Part one of the Practical Paleo guide covered a situation we’re all well-acquainted with: mixed uncertainty and hunger-fueled confusion as we stare down the three-dozen entrees available at our favorite restaurant. Paleo-friendly dishes, unfortunately, aren’t always on the menu, but a modern-day caveperson knows how to pick and choose with ease.
They key? You have to stay practical.
That’s the buzzword for this next installment of the guide, too, which aims to cover Paleo-friendly solutions for the road warrior within. Whether you’re on a plane, train, or just keeping both feet on the ground, read on for a few tips on staying happy and healthy whenever you travel.
The Easy, Free Solution
You probably saw this coming.
Concerned about making healthy food choices whenever you’re out and about? Don’t eat. Have some (black) coffee or water with a few squeezes of lemon to suppress your appetite and keep your mind otherwise occupied so you don’t start dreaming fondly of all that delicious food you’re not eating.
This is my personal approach, at least. I’ve done Intermittent Fasting long enough that forgoing food for most of the day is pretty easy by this point, even when evening closes in and I start getting excited for the big meal to come. If you’re new to the Paleo/Primal lifestyle, however, I’m not sure I’d recommend this as your first choice, as an unruly appetite (thanks, untrained ghrelin!) can make that big bag of nuts at the convenience store seem more tempting than it already is.
So you want to eat something, then? Fair enough. Just keep this next part in mind, okay?
Forget the Daily Dose
Call it the nature of a society that lives and breathes by the tick-tock of the clock — we operate on a twenty-four hour routine, keeping certain rituals firmly in the context of each day we scratch off our calendars. We need daily protein. We need to get vegetables in every day, and subsequently start stressing whenever our daily intake doesn’t match up with some preconceived notion of a healthy diet.
Here’s what we actually need to do: stop thinking in such a limited scope.
If you don’t get enough protein one day, get some more the next. If you don’t get enough green veggies in one day, get some more the next. I could go on with this, but you get the idea.
Your body is not going to crash and burn if you don’t bring in enough healthy greens today. Your health will not take a nosedive if you don’t eat a steak today, and — surprise! — nor will you lose all that hard-earned lean muscle mass overnight. When you’re traveling, then, there’s no real need to stress. You’ll always have opportunities either later that day or during the next to build a big-ass salad, right?
There’s no need, furthermore, to opt for an unhealthy choice when traveling. It’s easy to justify it for the sake of hitting some kind of calorie or macronutrient-based goal, but there’s no need for that goal in the first place. Don’t worry about it! Have two salads the day after you travel if you want more vegetables. Easy enough, right?
Right. Let’s talk about planes, then, and see if we can’t streamline a process most people find challenging enough as is.
Before You Get on the Plane
(As ever, this guide is limited to my experience with American transportation. If your experience (whether here or abroad) is different, please describe it in a comment below. Thanks!)
The TSA doesn’t like liquids. That should be pretty well-established by this point, and the guidelines here seem pretty clear in requesting that you don’t bring anything remotely useful (aka salad dressing) on board. Given my fondness for big-ass salads, this doesn’t bode well for anyone looking to carry on some leafy greens — unless, of course, you’re happy munching on them dry.
I don’t blame you if you’re not.
This leaves you with two options: bringing your own (generally non-liquid-based) meal/snack, or eating at one of the restaurants inside the airport.
For the former, here are a few ideas you may want to consider:
- Trail mix. It’s easy to go crazy with straight nuts, and most store-bought mixes come with quirky preservatives, so you’ll probably want to make your own. Stick with quality ingredients: raw or dry-roasted nuts (almonds, pecans, macadamia, etc.), dried fruit, and dark chocolate. I haven’t seen dark chocolate nibs anywhere that aren’t loaded with additional sugar, but there’s nothing stopping you from picking up a bar of 80% or higher and breaking it into bite-sized pieces.
