Yummy, yet hard on the tummy.
Photo: James Jordan

Staying healthy while exploring the ends of earth can actually be an exciting part of the travel experience, if you are into food (and really, who isn’t?).

I know and understand well the desire to try every bit of what a new culture affords, and food plays a major part in coming to understand unfamiliar territory.

But sometimes, going a bit overboard on chowing down can hinder other parts of your travels (like getting up that mountainside quickly…or at all).

You should see pictures of me after I studied abroad in Italy as an undergrad, eating fresh pasta, cheese, and bread each night, and drinking Chianti at least 9 hours out of the day. Not pretty.

At some point, most of us travel to places where we won’t have a choice of what to eat–we have to accept what food is available. For some people that is not a problem; for others with serious food intolerances, it can be. But that’s when you have to just thank God, Buddha, the universe or your particular deity for what is in front of you (and that most likely, it wasn’t a struggle to get at least some sort of food) and ask that it keep you healthy.

But when you do have a choice, take advantage–you may actually end up enjoying a meal even more than if you just ate at a restaurant that looks moderately interesting when your stomach is grumbling loudly.

Ways To Make The Healthiness Happen

Google. The first thing I always do when I get to a new place (or right before I get there) is a quick Google search. Just throw together the name of the city with the word organic. Simple, effective, and universal. It’ll bring up restaurants, health food stores, farmers markets, etc. in the area.

You can always be more specific if you are looking for a particular type of restaurant, but if you want an overall view, this is a great place to start. I find that most of these types of places, at least in developed countries, tend to be in neighborhoods that also contain cool, funky shops and cafes, bars and probably some art. So there you go, bang out everything you are looking for in one easy step.

Guides. Most of the travel guides people use–such as Lonely Planet–now have sections for vegetarians and health food. These restaurants and stores are almost always amazing, or they wouldn’t be in there. Don’t stay away just because there will probably be a tourist invasion. These places are almost always local gems, so loosen up and deal with the fact that you are also a tourist (and hey, you might pick up a cute Brazilian).

Food Markets. Wherever you go in the world, there are food markets. Whether they are called farmers markets in the US or asaichi in Japan, they are going to have the largest amount of foods local to the area and country, and are going to be the freshest and most nutrient-dense of the food you find anywhere.

Even In Jefferson County, they've got a market.
Photo: acnatta

Practice SLO (seasonal, local, organic) food consumption wherever you lay your head. The great thing about these markets are two-fold: purchasing local produce you can take back to your hostel/campground/hotel and cook yourself, and finding already prepared foods that aren’t available anywhere else.

I’ll never forget the roasted “ground nuts” (peanuts) and baby bananas we would buy off the side of the road outside of Lusaka, Zambia. No bananas I have had before or since have the same sweetness, mushy-but-not-too-mushy texture, and small size appeal as these wonders. Scrumptious.

I also remember finally coming across this mouth-watering hummus at a Farmers Market in Berlin, Germany after my mom and I had searched for any sign of hummus throughout Bavaria and Berlin. My obsession with this creamy spread had led to many futile attempts that at the very least were funny–the only humus the health food store clerks knew of made them look at us like we were crazy and point us in the direction of the nearest garden store.

Know Where Your Food Came From

Eating locally via food markets and small shops also gives you the ability to pay attention to where your food is coming from, which is important if you consider yourself environmentally and ecologically friendly.

Now, I know how it goes when it’s 4am, you’ve just left a club, and the neon lights of McDonalds greet you from across the street. In your mildly intoxicated state, the homesickness that can only be tamed by a double quarter-pounder with cheese kicks in. I’ve been there.

But stop and think about the corner shop that is going to open up in an hour, with local meats and cheese, and hopefully some bread and a few veggies to throw on top, and how amazing that meal will taste (even in, or possibly due to, your current state). Or maybe you picked up a few extra avocados at the food market the day before, which would go fabulously with some tomatoes, salt, pepper and a baguette (or brown rice pasta). Now if you can just find your way back to the hostel…

Spend part of your time off the beaten path and search for amazing whole food treats instead of a version that is refined or full of additives. I enjoyed immensely my fair-trade soy au lait in Amsterdam in a little cafe on the outskirts of the city (pot not included). I found the best organic dark chocolate I have ever tasted in Hobart, Tasmania’s wonderful health food store, City Organics, located on a side-street that you really only happen upon as you wind through town. And who would have thought that probably the best gluten-free cake around is not in San Francisco or Berkeley, but at Flour Chylde bakery in Novato, CA?

Staying healthy on the road doesn’t have to be impossible, or even a pain to accomplish. Let it be a part of the experience. Sometimes, I think the adventure of the search is even better than what eventually ends up in your mouth.