Submitted by The Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital….
The dieting has gotten you ready for vacation, but what to do about the tempting foods once the vacation starts?
Kristi King, registered dietitian with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, offers some tips to keep your vacation diet on track.
“Eating out while on vacation can be tricky. You want to enjoy and ‘let loose,’ but you also don’t want those unwanted calories and pounds to sneak up on you,” said King.
She offers the following tips:
* Plan ahead: check out restaurants near where you are staying and get an idea of the local cuisine and menus.
* If you’re renting a house or condo, plan to have some meals at “home.” This saves calories and money.
* Get to know the locals: Grocery shop or find a local farmer’s market as soon as you get there.
* Order half portions at meal times or, better yet, split the meal with the family.
* Get active: Walk for your sightseeing tours, swim in the ocean or hotel pool or find other fun activities such as hiking and biking that will get you moving and burning calories.
* Don’t obsess: Don’t stress over calories on vacation. Enjoy the local cuisine and allow yourself small amounts. A good rule of thumb is to limit local treats to one per day.