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Stay well (and well fed) when you travel this season.
Stay well (and well fed) when you travel this season. (Photo: RossHelen/iStock)

The Weird Foods Travelers Rely on to Stay Healthy

Jimmy Chin, Kate Harris, and other road warriors share their secret potions for staying well on the road

Published: 
Stay well (and well fed) when you travel this season.
(Photo: RossHelen/iStock)

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Traveling is hard on the body. Air at 30,000 feet is drier than a mouthful of powdered Gatorade, which means you emerge dehydrated on the other side. Not to mention the bacteria and viruses lurking on armrests, in plane bathrooms, and emanating from your seatmate who won鈥檛 stop coughing.

Those of us who travel often for work have learned a thing or two about what to eat and drink to stay well. I always have seaweed snacks in my bag, which are full of iodine, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A and C. Trader Joe鈥檚 chili-lime cashews are my go-to when I don鈥檛 have time for a meal and need healthy calories to keep me from getting hangry. And dried dates are how I (sometimes) resist eating a Snickers when I鈥檓 16 hours into a 30-hour journey.

We asked athletes, photographers, and business owners what they always have on hand.

Road Warrior: Photographer and Filmmaker Jimmy Chin

Arsenal: Hanah One Daily Superfood

Made from 30 botanicals, including turmeric, sesame oil, and ashwagandha鈥攁 plant that may have the ability to help the body cope with stress鈥攐ne tablespoon of superfood聽is like an Ayurvedic health-food bomb. 鈥淚 take Hanah One everywhere and use it for training, big days in the mountains, on long production days and during travel,鈥 says Chin, who directed Free Solo. He searched a long time before finding an Ayurvedic supplement he trusted. (Chin is also sponsored by the company.) 鈥淢ade from wildcrafted herbs in India and stringently tested for purity, it鈥檚 kept me healthy and provided a steady, reliable source of energy through an insane couple years of travel and work.鈥

Road Warrior: Author Kate Harris

Arsenal: Peanut Butter

, whose most recent book was about biking Asia鈥檚 entire Silk Road, is a self-defined wanderer. Somewhere in her bag is always a tub of good old peanut butter. 鈥淚t鈥檚 heavy聽but pretty much unbeatable as a source of protein for every meal,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 mix it in oatmeal for breakfast, spread it on crackers or bagels with jam for lunch, eat it by the spoonful for a snack, and stir it into spicy instant noodles for dinner.鈥 To keep the TSA from banishing it, she usually puts it in her checked luggage. 鈥淭hen I come home and rarely eat the stuff in real life, so as not to spoil my appetite for it on the next adventure,鈥 she says.

Road Warrior: Exercise Physiologist Stacy Sims

Arsenal: Microfiltered聽Protein Powder, Starbucks Via Coffee, Berocca聽Tablets

鈥淚 am a bit pedantic with food, as I hate to be hungry and tired, and all of my trips are international,鈥 says Sims, who just wrapped up six weeks on the road. Microfiltered protein powder can become a meal if she is stranded somewhere and needs calories. are a must 鈥渂ecause coffee on the road is never strong enough.鈥 tablets, which are effervescent vitamin tabs, give her immune system a boost and 鈥渢he sodium helps with hydration,鈥 which is always useful on a plane.

Road Warrior: InsideTracker鈥檚 Jonathan Levitt聽

Arsenal: Oatmega Bars, Probiotics, and Algae

As sales manager of聽the athlete blood-testing company , Levitt travels three times a month and has to shake a lot of hands at trade shows and races. are his snack choice because they鈥檙e 鈥渉igh in protein and fiber鈥濃14 grams and 7 grams, respectively鈥斺渂oth of which can be hard to get while traveling.鈥 He also keeps a bottle of probiotics in his luggage. Yes, there鈥檚 some back and forth right now about whether probiotics really help your immune health, but even the placebo effect can be a glorious thing. Finally, he always has algae tablets on hand, in case he can鈥檛 get any fresh fruits or veggies. His go-to brand is , which makes a blend of chlorella and spirulina. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a decent source of protein and easy to carry,鈥 he says.

