19 Sep Health and Vitality While Traveling
It’s time to transform the landscape of quick food, travel and our health. If the purpose of travel is to be sharp for business or feel great to spend time on vacation, we need to eat nourishing whole foods. Thankfully, there are companies working to change what we eat and drink while we travel.
Real Food Daily, an LA-based organic and vegan restaurant is now at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX). Their website details their approach to serving more nutritious food:
- Balanced according to Eastern health philosophies and heart-healthy Western nutrition recommendations.
- Made from certified organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains and high quality natural condiments.
- Rich in protein from organic beans, legumes and non-GMO whole soy including miso, tempeh and tofu. We never use fractionated, processed soy.
- Free of meat, dairy, eggs, butter, cholesterol, saturated fats, preservatives, pesticides, artificial sweeteners, food dyes, trans-fats, soy-isolates and GMOs.
- Cooked in mineral-balanced, triple-filtered purified water. Our beverages are also made with this clean water.
- Prepared fresh in our restaurant and bakery kitchens, daily, by hand, with skill and love.
- Sustainable – good for you and good for the planet.
CIBO Express Gourmet Markets are at several airports across the U.S. They’re focusing on organic, gluten-free, vegan, and kosher offerings. Just be sure to read the labels to make sure there isn’t added sugar or other ingredients you’re trying to remove from your diet.
I’m excited to see there is a trend in travel toward health and wellness. In fact, airlines are making changing for the better. Korean Air offers fresh, organic food from their own farm! The Airline Passenger Experience Association reports: “The airline’s Jedong Ranch is located 400 meters above sea level on the picturesque slopes of Mount Hallasan on Jeju Island, just off the south coast of South Korea….Most of the veggies served on flight, including bok choy, peppers and cherry tomatoes, are hydroponically reared on the island. Even the bottled water served on board is extracted from a volcanic mineral spring on the island.”
This is a great example for other airlines and I hope we see more U.S.-based airlines following suit.
Here are additional tips for increasing your vitality while you travel:
- Take a reusable (preferably glass) bottle and take advantage of the free water-bottle filling stations at many airports. Keep in mind, the water is likely tab, so filter the water before drinking with a portable water-filtration bottle like Grayl.
- Pack your own food. The TSA allows us to take food through security and I often take advantage of it. Solid food is permitted. Food that is more liquid is permitted up to 3.4 oz. per container as long as it fits in the allowable 1-quart bag. Read the TSA guidelines for more information.
Organic nuts and berries are great snacks. For a meal, I love this recipe from Deliciously Ella: roasted squash and pine nut quinoa with avocado cream. It is delicious!
This is a beautiful world. Give yourself the energy to explore it by eating and drinking healthy while you travel.
Do you know of a healthy eatery at an airport? What do you like to take with you when you travel so you can eat – and drink – clean on the road?
Mary Caire MD empowers the world to create a culture of optimized health guided by DNA and epigenetics.