Spring Break Travel Foods (Avocados Included)

Avocados enjoying some Belizian sunshine, I don't store them  outside just trying to make you jealous. Did I?

Packing clothes for a warm weather vacation is easy. Bathing suits, flip-flops, easy dresses and sunglasses and you’re pretty much set. I spent way more time organizing food to bring with us, especially since we were coming off a week of eating raw. As I packed what I consider a vacation essential, avocados, along with our swimsuits and shampoo it crossed my mind that perhaps other people don’t stress over their travel food. I looked to the twittersphere and asked, “Do normal people pack avocados in their suitcases?” It turns out they do or at least the food-focused people who I associate with. If you do not, we can still be friends though I’d give the avocado more thought (unripe in the luggage, ripe in the carry on). Avocados can be used for a smoothie in the morning, sliced in a salad at lunch or if you're really on board halved and eaten with a spoon.

Aside from the avocado I must have:

Green Juice- while they don’t go in the bags, I have one on the way to the airport. It’s part last hurrah and part laying the groundwork for a healthy trip.

Container of Crudité- I don’t leave home without a fairly large glass container of crudité. The kids love to munch when they get antsy on flights and it assures me that their travel day has some nutrients. For Saturday’s flight I had carrots, celery and jicama. The container also keeps my carry on tote of food cold.

Bars that don’t melt-there’s nothing worse than taking the time to procure proper snacks and finding they’re a mess when you’re ready to eat them. Skip any chocolate-coated bars. I brought a couple of pure bars and Sheffa bars with us.

Probiotics- if I were forced to choose one travel supplement it would be probiotics. My current probiotic is made by Renew life.

Tea- I take an assortment of tea bags with me wherever I go. For this trip it was Pukka 3 Ginger Tea.

I also asked some of the avocado packers what their must-pack snacks are:

Juli Novotny, the owner of Kookie Karma

Healthy SPF- if in tropical place, most of those spray sunblock are horrible for us to absorb via skin. (I brought Vive Sana on this trip)

 A roll up bag- I consider myself fairly fashionable and yet I MAKE myself take only 1 or two of everything. Less is more when you travel. Bring a tiny roll up bag that you can open up if you decide to buy things; Eagle Creek makes a great one

 Healthy Snacks for the plane- first class or not, better safe than sorry. You never know when there will be delays or issues and you’ll be stuck for hours with only airport food. Our Foodtrainers' March newsletter “Not a Total (Spring) Break” focused on travel snacks and we highlighted Juli’s amazing kale creations.

Amie Valone personal chef, recipe developer and more from The Healthy Apple

Chia seeds for protein

Avocados for healthy fats

Magnesium to help keep things regular

Amy Metcalf aka Amy Danger fitness instructor, nutrition enthusiast and PhD candidate

Lara bars

Steel Cut Oats (& my water heater)

Green tea

Packaged salmon,

Nuts and Shredded Coconut

Carolyn Brown fellow Foodtrainer vacay essentials

Running and yoga gear always

iPod with new playlists

Stash of healthy snacks,-Barney butter  is floating somewhere in every bag I own. luggage too 

Google ahead  of time the best active stuff to do and pre-pick restaurants

I think Juli said it best “I’d rather save those "bad" calories for great meals and cocktails at my destination.”

What are your must pack snacks or foods? Does it take longer to pack your food or your clothing? Have you ever boarded a flight with an avocado?

Special Teas and Tips

This photo doesn't have that much to do with this post

I am a little bit of a tea freak. Purists swear by loose-leaf tea but more often than not I use tea bags. I have a huge selection of teas at home, in my office and keep a few bags in my purse at all times. I'll even violate my “don’t eat anything offered by an airline” rule for hot water for  tea hough the nasty Styrofoam cup ruins my tea experience. A great article in Slate  “how to make a decent cup of tea”, posted on Facebook by acupuncturist extraordinaire Jill Blakeway, made me think more about the details of my tea preparation.

It suggested:

• Tea is best in cylindrical cups rather than short, wide-mouthed options.
• The article also discusses a topic debated by John Lennon and Yoko and sides with tea bag first then water.

Some of my tea tips:

• Toss tea after six months, not to worry you're not the only one with tea older than your children, as the flavor and antioxidant level decreases significantly
• Fresh brewed is always best, there are 20 times more antioxidants in brewed versus bottled teas (applies more to iced tea).
• Preparation is different for different teas. Green teas and white teas need only a couple of minutes, ½ the steeping time of black and herbal teas.

Some of my current favorite teas (click on images for links) are:

Green and oolong tea have mild metabolic boosting effects, white tea is great for immunity and rooibos tea is beneficial for certain skin conditions including eczema. After dinner, a delicious cup of tea and a good book is the perfect ending to the day.

Are you a tea freak? What are your current favorites? Tea or water in the cup first?