Road Warrior: Photographer and Filmmaker Erin Trieb

Arsenal: Collagen, RX Bars, Chlorella and Spirulina powder, and Starbucks Via Coffee

Trieb is a photojournalist often on assignment in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia. Based in Istanbul, she says that every trip home to the U.S. she stocks up on as many healthy snacks as she can to keep her going for months. While she always has RX bars and oatmeal packets for busy mornings, 鈥淢y all-time go-tos are Starbucks Via single coffee packets,鈥 which guarantee she鈥檒l always have a decent cup. She also always has a supply of 聽powder made by HealthForce. 鈥淥ne spoonful is equivalent to eating one to two servings of veggies, nutrient-wise,鈥 Trieb says, a lifesaver if you鈥檙e somewhere where salads aren鈥檛 on the menu. Finally, 鈥渄rum roll please for the weirdest one: pure animal collagen protein powder, which I put in my coffee. It sounds gross but it鈥檚 not,鈥 she says. Collagen helps with healthy skin and聽nails聽and may even protect your joints from premature aging. 鈥淯nlike most protein powders, this one is flavorless and dissolves instantly, so I can鈥檛 even tell it鈥檚 in there,鈥 she says. 聽聽

Road Warrior: Mountain Guide Melissa Arnot Reid

Arsenal: Miso Soup Packets and Sahale聽Snacks

Reid guides and climbs the world鈥檚 highest peaks. In 2016, she was the first woman to complete a round-trip to the summit of Mount Everest and back down without oxygen. Instead of reaching for pretzels or chips on long flights to Nepal, when Reid craves salt, she pulls a packet of dried miso-soup mix from her bag. 鈥淚 can usually find hot water,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 also always have a bag of to give me more calories and nutrition on long flights or if I have a bit of a sweet tooth.鈥 The company鈥檚 pistachio options, like the pomegranate-glazed pistachios, are her go-to.

Road Warrior: 国产吃瓜黑料 Deputy Editor Mary Turner

Arsenal: Emergen-C, 8 Greens, Justin鈥檚 Almond Butter, Kind Bars

Turner, who has logged thousands of miles for long-haul work trips, is always looking for travel food hacks. She starts pounding packets mixed in water a couple of times a day as soon as she gets on the plane, which gives her a slew of vitamins and encourages her to hydrate often. And because it can be hard to get enough vegetables while traveling in certain countries, she always brings along , filled with spinach, kale, and a host of other nutrients. She avoids drinking alcohol on lengthy聽overnight flights鈥攚hy get more dehydrated?鈥攁nd always shows up with protein snacks she can turn to when needed, like packets and .

Road Warrior: Travel Writer Lauren Matison

Arsenal: Kuju Portable PourOver Coffee, and Trail Mix

Matison鈥檚 an avid cyclist, so when she gets back from a trip, she wants to train, not spend three days laid up with a cold. Sure, coffee won鈥檛 actively boost your immune system, but it will give you antioxidants and energy, and setup鈥攚ith a single-use filter鈥攊s easy to brew anywhere. You鈥檙e going to need something to go with that coffee. That鈥檚 where the trail mix comes in. 鈥淚 always have this ridiculously large bag of gorp鈥攖ypically almonds, raisins, little chunks of dark chocolate, sunflower seeds, roasted unsalted cashews, pumpkin seeds, really whatever I have lying around,鈥 she says. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals like magnesium, selenium, iron, and calcium. Raisins and dried fruit bring antioxidants to the table.

Road Warrior: The Points Guy鈥檚 Zach Honig

Arsenal: Water and More Water

Editor at large Honig estimates that he鈥檚 on a flight about 50 times a year, and often those flights are long-haul routes. These days聽he鈥檚 got more than enough points to sit up front鈥攚here the tasty snacks are. Still, he has one habit left over from his coach days: 鈥淭he flight attendants have those really large water bottles that they serve from,鈥 he says. 鈥淎sk if you can have one.鈥 Then down that puppy and refill it on your layover. The added benefit is you鈥檒l be up and down to pee every 20 minutes, which will keep sore muscles and blood clots at bay.

Lead Photo: RossHelen/iStock

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