If you have dietary restrictions, the thought of traveling can be daunting. You may be in a "food desert" where you can't find safe and healthy food options that work for your diet.

Whether you’re following the autoimmune protocol, living paleo or gluten-free, or in the midst of a Whole30 challenge, sticking to your diet is important for your health. While traveling makes doing so more difficult, it’s not impossible!  With a little extra planning and preparation, you can take that summer trip and eat well, too!

We’ve put together some tips to help make traveling with dietary restrictions more manageable.

• Do your research.
  Consider where you are going and for how long. Will you have access to a kitchen? Can you bring a cooler? Get on google and look into the destination’s local resources. Arm yourself with knowledge about the local grocery stores, farmers markets and restaurants.
  
  

• Plan ahead.
  If you follow a special diet, you know how important planning is. When preparing for your trip, decide on your meals ahead of time, make a grocery list and stick to it. Also, if you know you will be dining out with friends, call the establishment ahead of time and discuss your needs and concerns. Most restaurants are happy to cater to your needs if given advanced notice.


• Pack some snacks.
  Even if you’ve lined up a grocery store to visit upon arrival, it’s a good idea to always have some healthy food on hand. If you’re hungry and unprepared, you’re more likely to go off your diet.
  
  

Consider these packable snacks:

• Prepped fresh veggies
• Fresh fruit
• Dried fruit/veggies
• Canned tuna or salmon
• Wild Zora Meat & Veggie Bars!