and filling and a good way to get some clean healthy vitamins.

Just be aware that you need to keep them cool to keep them fresh and that they will not last that long.

Give them a good shake before you consume them as the different constituents are likely to separate. 

  • Fruit Smoothies

READ
Frozen Mixed Fruit Smoothie
READ
Mango Pineapple Smoothie
READ
Strawberry Mango Banana Smoothie
READ
Frozen Mango Apple Banana Smoothie

 

Healthy road trip meals

So I hope this post has given you some ideas preparing for a road trip by prepping some healthy car trip snacks?  Which healthy road trip snacks to make? Which healthy road trip snacks to pack?

Selecting the right healthy food for road trips is really down to: who is in the travelling party? how long will you be travelling? Are there any allergies you need to think about? Is there any risk of a delay? How much time do you have to prepare? 

These are all questions you need to ask to put together the best healthy snacks to bring on a road trip. Bear in mind that making your own snacks and meals upfront will not only save you a lot of money, as gas stations charge more generally then supermarkets, but you will also save a lot of time.

And if you are travelling with good weather you can also stop somewhere nice and have a picnic with a view if you are lucky enough.

All the recipes mentioned above are simple to prepare upfront and your travel experience will be so much improved when you know that your family are eating healthily.

The main thing is not to go hungry!

Tell me; what is the best healthy road trip snack and beverage in your opinion? Let me know in the contact section below.


More road trip food posts:

READ
Vegan Road Trip Snacks (15+ snacks for vegans on the road)
READ
Road Trip Snacks For Kids
READ
Make Ahead Meals for Road Trip

 

Healthy Snacks For Road Trips

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