Have you tried to stay healthy while on the road? Ever feel confused about what foods you should or shouldn’t be eating? Tried googling best eating practices? The internet is wonderful. It connects people from all over and exposes us to an infinite amount of information! But sometimes it’s difficult to determine what pertains to us personally, especially when it comes to nutrition.
If you’re reading this from halfway across the country, let alone across the globe, chances are, our food options are different. It would be impossible to offer a list of the 5 best foods to eat and expect that you would have access to even 1 of them. Which got me thinking; what are some ways to eat healthy regardless of where you live or travel?
Here are 5 ways to eat healthy anywhere in the world.
1) Hydrate.
Our bodies consist of 55-60% water, which is used for many of the body’s functions, namely digestion. The fluids produced through hydration such as saliva and stomach acid help our body absorb nutrients, kill harmful bacteria, and breakdown food. Much of our energy also comes from water and a lack of it can lead to cravings for caffeine and sugar when we feel sluggish. Often we reach for that cup of coffee because our body is signaling to us that it’s thirsty. Do it a favor and try to drink more water!
2) Limit fried foods and sugary treats.
I am not saying to avoid these all together, but there is a difference between eating a bucket of chicken wings and trying one to see what it tastes like. I encourage you to enjoy satiating foods, but a diet filled with them can wreak more havoc on your health and waistline than you’d care to know. Try a bite here and there, allow your taste buds to enjoy it fully… but then slowly back away.
3) Eat nutrient dense whole food.
This could mean any number of things, but mainly- cut the processed crap. I live in the United States. Everywhere I turn there’s “food” that doesn’t quite look like food. Bars, bags, packages with ingredient lists for days, ingredients I can’t even pronounce. Unless I am cooking, I don’t eat food that has more than 5 ingredients. Reach for foods that are as close to their natural state as you can get. Plenty of companies are now manufacturing whole food options if you just look a little harder.
4) Eat local and seasonal. You’re in a beautiful part of the world full of indigenous plants and tubers. Eating food that is in season and local offers you the chance to taste something at its peak freshness, which means optimizing its nutritional content. Indulge with fish that was caught just a few hours before, or fruits fresh off the branch. Whatever type of eater you are- herbivore or omnivore, dig into the foods that this land harvests for you. Give your senses a chance to explore your current corner of the planet, while giving your body a chance to absorb the abundant vitamins and minerals found in fresh, local food.
5) It’s not just WHAT you eat, it’s HOW you eat it. We live in a time where we’re completely removed from the ritual of eating. Pausing before meals to express gratitude for our food is not just some spiritual practice. Gratitude puts us into a relaxed state, which also prepares our bodies to eat. When we do eat, it’s important to take small bites and chew them fully. The simple act of making your meal time a mindful and relaxed practice could be the difference in using your food as nourishment or just using it as a pacifier to a craving.
Food is nourishment and fuel for our bodies so that we can go out and jump, play, sing, laugh, have sex, surf, write, ski, or well, just get off the couch. Food is not meant to be obsessed over and scrutinized. So, take the pressure off yourself. “Health” isn’t worth having if you’re miserable trying to attain it. Eat well and then go out there and chase some joy. Cause, hey, happiness is pretty good for you too- no matter where you are in the world.
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Kristen Hubbard is a writer, wellness coach and Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. Her diverse background as a former CrossFit coach and correctional officer offer her a unique perspective on the world she sees, enabling her to reach individuals through her writing and coaching in a straight forward and approachable way
Author: Lauren Rudick
Lead teacher and founder of Yoga Academy International, Lauren is a globally celebrated yoga instructor. She has been teaching yoga for nearly a decade and comes from a variety of lineages and traditions. Lauren’s appetite for yoga and travel are insatiable. She continues to study with world-class instructors whenever possible, all the while leading her own yoga retreats and workshops. Lauren has solid roots in Hatha yoga with continued studies in Vinyasa flow, Anusara, Ashtanga, Restorative and Yin Yoga.
When not teaching yoga, Lauren can be found, snowboarding, beachbuming, surfing, hiking or snuggling her dog.
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Yoga Academy International Faculty:
Lauren Rudick
Lauren Rudick
Lead teacher and founder of Yoga Academy International, Lauren is a globally celebrated yoga instructor. She has been teaching yoga for over a decade and comes from a variety of lineages and traditions. Lauren has lead yoga retreats and workshops in over 2-dozen countries and continues to study with world-class instructors whenever possible. She has been featured in Women's health Magazine, YogiTimes, Optymyz and get out there to name a few as well as on countless podcasts and newspaper articles. Lauren has solid roots in Iyengar based Hatha yoga with continued studies in Vinyasa flow, Anusara, Ashtanga, Restorative, Bhakti and Yin Yoga. She is inspired by teachers who tell stories. She has studied under Seane Corn, Chris Chavez, MC Yogi, Susan Cohen, Mercy Ananda, Nancy Goodfellow and many others. Lauren is passionate about sharing yoga from an authentic and soulful point of view. She believes that yoga practice can help uncover the veils that hide us from achieving our full potential.
Lauren is E-RYT 500 registered with Yoga Alliance.
