No wait! Just because I said vegan, even if you’re not a vegan there’s still plenty to benefit from this article even if you’re a meat eater, after all meat eaters can eat the same things that vegans can too. What I’m going to discuss is how not traveling with foods which go off quickly or require refrigeration can actually give you more food options and more exciting/varied and healthy food choices. Of course if you are vegetarian/vegan then I hope this helps you too. I’m not a nutritional therapist but I am interested in healthy living so please do your own research. What I share here is just what I’ve experienced from traveling loads as a vegetarian and more recently as a vegan.
So when I say “vegetarian” I mean a “lacto-vegetarian”. So I didn’t eat fish, poultry, meat, or eggs. When I became vegan, then I also stopped consuming any dairy or egg based products as well as the other stuff. Some people focus on what they are cutting out but I tend to look at it as just making different choices and I’m probably eating more healthily and much more varied now since I became a conscious eater rather than unconsciously following the eating patterns I’d learned as a child. But let’s get back on topic.
The single biggest challenge (apparently) for any vegan/vegetarian is getting plenty of protein. So here I share some of my favorite sources of protein. You’d be surprised just how high in protein some things are. For comparison typical fish fingers are about 20 to 25% protein.
High Quality Sources of Protein For Vegans (on the road)
Baked Beans: 4.3%. I’ve heard that mixing grains and pulses allows the body to synthesise additional amino acids. So beans on toast is good for you!
Quinoa: 4.9%. (Not shown in picture) Although not very high in protein it supposedly has every type of amino acid (protein building blocks) so what there is is extremely high quality.
Oat Biscuits: 7.3%. Unlike wheat based buscuits these have a lower GI which means they release carbs slower so you feel fuller for longer. These ginger ones taste great!
Sunflower Seeds: 19.8%. The clue is in their name!
Almond Butter: 19.9%. A tasty alternative to peanut butter, with all the additional benefits almonds provide. Very high in protein too.
Whole almonds: 21.0%. Yes I’ve got a thing about almonds. They are king of the nut world!
Flaxseed Powder: 21.9%. Also a great source of omega oils! (you need these for a healthy heart and brain).
Rice protein Powder: 80.0%. That’s not a typo! That’s 80% high quality un-denatured protein from sprouted rice grains.
Remember also that protein is found in lots of vegetables too and pretty much most foods. But these are just some of my favorite sources of protein when traveling in my camper van. Kidney beans also list highly but I forgot to bring them with me. I’ll buy some at the next stop.
Why Eating Vegan While Traveling Saves Money and Increases Choice.
Did you notice anything these items all have in common? Well apart from being vegan, none of them require refrigeration and they all have a long shelf life making them perfect campervan travel food. So they save you the cost of installing or running a refrigerator and no money is wasted throwing them away because they went off.
The “5 Fruit and Veg a Day” Myth
The government has been telling us that we need 5 portions of fruit and veg a day to be healthy. The problem is that this is a myth. The reality is that we need more! They knew it too but they felt that if they told us we need 8+ portions a day we wouldn’t manage and we’d just give up. It’s better to have a realistic goal rather than an unrealistic target.
So if getting the quantity is a challenge then we can certainly improve the quality of the fruit and veg we eat while traveling in our campervans/mobile homes.
Steam don’t boil
In the photo at the top I’m steaming some veg. Here’ why steaming veg is a much better option.
- It uses less water (and hence less fuel).
- Because the veg is not floating in water, fewer of the water soluble nutrients are leeched from the veg.
- You can boil quinoa/rice/pasta in the water below the steamer – two for the price of one!
All The Colours Of The Rainbow
Five a day doesn’t just mean 5 portions of the same thing. Try and represent every colour in your choice of fruit and vegetables. This isn’t just for fun. White generally is carbohydrates, green is high in iron. Blue? antioxidants in the case of blueberrys. So 5 portions of fruit and veg of different colours is better than 5 of the same colour.
Eat as Much Raw Fruit and Veg as Possible
Most fruits and veg can actually be eaten raw. This is great news when traveling in a campervan or mobile home. There are a few exceptions, most notably is spinach. Spinach contains a chemical which stops your body absorbing nutrients! Heat it up for even just a minute by flashing it in a pan or steaming it and that chemical gets broken down. There are other vegetables like this. Ask a nutritional therapist if you’d like to know more.
Eat Those Kiwi Fruit Skins
Seriously, those furry little buggers are loaded with goodness. Wash them, top and tail them, man-up and get over the funny texture and your body will thank you!
Peel Those Carrots!
Conversely carrots are supposed to store toxic chemicals in their skins. So best peel, top and tail them before eating raw or cooking. I wouldn’t even give the peel to a pet bunny rabbit. I don’t have a bunny rabbit, and although I’ve been bitten twice by the vicious little blighters I still wouldn’t exact my revenge by giving them carrot peels.
Anyway as I’ve said, I’m not a nutritional therapist. They’ve spent years at university and have a proper qualification which means they know more than anyone about nutrition. Everyone is different too so if you want to know more then ask a nutritional therapist.
