By Marnie Kunz, CPT
If you’re looking for healthy road trip snacks, these foods will keep you fueled and feeling good on the go. On recent road trips around the Northeast and Midwest, I experimented with healthy eats to find the best options. It’s not easy to stay healthy journeying through the fast food land that is America’s roadways, but bringing your own nutritious foods will help. These healthy road trip snacks will ensure you stay healthy, feel good while traveling, and save costs on eating out. Plus, you’ll be able to skip the endless salty, processed foods that can leave you dehydrated and feeling bad after fast food stops.
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After a road trip from NYC to the Midwest, I found myself feeling sluggish and almost hungover from eating an abundance of salty, processed foods. The crazy thing was that I ate foods that were mostly presented as “healthy” options at big chain places along the route. The truth is that the great majority of fast food in America is full of salt, unhealthy fats, added sugars, and overly processed ingredients.
Bringing your own healthy road trip snacks will help you enjoy your trip more, stay energized, and keep your immune system up while traveling. Although it’s tempting to eat fast food on the go, limit yourself to one item a day as a special treat if you feel you have to eat out. Even items like veggie burgers and salads can turn into meccas of salt and unhealthy oils and fats in dressings and sauces at fast food and convenience store stops.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans get 60% of their calories and salt intake from processed foods. Processed foods are mass produced and have additives and preservatives to make them more enticing. Longterm consumption of ultra processed foods can lead to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and other chronic health problems.
In the short-term, ultra processed foods like French fries, chips, fried meats, fast food sauces, dressings, and pre-packaged snack foods can make you feel bloated, dehydrated, sluggish, and dull.
Related Post: What Foods Are Not Processed? Guide to Healthy Eating
Healthy Foods to Pack: Protein, Fiber, Fruits, and Veggies
When you’re preparing healthy road trip snacks, reach for minimally processed, whole foods like fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs, and unsalted nuts. Some key nutrients to look for when packing include:
Protein-rich foods will give you energy and help you feel full so you’re not tempted to load up on salty snacks. Try unsalted nuts, nut butters (almond, cashew, or peanut), hard-boiled eggs, edamame, and low-salt salmon or beef jerky.
Fiber is crucial when traveling to keep you from getting constipated. Fiber allows your food to digest normally through your digestive tract, which usually slows down when sitting for long periods. Some high-fiber healthy road trip snacks include avocados (or homemade guac), apples, hummus, chia seeds (you can add chia seeds to yogurt or smoothies), and whole grains like oatmeal and whole grain bread.
Fruits and veggies are packed with vitamins and minerals and are often high in fiber too. Bring some fresh berries, apples, pears, plums, cherries, or other fruits you like to snack on. For veggies, you can pack baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, and more. Veggies pair perfectly with hummus for an easy travel snack.
Try these healthy road trip snacks to keep you nourished on your next adventure. These foods will help you stay fueled, energized, and ready to roll.
Protein-Packed Snacks
Try these protein-rich snacks to keep your appetite in check and give you energy (and muscle recovery benefits!) on the road.
Hard-Boiled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs offer complete protein in conveniently sized portions. Boil your eggs before hitting the road and store them in a partial egg carton to keep them protected. These are great to have for high-protein breakfasts or snacks on the road.
Unsalted Nuts
Unsalted nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, and peanuts make excellent healthy road trip snacks. Nuts are easy to store and carry and can be kept at room temperature. They’re high in protein so will help curb your appetite and keep you feeling satiated. You can even buy small travel-sized bags of nuts for handy portions on the road.
Nut Butters
Nut butters offer protein and nourishment for filling road trip snacks. Choose almond butter, peanut butter, or cashew butter that has little to no added sugars for the healthiest option. I love Justin's Peanut Butter travel-sized spreads for easy snacking on the road. You can add your nut butter to apples, celery sticks, whole wheat bread, or eat it alone for a tasty snack.