- Jerky. Difficult to find without weird ingredients, admittedly, but still a great choice. Buffalo and beef are popular options, but salmon jerky is pretty delicious and even higher in protein than the first two.
- Meat. Cooked meat (think hamburger patties as an example), if pulled out of the refrigerator and packed the morning of the flight, can be a great way to fill up on protein and fat. I’ve seen people pack leftovers from earlier meals, too, which might be all the encouragement you need to make an extra-large omelette for breakfast that morning.
- Fruit. Bananas and apples are easy choices. If you’re concerned about fruit impacting your waistline, don’t stress. Airplane travel isn’t a common occurrence for most, so having a little more fruit than usual on airport days won’t cause the universe to collapse around you.
- Bars. I’m not a huge fan of these, but that’s not to say they aren’t easy and delicious. Larabars and Tanka bars come to mind, and Trader Joe’s has a few fruit bars available that amount to big sticks of dried fruit. Not ideal choices, either way, but that’s not a big problem. You’re practical, remember?
- Avocado and veggies. A little messy, I’ll admit, but avocados should still make it through security just fine. Once you’re into the waiting area, steal a knife and fork from one of the fast-food restaurants nearby and start to work your magic on the avocado. Provided you have a small container in your carry-on, you can mash the avocado meat inside of it and have quick and dirty guacamole to dip veggies (carrots, celery, whatever works in stick form) in.
- Canned fish is a bad choice. Do not do this. Sure, it’s nutritious, and sure, it’s pretty damn delicious, but opening up a can of sardines on a crowded flight is rarely a good idea. You’ve been warned.
You’ll notice all of these fall into the “quick and easy” category. You’re welcome to try and pack a fuller, more proper meal, but I’m banking on the idea that you want your airport experience to be as simple and breezy as possible. The easiest solution, by far, is to eat at one of the aforementioned in-airport restaurants before getting on the plane (and if you do, now’s a good time to link to the first part of this guide!), but that might not help much if you’re due for a long flight.
Lucky(?) thing, then, that most airlines provide an in-flight meal or two.
When You’re on the Plane
There will be food everywhere.
The majority of it, likewise, won’t be all that healthy. My last flight saw me practically swimming in a sea of honey-roasted peanuts and pretzels, the former of which will prove tempting to just about every single person who doesn’t have a peanut allergy.
What’s a practical Paleo eater to do, then?
Drink plenty of water, coffee and tea to keep your appetite (reasonably) in check. If you decide to partake in either one of those snacks, the peanuts are (in my opinion) a superior choice, and I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that they probably won’t damage your health in some irreversible manner.
When it comes to the in-flight meal, however, you have a few options. The best one? It takes a little preparation in advance.
At least four days before your flight — or earlier, preferably — call your airline and specifically request a gluten-free meal. Not all airlines will offer one, but the increasing exposure given to gluten allergies and Celiac’s disease means you have pretty decent odds of success.
The contents of that meal will vary, but there’s usually a focus on meat and vegetables. You might find gluten-free bread or some other oddities, but those are easy to ignore, and there’s a certain comfort in knowing that your meal was specifically prepared with an awareness of that (supposed, but potential) allergy in mind.
I haven’t yet done this myself, admittedly, but it sounds like a reasonably healthy option. The other choice is to try and work with whatever you’re given on the plane. It won’t be perfect, and you definitely won’t be able to avoid weird ingredients, but there’s no sense in completely beating yourself up over it.
Remember: stay practical. Airline meals don’t usually rank highly for either taste or nutrition, but it’s worth remembering that you don’t eat them on a daily (let alone weekly) basis, too.
Besides, stressing about what you’re eating is the last thing you need when you’re already faced with the prospect of sitting still for a twelve-hour flight.
General Travel Tips
I’m not overly familiar with train travel, I’ll admit, but the basic rules of eating out still apply: emphasize meat and vegetables where possible. Dining cars, from the research I’ve done, tend to offer a maximum of processed, pre-packaged food, so you’re generally better off packing your own snacks and meals.
