There’s nothing better than taking a road trip. Blaring music, spending time with friends or family, and gazing at the open road ahead … hitting the highway conveys a sense of pure freedom and possibility.
During a road trip, it’s important to keep your stamina up, especially when driving long distances. Healthy road trip snacks are the key to feeling refreshed, nourished, and energized.
In this blog post, we’ve gathered 4 healthy snacks for car ride so you can stock them on your next journey.
Qualities of a healthy road trip snack
Before making your grocery list, it’s important to first understand what to look for in a healthy snack. Make sure you’re choosing foods that are low in fat and sugar, but high in water and fiber. This helps keep you full for a longer period of time (and prevents mindless snacking!)
It’s helpful to pair carbohydrates with the snack, such as pairing a veggie with hummus dip, or plain greek yogurt with blueberries.
Why healthy snacks are important on a road trip
Snacking gets a bad reputation, but when they’re healthy, can be an excellent energy source between meals!
When you’re in the driver’s seat or riding as a passenger on a long road trip, it’s easy to feel bloated, lethargic, or even cranky. That’s because when you nibble on common road trip snack foods, like salty chips or sugary candy bars, your body experiences a burst of energy that’s followed by a “crash.” Families who travel with little ones probably know this all too well!
So how do you avoid the crash? By packing healthy snacks of course!
4 healthy road trip snack ideas
You don’t need to stock the cooler with elaborate, homemade snacks for your road trip. Simple, grab-and-go foods and beverages can keep you full between meals on the road.
Protein
There’s a Chomps jerky for every occasion, and yes, this includes road trips! With up to 12 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar, and under 100 calories, Chomps sticks keep you feeling full without the post sugar high crash.
If you have picky eaters in the group, original beef sticks are a safe bet. But if those you’re traveling with have a gusto for adventure, our spicy jalapeno beef or cranberry habanero beef sticks are the spice of flavor needed to break up the monotony of the open road.
If you have a little time to spend in the kitchen before the trip, you can even make these mini zucchini pizzas and stick them in a tupperware to enjoy while traveling!
Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and veggies are an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium. Plus, they’re rich in fiber, which promotes a healthy gut and prevents digestion issues. Not to mention there are many fruits and vegetables to choose from, which caters to different preferences and makes it easy to keep snack choices exciting.
A few common road trip fruits are bananas, apples, grapes, and mandarin oranges. All keep well without refrigeration and can be easily grabbed from a knapsack in a crowded car.
Road trip vegetables can include broccoli, cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, and carrots. These pair with a variety of dips, like ranch, hummus, or pesto, so you can avoid food boredom while feeling full and satisfied!
Nuts and seeds
There are numerous health benefits of nuts and seeds. Since they’re so nutrient-rich, a little bit goes a long way and often just a handful delivers vitamins and minerals your body needs.
When on a road trip, there are a few nuts and seeds that stand out as the best boost of energy. These include walnuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. A great way to keep portions under control is to buy pre-portioned packs. It’s easy to overeat nuts when bought in bulk, so bringing pre-portioned sizes for the road keeps bored eating at bay!
Beverages
When you’re on the road, there are times when a snack just doesn’t sound appetizing and that’s okay! It’s also important to keep hydrated when in a hot vehicle, but sometimes plain old water won’t do.
While soda is a go-to road trip staple, it has high levels of sugar. Healthier beverage options are tea, black coffee, milk, fruit juice, or a smoothie. When you need to make a gas station pit stop, try to look for beverages with low or zero sugar content.
Again, when in doubt, Chomps meat snacks are a great go-to!
