This time of the year, many people spend a lot of time traveling on road trips to see extended family. I know from my own experience that traveling can really throw a monkey wrench into a family’s healthy eating habits. I implement a few simple ideas in our household which helps to keep us away from junk and fast food as well as keeping the anxiety of traveling with children to a minimum.

Get small insulated cooler to travel with. I have a small, soft sided cooler similar to this that I keep right next to me in the front seat. That way I can easily access a snack when little tummies begin to rumble. It is also a great idea to invest in a water bottle for each child to carry a healthy drink along. Our girls’ drink of choice is milk, so I also choose insulated water bottles to keep the milk fresh for a couple of hours.

Pack a selection of snacks for the children to choose from. We pack a variety of healthy food:

Cut vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, celery, etc.)
Small bowl of a dip (hummus work great as it is thick enough not to spill in the car.)
Small cut up sandwiches (can be peanut butter, ham & cheese or some other favorite) It is a good idea to cut into quarters to make easy for little fingers to handle.
Wraps work well for this too. Make some roll ups and cut into child sized pieces.
Granola bars.
Fruit: grapes, apples, orange slices (pre-peel to save a mess in the car).
Crackers, rice cakes, popcorn, pretzels, etc.
Cut cheese

I try to avoid any snack that takes a spoon (yogurt, applesauce, etc) or that might be messy or crumby (muffins, etc.) However, if you will be eating in the car, make sure to keep a large tub of wipes handy for cleanup.

Prepare and pack the cooler a day or 2 ahead of time. All of the foods I listed can be assembled a day ahead to alleviate stress on the actual day of the trip. And, if your children are anything like ours, you will want to make enough of each snack for each child, since what one wants- all others will too.

These tips really aid us in keeping the peace during our long road trips and also keeping us out of convenience stores and fast food restaurants. There are many studies linking convenience store foods to the pediatric obesity epidemic and we all know the downfalls of eating calorie and fat laden fast food. Most people are already lax on their nutrition during the holidays with snacks and desserts, so following these tips will help keep some semblance of a wholesome diet while on the road.