8 Street Food Secrets for Staying Fit While Traveling
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Street food gets blamed for a lot of travel weight gain, but the food itself is not really the problem. Locals eat from the same stalls as tourists without gaining weight so clearly, there is another factor at play. While many think that a lack of willpower is the reason for weight gain, the root cause of the problem is the lack of strategy. Planning ahead will allow you to enjoy the local cuisine while remaining healthy and fit.
8 Ways to Enjoy Street Food and Stay Fit While Traveling
Most articles about eating healthy while on the road cover basics like choosing grilled over fried and including salads in every meal. While these are valid methods to stay fit, it’s not really feasible because it severely restricts the foods you can eat, which is sure to ruin your travel experience. Instead, you can make a plan that will allow you to enjoy local street food while staying fit. If you’ve already gained a little weight on your trip and want to shed the excess, learning about GLP-1 drugs for obesity and weight loss can give you insight into effective weight management options without ruining your vacation. Here are a few tips to help you stay fit while enjoying street food while traveling:
Look Beyond the Queue
The oldest street-food trick in the traveler’s handbook is to follow the longest queue. While a long queue can be a good sign, it is important to also look at who is in the queue and why. A long queue of tourists indicates a famous dish that has gone viral online and is more likely to be high in calories. On the other hand, a steady stream of locals, especially families, shows that the food is satisfying and suitable for everyday eating.
Avoid Endless Grazing
When you’re walking through a food street, festival or night market, it’s easy to get lost in the abundance of choice and continuously sample various foods. While a small snack or skewer at each stall may not seem like much, it adds up pretty quickly over time even though you don’t feel full. It is best to treat your street-food experience as a meal where you have an appetizer, main course and then dessert.
Carry Small Snacks
Carry small snacks when you’re on-the-go so that even if your lunch or dinner plans get delayed, you have a snack to tide you over. Taking the edge off your hunger helps you slow down and browse your options and only choose what you want to eat, instead of ordering too much too quickly.
Don’t give in to Food FOMO
When you are travelling, every meal feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Unfortunately, this also means that whenever you pass a food stall, you’re tempted to try the food, irrespective of whether you are actually hungry. It’s important to accept that no matter what you do, you cannot try every dish at every “must-visit” stall! Making conscious food decisions will ensure that you are able to stay fit while travelling.
Have Regular Meal Timings
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re exploring new places. This means that you arrive at a street-food market ravenously hungry which leads to overeating. Take steps to stick to regular meal timings such as setting alarms on your phone.
Use the “One Extraordinary Thing” Rule
Similar to the food FOMO rule, the “one extraordinary thing” rule ensures that you enjoy your street food meals without overindulging. As the name suggests, this rule simply means that you focus on one dish that is particularly good while keeping the rest of your meal relatively simple. This prevents every meal from turning into a food marathon! Following this rule will allow you to be more selective with your indulgences without compromising your health and fitness.
Use Street Food Stops to Pace Your Walking Tour
A common mistake that people make is that they eat a large meal at a food stall and then find a place to sit for a while before they go back for another large meal. Instead of this, you should take your time to look through various stalls and options and pick an appetizer and then continue your walking tour for another 15 minutes before you have your meal and then do the same for dessert. This helps digestion and prevents overeating.
Treat Fresh Fruit Stalls as your Dessert Stop
Desserts don’t need to be deep fried or drenched in syrup to be delicious. Stop at a fresh fruit stall instead so you can enjoy new fruits and flavors for a fraction of the calories.
