Staying healthy on the road can be hard, especially when your kids are begging for fast food and every gas station is packed with giant bags of chips and candy at bargain prices. Junk food is just so convenient while you’re traveling!
The trick to help you conquer your cravings is making healthy eating easier than stopping for snacks.
Keep healthy snacks in your RV and you’ll be far more likely to stay on track. Plus, eating nutritious foods while traveling can help you fight fatigue and stay alert on those long stretches of open road.
Buy in bulk and pack your own portable containers to save money, reduce waste, and control your portion sizes. Mindless snacking out of the box is a poor health choice, even when you’re snacking on something with nutritional value. Pay attention, snack only when you’re truly hungry, and always make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, too.
Ready to stock the snack bin?
Here are some ideas for healthy, portable snacks to keep in your RV during trips.
Roasted Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are packed with healthy fats and important vitamins. They’re also satisfyingly crunchy, so if you’re trying to break a salty snack habit, switching to something like roasted almonds or sunflower seeds is a good choice.
Pistachios, sunflower seeds, and other snacks with shells are great for people who snack when they’re bored. You have to do some work to get to the edible part, which means you’re consuming fewer calories in a snacking session. Just make sure you have somewhere to drop or spit the shells – a snap top container is a good choice to prevent spills in your RV.
Pay attention to serving sizes when you’re putting together your snack packs. A serving of nuts is usually about the amount that fits in a shot glass.
Healthy Snack Bars
There are lots of convenient snack bars on the market to suit all kinds of healthy diets.
If you’re just looking for a guilt-free snack to keep around, you don’t need energy bars or protein boosts. Check labels for things like added sugars, because some ‘healthy’ snack bars have about the same nutritional value as a candy bar.
Dry Roasted Edamame
High in fiber and protein, edamame is a popular snack that’s usually served steamed or boiled in the pod. Since that’s not super portable, try the dry roasted version instead.
Edamame is another word for soy beans, so if you have a soy allergy, this snack isn’t for you. Lots of people who have peanut allergies are also allergic to soy.
Tuna Pouches
Prepackaged pouches of tuna fish (and salmon, if that’s your thing) are a great source of protein and healthy fats.
Canned or pouched fish is a more substantial snack that can also serve as a main dish with a couple of sides. Eat it with a fork, on crackers, or with raw veggies for a quick meal.
Tuna pouches are savory, convenient, and nutritious – just watch your sodium intake.
Olives
As a great source of antioxidants and healthy fats, olives make an excellent RV snack. You can keep a jar in your fridge and munch a few when you’re craving something savory, or you can get individual packages that can be stored at room temperature.
Stuffed olives are available in a huge variety of flavors. Choose your favorite or bring along a few kinds to try.
Dried Fruit
Banana chips, dried mango slices, apple chips, and other types of dried fruit are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Kids love fruit leather, and grownups like it, too.
When shopping for healthy dried fruit, look for types that don’t include any added sugars.
Pureed fruit pouches and packaged fruit bars are also becoming easier to find in grocery stores. Again, watch out for added sugar, and pay attention to serving sizes.
Pretzels
While pretzels aren’t particularly nutritious, they’re a better alternative than potato chips.
Go for whole grain varieties to get some healthy fiber in and try not to eat a huge bag in a single sitting. Yeah, easier said than done, we know.
Apples
Keeping fresh fruit is a nice thought, but when bananas bruise at the lightest touch and your produce goes bad long before you get anywhere near your campground, it’s just not the most practical choice.
Apples are the exception.
Sure, apples bruise if you drop them, but they’ll be fine with a lot more handling than other fruits. They also last much longer, don’t need refrigeration to stay fresh, and they’re great with peanut butter.
If you’re watching your sugar intake, apples are one of the best fruits you can choose because they’re lower in sugars than other popular fruits like grapes and bananas. High in fiber, convenient, and tasty, apples make a great RV go-to snack.
Plus, you can wrap them in foil, add some butter and cinnamon, and roast them in your campfire for an incredible dessert. You’re welcome.
Beef Jerky
Beef jerky is a popular snack for healthy living because it’s packed with protein, offers plenty of nutrients, and it tastes really good.
Not into beef? Turkey and pork jerkies are also good choices.
Once again, reading labels is important – some jerkies are full of sugar and questionable ingredients, while others are more natural. Jerky is also high in sodium, so if that’s a concern for you, eat it sparingly.
This information is for educational purposes. VIARV shall not be responsible nor retain liability for RVer’s use of the provided information. Prior to making any RV service decision, you are advised to consult with an RV professional.
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