Healthy Food Menu Recommendations and Avoidances During Vacation

When vacation time arrives, it's time to have fun with family and loved ones! Traveling to many places is an exciting option. Not only can you gain new experiences, but you can also enjoy culinary delights. But remember, what you eat should still be within the boundaries of a healthy food menu.

Often, this aspect is overlooked during vacations under the pretext of a "cheating day." While a day or two might not be a problem, if it continues and becomes a new habit, consuming unhealthy food will have adverse effects.

Some foods can cause immediate effects after consumption without a long wait. This is why it's important for you to know which foods should be on the safe list and which ones should be avoided.

Maintaining a Healthy Food Menu Isn’t Difficult

A healthy food menu can actually be easily found wherever you are. Although it may not be the same as your daily menu, many alternatives are available at vacation destinations.

Healthy food options can be found at eateries, restaurants, traditional markets, and supermarkets in tourist areas. Good knowledge is required to choose the right options, but in this digital era, access to such information is not hard to find.

Ensure that you include fruits and vegetables in your daily menu, along with various other nutritious foods that are minimally processed. This way, you can get full nutrition from each type of food and maintain your fiber intake for good digestion.

Next, controlling portions, drinking enough water, and exercising a little will help keep your body fit during the vacation.

Recommended Healthy Food Menu Options

Choosing the right type of food should be done more carefully when vacationing with children. For adults, as long as the menu contains enough protein, high fiber, and balanced nutrients, it should be relatively safe.

For children's menus, the following healthy food options can serve as inspiration:

For breakfast, you can provide a cup of low-fat milk. Natural yogurt with slices of various fruits can be an interesting option, added with granola. For carbs, give whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter and bananas. Protein can come from boiled eggs, paired with slices of boiled or steamed vegetables, and the like.
For snacks, if the little one is hungry, you can give fresh fruit slices, fruit salads, or various nuts and dried seeds. Fruit smoothies will be refreshing in hot weather, or even low-salt and low-fat popcorn.
For lunch, a healthy combination of protein sources, carbohydrates, and vegetables is highly recommended. For example, whole wheat bread with chicken slices, low-fat cheese, and vegetables like tomatoes. Or you can serve brown rice with grilled fish or chicken, plus sauteed vegetables (peas, carrots, broccoli, and the like).
For dinner, the dishes served should be interesting, delicious, and still healthy. Grilled salmon and mashed potatoes paired with steamed vegetables, for example, or quinoa with grilled chicken and green vegetable salad, or maybe you have other inspirations to share?

In general, healthy food menus during vacations are quite easy to find. Fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, lean meats, nuts, low-fat yogurt, smoothies or juices, and dark chocolate are available in almost all modern and traditional markets, or restaurants and eateries in tourist areas.

What Foods Should Be Avoided?

Besides the recommended menu options, you also need to be careful about certain foods that should be avoided. Consuming them in small amounts might not be a problem, but it is much better if you don't choose them at all.

1. Instant Noodles

Although easy to find and cook, instant noodles have a high sodium content. Excessive consumption can negatively impact health, especially for people with high blood pressure.

2. Corned Beef

Its delicious taste and practicality make corned beef an attractive option during vacations, especially when backpacking. However, corned beef also contains high sodium and poses similar risks to excessive instant noodle consumption.

3. Sweetened Condensed Creamer

Although it tastes good when mixed with coffee, the high fat and sugar content in each serving makes this food best avoided.

4. Syrup

Syrup also contains high sugar levels, nearly 10 grams per tablespoon.

5. Fried Foods

Commonly found at various tourist destinations, fried foods should also be avoided. Besides containing a lot of saturated fats, fried foods can cause coughing and throat irritation.

6. Spicy Foods

As an Indonesian, spicy food might be a staple for your palate. In various places, there is always a special sambal or spicy dish. However, you should be aware that its consumption should be limited due to the risk of diarrhea and throat discomfort. The combination of too spicy and oily should be watched out for.

7. Gassy Foods

Avoid unhealthy foods that contain a lot of gas. Gas in foods can cause discomfort during digestion. The sensation of bloating, fullness, or frequent flatulence often occurs.

8. Fast Food

Well, it’s an easy option for meals anytime, not just during vacations. Fast food has long been known and recommended not to be consumed continuously.

In general, any food can be consumed during a vacation, as long as the portions are controlled and it is not done continuously. Healthy food menus remain the top recommendation to ensure your daily nutritional needs are met, keeping your body fresh and ready for various vacation activities with loved ones.

A vacation will be enjoyable if there are no health issues or travel disruptions during the trip. Besides knowing the various healthy food recommendations mentioned above, you can add one more thing to your vacation for extra protection. This is the SmartMedicare Domestic Insurance from PT AXA Insurance Indonesia. As one of PT AXA Insurance Indonesia's flagship health insurance products, this insurance can provide support for various health conditions, including inpatient care, outpatient care, accident protection, and more according to your policy. Practical and easy to obtain, you can check the details in the previous link. Have a smooth vacation and enjoy!

Reference:

https://telemed.ihc.id/artikel-detail-931-Menu-Makanan-Sehat-Dan-Bergizi-Untuk-Anak-Saat-Weekend.html
https://www.halodoc.com/artikel/ketahui-5-tips-makan-sehat-saat-liburan
https://bobo.grid.id/read/083297157/jangan-sampai-kalap-ini-trik-atur-pola-makan-sehat-selama-liburan?page=all
https://utswmed.org/medblog/healthy-holiday-eating/
https://www.mybaby.co.id/read/tumbuh-kembang/makanan-ini-sebaiknya-dihindari-saat-liburan
https://www.antaranews.com/berita/3627162/5-makanan-yang-tidak-dianjurkan-untuk-dibawa-berlibur-ke-pantai
https://firstlomboktour.com/makanan-sehat-untuk-wisata/
https://sajiansedap.grid.id/read/104061008/jaga-kesehatan-saat-libur-lebaran-hindari-konsumsi-makanan-dan-minuman-ini-berlebihan?page=all