Tips For Helping Kids Eat Right On The Road

The French fries, cheeseburgers, cans of sodas and crunchy bags of chips. Oh, the joys of eating on the road! While that might sound like fun for the first few hours, this type of eating can grow old fast. This is especially so if you have small children along for the ride. Too much sugar, too much fat and not enough runaround time to burn it off can lead to some serious crankiness inside an enclosed space.

So, what’s a time-pressed parent to do when getting to a trip destination on time matters, but so does nutrition?

There are plenty of things moms and dads can do to make sure kids eat better on a family road trip. Most won’t even take much more time than patronizing a drive through. Here are some helpful tips to keep sugary, salty and fatty foods out of the road trip diet (for the most part).

* Bring your own snacks – Grab a grocery store bag and fill it with crackers, fresh fruit, pretzels and other more healthful snack options. These items can tackle cravings for sweet, salty and even crunchy foods without breaking the laws of good nutrition by too much.

* Plan for healthier meals – Instead of grabbing breakfast on the road after heading out, eat at home and reserve less healthy meals for later in the trip. If a road trip will be an extended one, break up a day of travel with a stop at a restaurant that has healthier choices on the menu.

* Use drive-through common sense – Kids love fast-food and you probably won’t be able to avoid it completely on the road. Encourage healthier choices as a compromise. Get fruit slices or yogurt as a side instead of fries. Suggest milk instead of soda for the drink.

Half the fun of a road trip is eating all the forbidden foods. Unfortunately, too much of a not-so-good thing can leave you and your kids feeling out of sorts. Fight back with the right strategic moves for a smoother ride.