Will Peters
Will Peters
Making yoga accessible and enjoyable, regardless of who you are and how strong or flexible you are, is his priority. With a passion for all things health and wellbeing, Will’s aim is to inspire anyone and everyone to step on the mat to gain the physical and mental benefits that yoga can provide.Born in the UK, Will is a qualified and registered yoga teacher with over 250 hours of training. Will places an emphasis on alignment and safety. Outside of teaching, Will is an enthusiastic yoga student, constantly pushing his body and mind to new limits. Whether it’s learning to handstand, progressing towards the splits or practicing mindfulness exercises, Will loves to learn new things and grow. This provides continuous evolution to Will’s teaching as he brings new-found energy and knowledge from my personal practice into class.
Liv Townsend
Liv townsend
Despite being ‘self-taught’ in the early days, Liv took her 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in London in 2016, an additional 200hr Rocket & Vinyasa Training in 2020 and completed her 500hr training with Jason Crandell in 2021. Liv takes a lot of inspiration for the mechanics and science of movement from other disciplines such as martial arts, gymnastics, calisthenics and resistance training. Her favourite teaching style is a combination of Vinyasa and Hatha yoga which a friend of mine so perfectly suggested it be called VinHatha! There’s not a great deal of chaturanga-updog-downdogs, but instead we challenge the body in more unique ways, manipulating our body weight to find both length and strength in the entire body.
Teresa Edmilao
Teresa Edmilao
Teresa has been practicing massage therapy since 2006. She has a 3000hr diploma in Massage Therapy from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in Vancouver, BC. Teresa has a passion for helping people connect with their bodies. She lives by example, inspiring people to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. Teresa spent 7 years practicing massage therapy in Canada to people from all walks of life; students, athletes, desk workers, labourers, youth, elderly, dancers, and accident victims. Teresa is also a fire dancer and hula hoop dancer. She has experienced numerous injuries has personally been through the rehabilitation process many times. It was these experiences that have lead her to delve deeply into the study and application of anatomy and movement. Teresa offers anatomy classes at Yoga Academy International. Her teachings are thorough, meticulous but fun, drawing on every day life experience to help yogis understand their bodies better.
Nancy Goodfellow
Nancy Goodfellow
Yoga director and co-owner of Pranamar Villas and Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica, Nancy is extremely well known for her inspiring and creative daily classes, workshops,and retreats, with students both locally and internationally. Her twenty years of committed practice, thousands of hours of trainings, and continual curiosity towards life’s most mysterious aspects are all part of why she has so many devoted students. She began her Yogic studies in the Ashtanga Vinyasa tradition under the guidance of her first teachers, Dominic Corigliano, Tim Miller and Pattabhi Jois. Nancy has completed over 500 hours of Yoga Alliance teacher trainings and began teaching in 1998. Nancy dedicated many years of study to the Anusara method with its amazing principles of alignment, Tantric philosophy and Bhakti filled practice. She completed over 500 hours of certified Anusara teachings and traditional non-dualistic Tantra studies.
Perrine Marais
Lauren Rudick
Known in Quebec for her empowering and effective teaching, Perrine has completed over 1400hours of trainings. After her 200hr certification in Costa Rica, she wanted to deepen her knowledge and practice from a more traditional approach. So Perrine travelled to India where she accumulated overr 1000 hours of Hatha yoga training at the Patanjali International Yoga Foundation. Before joining the Yoga Academy International team, Perrine joined her teachers and lead 5 trainings in India. Constantly yearning to expand her education, Perrine has taken 2 yin yoga teacher trainings, a Sup Yoga teacher training, Thai Yoga Massage and Myofacial release. In teaching she hopes to share her love of yoga with others as a way to secure their confidence with exploration and movement of the functional body but also tap in to the deep energetic intelligence within.
She is registered with yoga alliance as E-RYT 500.
Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason
Chef Charlotte Mason hails from Boston where she used work in high end restaurant kitchens and then later opened up her own catering company. Burnt out and needing a break, Charlotte went on a surf vacation to Nicaragua and 3 weeks later moved cross continents and has been there ever since. Charlotte's love of sourcing locally, creating exceptional plant-based dishes and combining flavours makes her food loved by everyone. Charlotte is passionate about health and wellness and is also a certified yoga instructor. Giving back not only with flavours, Charlotte frequently teaches yoga classes in Spanish for local women and helps empower local women to follow their dreams and speak their minds. In joining Yoga Academy International, Charlotte has added so much to the experience by creating comfort and family feelings found only when gathering around a table to share delicious meals together. When not on Yoga Academy International's trainings, Charlotte creates gourmet pop up dinners around Nicaragua and chefs at yoga retreats around the world.
Sanne Hofman
Sanne Hofman
Sanne is a ray of sunshine! Before joining the Yoga Academy International team, Sanne was a neuropsychologist in Holland. On her path, she felt that her chosen field was not quite the right fit. So Sanne set off on a journey through Central America to get to know herself better. Along the way she met her partner Toby in Panama. Together they worked and traveled through Central America eventually finding their way to Maderas Beach, Nicaragua. They loved the spot so much that they decided to move there and eventually got jobs managing a boutique hotel. Wanting to expand her offerings at the hotel, Sanne took Yoga Academy International's 200hr teacher training in 2018. She then furthered her studies in the Chakra-Vinyasa Training and went back to Europe to take Thai Yoga Massage training. Sanne is compassionate, loving and kind. She is an example of how to live yoga ethics while still being true to who you are. Sanne offers YAI students endless encouragement and love as well as unwavering support on their journeys. She can always be counted on for a listening ear, a compassionate friend, a glowing smile or a warm hug when you need it most.