Vacation Diet Tips

We all start summer with a renewed desire to exercise, eat well and enjoy the outdoors. But along with summer comes summer vacation, and that desire suddenly is pushed aside with eating out, little time to exercise and long days of traveling. The best thing to remember before vacation is to remind yourself of all the hard work you put in before. As much as vacation is a time to enjoy and relax, don't let those hours spent in the gym go to waste. Daphne Oz, Dr. Oz's daughter, gave some fabulous tips on how to get the most fun and health out of your vacations!

1. Tailor Your Exercise: find ways to make your exercise new. You are going to a new place, so make the most of it! If there are places to go rock climbing, hiking, swimming in the ocean or outdoor classes, look at those as opportunities to try something new and get your exercise in for the day.
2. Eat Off the Land: Whenever you're traveling somewhere with beautiful, fresh produce, try sticking to "real" foods that haven't been overly processed or slathered in sauce. Not only will these whole foods be some of the freshest and most vibrant flavors around, they will help you to crowd out some of the less healthy alternatives
3. Get Cultured: Eat plenty of yogurt while on vacation. This will ensure you have a healthy balance of intestinal flora to help fend off invading bacteria from the food or environment in a new place
4. Sample the Local Flavor: try new foods that you don't get at home. More than likely these foods will be quite exotic, which will allow you to only want small portions :)
5. Fiber Up: Do you routinely experience "traveler's constipation"? It's probably a result of too little fiber and water intake. To make sure everything flows smoothly, travel with fiber supplements and to be sure to drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water every day
6. Be Aware of the Time: Eating too late can really upset your digestive system and your metabolism. Make sure to plan to eat your last meal several hours before bed. If it ends up you can't go out until late, then make sure your portions are small...opt for appetizer portions instead of a full meal!
7. Eat Carbs Early: To minimize the weight gain from simple carbs, try to eat them earlier in the day. This gives your body a chance to use up the sugar (calories) they offer up to your blood stream so readily. Try to skip bread and other simple carbs at dinner and then enjoy your pastry again in the morning, guilt-free!
8. Take in the Sights: If you have the opportunity to go to fairs, farmers markets or hiking in beautiful rain forest, take it! The walking will help you get in your exercise, and getting fresh food is always better than anything else.
9. Pack the Right Clothes: This includes the right shoes. If you don't have clothes to sweat in or shoes to walk in, chances are you won't make time for any physical activity. Prepare for exercise just like you pack for any other activity.
10. Relax!: It's important to not let yourself go, but it is vacation. Make sure you enjoy it and don't push yourself too hard, or else your motivation will be gone when you get home.