Hello People!

I just returned from a fantastic trip to Gulf Shores, AL for the Hangout Music Festival. I want to share some of the items I purchased while driving through the Arkansas Delta, Mississippi, and Alabama for 11 hours and what I bought at the grocery store for the weekend when I arrived.

It’s super easy to reach for snacks that your body craves. Chips, candy, sugary drinks, muffins, etc. All delicious. And honestly, every now and then, what’s it going to hurt?

For me, it’s typically easier to commit 100% to something than to do it moderation. Aside from some nachos at the festival, (… and vodka sodas), I stuck to the plan. Why change what you eat while on a road trip? If your goal is to be healthy, to lose weight, to have more energy, to be fit, is it really worth spending any money on cheap gas station food when you can also get cheap snacks and make easy meals that help you live better?

These snacks have literally zero nutritional value. Actually, they’re even negative in nutrition. Seed oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn, vegetable), sugar, processed carbs… the three main culprits of high inflammation and modern degenerative disease and chronic illness(1, 2, 3). These seed oils are highly susceptible to oxidation, creating free radicals that cause inflammation (known to be the underlying cause of all modern degenerative diseases). However, find chips that are cooked in avocado or olive oil, and you’re in way better hands. Additionally, with zero nutritional value, these give us plenty of calories without filling us up at all, causing us to reach for more food shortly after.

Why not grab more substantial items that actually help your body feel better, function better, endure longer, feel less hungry, and allow you to return from your trip not feeling like a shell of a human? Granted, it takes a little bit of effort to prepare, but I’d say it’s highly worth the struggle! When you give your body actual nutrients, instead of empty calories, you’re repaid with energy, empowerment, and vitality. Especially if you’re spending the weekend at a music festival, your body can use all the help it can get.

One thing I was really excited about this weekend was that, despite my lack of sleep, I still had a good amount of energy all three nights of walking over 30,000 steps in the soft Alabama shoreline sand. If you know me, you know it takes a lot of time and energy for me to sleep well, so it was a given that this weekend I’d be struggling to get my zzz’s. However, because of literally 30 minutes of preparation to begin the weekend and a couple minutes to cook the food, I felt immensely more energized when I wasn’t as conscious of what I was putting in my body. Treat your body well with just a couple minutes of preparation and you’ll be rewarded!

Below are some tips to prepare for a road trip or travel of any kind:

Before the trip, load up with tasty and nutritious items like:

(I did not bring these items, these are just examples of what you can bring)

• Roasted Cauliflower

• Jimaca Fries

• Grass fed beef jerky

• Guac and veggies

• Plantain Chips – with zero added seed oils (avocado or olive oil is great)

• Almonds, macadamias, pecans

• Nut butters – Same as nuts (peanuts / peanut butter are harmful to the gut).

• Hard boiled or deviled eggs

• Sardines or tuna packed in olive oil

• Avocado

• Coconut flakes – Bob’s Red Mill

• Coconut Yogurt – Cocoyo

• (Sugar free) Salmon Jerky, Beef jerky

• Raw veggies and avocado dip

• Full fat cheese slices

• Coconut oil

• Dried beef liver from Carnivore Aurelius

At gas stations, some great, although not perfect, options include:

• Beef jerky – look for sugar free brands

• Almonds (look for nuts with zero added seed oils)

• Cheese sticks

• Fruits

• Water

And here was my grocery list:

• Chobani Whole Fat, Sugar Free Greek Yogurt

• 3 pounds lean ground beef

• Whole fat shredded cheese

• Great Value Dry roasted, lightly salted almonds

• Sugar Free Almond Butter

• 5 lb bag of Russett Potatoes

• Full Pineapple

• Blueberries

• 5 Avocados

• Pasture Raised Eggs – Dozen

• Organic Spring & Spinach Mix

• Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Meal Plans:

Breakfast- 3 eggs, cheese, 1 avocado, ¾ cup yogurt with blueberries, 1 tbsp almond butter

Lunch – Organic Spinach & Spring Mix, ground beef heated up, cheese, olive oil, handful almonds

Dinner – Russet potatoes (2-3), ground beef, cheese

Dessert – almond butter and pineapples or blueberries for dessert

No, this isn’t the most gourmet meal plan you’ve ever seen, but compared to hot pockets, pop tarts, ramen noodles, Waffle House, and fast food that I would typically get on trips like this, I knocked it out of the park.

Eat better, feel better, live better!

Brooks