Hummus
Hummus is one of the best travel snacks that packs in protein and fiber. You can make your own hummus and put it in an airtight container for traveling or buy some healthy hummus. If you buy hummus, opt for ones that have a short list of ingredients (with just the basics such as chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, and garlic) for the healthiest options.
Related Post: Easy Healthy Hummus Recipe
Edamame
Edamame is an excellent source of plant-based protein and fiber. The soybean snacks are also rich in vitamin C, calcium, iron, and folates. Dry roasted edamame is a convenient road trip snack that’s easy to store and takes up little space. Make sure you get edamame snack packs that aren’t high in sodium.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is another protein-packed snack that’s perfect for traveling. Add fresh fruit to your yogurt and some chia seeds for extra fiber. When picking your yogurt, check out the added sugar content and try to limit it to a few grams.
Jerky
Dried meats and fish can provide protein-rich healthy road trip snacks. Just make sure the salt content is not too high when you choose your jerky.
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Fresh Fruits and Veggies
If you’re a bored eater on the road like me, fresh fruits and veggies can get you through long hours on the road in good shape. They’re great for fiber, vitamins, and minerals so your body can ward off colds and common viruses when you’re traveling.
Apples
Fresh fruits like apples are convenient for traveling. They’re packed with fiber, which is essential when traveling. Bring whole apples or cut them into slices and add peanut butter for a boost of protein.
Grapes
Grapes offer an easy fresh fruit snack that you can just wash and put in a ziplock bag for the road. Grapes boost your immune system and provide antioxidants to help keep you healthy.
Cherries
Cherries are another fresh fruit that travels well. They’re an anti-inflammatory food rich in antioxidants which can help your body stay feeling good on the road.
Fruit Smoothies
Fruit smoothies can help you get a boost of vitamins and nutrients when you’re on the road. Make your own smoothies before your trip and pack them in watertight travel containers or get some from health food or grocery stores. When you’re shopping for smoothies, avoid ones that are high in sugar or made with juice concentrate. Instead opt for fresh pressed juice and smoothies without added sugars.
Avocado
Avocados are one of my favorite foods. They’re full of nutrients and fiber and can be added to sandwiches and other items. Try guacamole for a healthy and delicious snack. Bring your own guac for the best health benefits and to avoid the high-salt content of many fast food and restaurant guacamoles.
Clementines and Oranges
Sugary drinks including fruit juices are often a sneaky source of excess calories and sugar. Skip the sugary drinks and bring whole citrus fruits like clementines or oranges on your trip instead. You’ll enjoy a big bump in vitamin C and a stronger immune system without the unnecessary sugar and calories in juice drinks.
Carrots
Carrots offer lots of vitamins and minerals and they’re easy to pack if you get baby carrots or cut up large carrots before hitting the road. You can eat carrots plain or with a health dip like hummus or tzatziki for delicious snacking.
Bell Peppers
Sliced fresh bell peppers are another healthy veggie snack you can pack. Bell peppers offer many nutrients and are perfect for dipping with hummus, in sandwiches, or alone for crunchy snacking.
Other Travel Snacks
Some other travel snacks can be ok in small doses when you’re in a pinch. Snack bars, for instance, often have high amounts of added sugars and can have long lists of preservatives and other ingredients that make them more processed. If you have snack bars on the road, go for ones with few ingredients such as Larabar and don’t rely on them as meals but just for an occasional snack.
Hydration
Drinking water is the simplest thing you can do to stay healthy on your road trip. Stay hydrated by bringing a large jug of water and refilling as much as you need to. Despite all of our best efforts, we may have times we stop for a snack or food item that isn’t so healthy and is full of salt. Water will help prevent you from getting dehydrated. Water will also help your body function well and keep you feeling good on the road.
Staying Balanced
Balance is key when you’re practicing healthy habits. Indulging in a sweet treat or favorite snack occasionally (once a day) on the road should be fine, as long as you’ve got your nutrients from your healthy snacks and foods you bring on the trip.
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Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach based in Brooklyn, a dog lover and Akita mom, and the founder of Runstreet.
