Vegan Vacation

It is summer. Travel season. Now that the kids are out of school, everyone is planning their summer trips, and going to such exciting vacation destinations as Disney World, Vegas, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. My family and I have a trip planned as well. I have to say that I am quite excited about it.

One of the things I find hardest about vacations is the travel itself. As a reformed overeater and vegan, travel is quite scary at times. At home, I control my diet and exercise stringently, as that is the way that I lost all the weight in the first place. When I travel, all of those rules go out the window. That being said, there are strategies which can help you deal with the rigors of travel, and still keep to your vegan diet and exercise. I will outline these below:

1. The Airport: Unfortunately, the airport is a hotbed of bad food. I have been to many airports in my time, and I am sad to say that the vegan options are very limited. In smaller airports, you are usually limited to a small salad or some fruit from one of the few restaurants available. In larger airports, there will occasionally be an establishment which specializes in vegan cuisine, but at least you can usually find a sushi place or something similar, and get veggie rolls or the like. What I usually choose to do is pack my own snacks ahead of time. Dried fruits, nuts, and fruit bars, such as Larabars are wonderful vegan options.
2. The Airplane: Once you cross the jetway, forget it. I don't know of a single airline who still offers vegan meals. Their pathetic a la carte "menus" offer no vegan choices. Even if you request a vegan meal, the request won't be honored. This applies even if you fly first class. In 7 years of flying as a vegan, I have yet to get a single vegan meal aboard an airplane...
3. The destination: Once you reach your destination, your job is often the hardest. The temptation to eat bad foods "because I am on vacation, and the rules don't apply" is very high. Additionally, if you are like me, you plan lots of activities on vacation. Thus, exercising is difficult, as time is limited. I have learned a couple of strategies to deal with this:
1. Lose the vacation mentality: First, forget you are on vacation. You still need to eat the same as you would on the DevolveHealth eating plan at home. Remember, though, the DevolveHealth plan does allow for "occasional" animal products. If you want a bite or two of dessert, go ahead. Just don't throw the rules out completely
2. Wake up early. I know this is difficult on vacation, but getting up an hour early allows you to get a run in (hopefully on the beach), and still be back and ready before your vacation companions even wake up. You can run 3-4 miles every day during vacation, with only a little discipline.
4. Back Home: Believe it or not, I find this to be the most difficult. Because we all have that vacation mentality, once you return to your home, it is often hard to get back into your normal routine. Saying to yourself "I will start running and eating well again tomorrow, but today, I am going to let everything go" is very easy. I find the best way to deal with this is to re-establish the routine from day one. Get up. eat a breakfast of fruits and veggies, and go for a run. Get right back on the train, so that the human sense of routines kicks in. We are creatures of habit. If you reclaim your routine, it will take over, and your good eating and exercise will support themselves.

Most experts, including me agree that vacations are very hard on a fitness routine. I hope the strategies that I have shared will help you maintain healthy habits during your vacation, yet still allow quite a bit of fun. If you need more help on eating or exercise, please visit my website: www.devolvehealth.com, or contact me: drott@devolvehealth.com. Also, please feel free to post your experiences with diet and vacation on this blog, as other readers may need the inspiration.

Good luck to all and enjoy your summer!!!

M. Jacob Ott, MD