How I Pack for a Special Diet while Traveling
We’re headed to Forest Home Family Camp next week so I’ve been preparing my snacks and food I’ll need while we’re there. Even if your needs or destination are different than mine, I thought this might be helpful for others who have to be creative as we eat and travel!
I spent most of my life eating very normally, but since my cancer diagnosis three years ago, I’ve drastically changed, due to the benefits of diet on the particular type of cancer I had. Currently I eat whole-foods plant-based 90% of the time, which means no added sugar, no meat, no dairy, and no soy/tofu. (I do sometimes eat canned salmon, plain Greek yogurt, some processed plant-based foods like tortilla chips, and have my beloved pizza once or twice a month.)
The food at Forest Home is delicious and plentiful and works great for the rest of my family! I do still eat some of the food provided too, but I like to supplement with my own stuff. Forest Home provides a mini-fridge upon request, which helps provide some more options.
Here’s what I’m taking with me:
Breakfast:
a scoop of (dry) rolled oats in a ziplock bag (6 bags total, one for each morning, so they’re easy to grab and take to the dining hall). Forest Home does sometimes serve oatmeal but I like to make sure there’s no dairy or sugar, and this way I can make sure it’s there every morning.
toppings for the oats: sliced almonds, cinnamon. I’ll take fresh strawberries and blueberries for the first half of the week, then when those run out, I’ll use unsweetened dried cherries.
coffee (??) We’re still deciding whether to bother with this. I usually have a cashew latte every morning at home. If we decide to do it, we’ll bring coffee grounds, electric water kettle, French press, Vitamix blender, raw cashews, plus cups. It’s a hassle, but I know every morning I’ll be thrilled if we make it happen! Maybe you aren’t quite so high-maintenance about your coffee, but packing something to have as a morning treat would be nice! (by the way, if you’re going to Forest Home, they usually have free coffee in the mornings + they sell all sorts of yummy drinks at their coffee shop, too. I just can’t find a coffee shop with unsweetened cashew milk!) UPDATE: since I initially wrote this, I’ve changed to just having Trader Joe’s iced coffee concentrate + pre-made cashew milk (made at home in my blender). That’s 100% what I do on trips these days: pack the TJs bottle, pack some jars of cashew make (it lasts 4-5 days in the fridge), and just use ice from my destination!
Lunch/Dinner:
salad dressing and toppings. Forest Home usually has lettuce and some other salad toppings available, so this can be my main dish. However, since it can be hard to know what ingredients are in salad dressing, I like to pack my own. (I got this Primal dressing from Sprouts. It’s pricey but so yummy.) I’m also bringing along some sunflower seeds, along with a few veggies I can add if needed (or have as a snack between meals), like cherry tomatoes and carrots.
rice cakes and peanut butter
snack plate lunch. I like to just mix a bunch of different snack items, like olives (packing my can opener), artichoke hearts, chips and salsa, carrots and broccoli with homemade ranch dressing, nuts, berries, tomatoes, apple slices, almond crackers. (if you eat animal products, a bag of pre-cooked hard boiled eggs would be an easy addition, or deli meat or cheese).
Snacks:
bag of popcorn (I get the Trader Joe’s air-popped version)
Izze sodas - these are one of my favorite treats, just with fruit juice and sparkling water (a bit more flavor than La Croix, though those could be a great idea too).
almonds and dark chocolate
fruit leather
other ideas depending on your needs:
applesauce cups
If you eat a normal diet, some of this probably sounds pretty crazy, but hoping those with special diet needs like me might be able to benefit from these ideas… hope it helps!