For the sake of my sanity, accordingly, I’ve combined the on-train and on-foot sections under one heading. The tips for a road trip apply pretty well for train travel, too, especially if you have that most magical of boxes: a cooler.
If you don’t, your options are generally limited to things that don’t need refrigeration — the same stuff, frankly, in the airplane section above. If you’re on a road trip or otherwise confined to your own vehicle, however, the rules about canned fish can be relaxed, especially since that special fishy smell won’t travel much further than your car.
If you do have a cooler, though, the world is open to you. Some common choices:
- Everything in the airplane list above.
- Hard-boiled eggs! Keep ‘em on ice and make sure you bring some kind of seasoning.
- Deli meats. Not always the best choice, given the sodium content, but still doable. Meat from a proper butcher counter is better than the pre-packaged stuff, but work with what you’ve got and don’t stress it.
- Salads! Pre-mix one and keep the container over ice, if you like. You can get away with salad dressings this time, so make sure you bring a small container to mix olive oil and balsamic in. Be wary of spills.
- Vegetables in general. Carrots, celery, jicama — whatever you enjoy eating raw, really. Diced bell peppers (red and yellow) are fantastic and just a teensy bit sweet.
- Olives. Might need a can opener for this one, but a can of olives (aim for the ones with no preservatives, if possible) can be a great accompaniment to a road meal. These technically don’t need refrigeration, come to think of it, but you might prefer them slightly chilled.
- Coconut milk. Ditto for the can opener, but there’s nothing stopping you from opening the can at home, dumping the contents into a tupperware container, and keeping that chilled. You might not enjoy the flavor enough to drink it straight, but it’s an excellent source of fat if you do. And don’t forget coconut flakes! They can be a great snack too.
- String cheese. Might not work if you forgo dairy, and the ingredients list isn’t always something I’m comfortable with, but they’re a pretty decent source of protein otherwise.
- Nut butters. I don’t normally recommend them, especially if you’re aiming to lose weight, but almond butter — especially in the individual packets that some companies sell — can make for a pretty satiating snack. I’d be leery of carrying a big jar of it, given how easy it is to sneak a spoonful (or six) without thinking, but do what you need to do.
Pack some kind of cutting board and a decent knife and the possibilities expand even further.
You’ll notice one considerable caveat: all of the options above assume you know you’ll be traveling. That’s not always the case, especially for anyone who travels around for work on a daily basis, and here’s where things get exceptionally tricky.
You have to give up perfection. If you’re not comfortable with fasting, then you’re going to just have to do the absolute best that you can. Order a fast food burger without the bun, order a salad and pick the least freaky dressing available, and just try and keep away from the candy aisle at the convenience store.
If you have to get something at the convenience store, try and drink some (black!) coffee instead. Check the nut section, too, for anything dry roasted (prepare for an onslaught of sodium), and give the ingredients a good look on all the different varieties of jerky. You won’t be able to avoid added sugar, in that latter case, though the amount shouldn’t be anything worth stressing about.
If you can find them, pork rinds are a better choice than most. They’re superior to conventional chips, usually come with a far smaller ingredients list, and are a decent source of fat, so don’t be afraid to grab a bag if you’re in dire need of sustenance.
Lastly, some of those stores also carry fruit, so feel free to grab a banana or apple. You don’t know where they came from, no, and can pretty safely assume they’re not organic, but that still makes them a better choice than the candy concoctions on the other end of the store.
Wrapping It All Up
Remember: stay practical.
A few days of bad food on the road might cause bloating or general discomfort, but don’t let that sour your mood any more than necessary. You can always skip a few meals when you’re done traveling to compensate, as I do, or just be patient. Returning to a regular style of eating — one where you’re in control of what you eat, in other words — will set you right back on track, so be kind to yourself for the few days it takes to get there.
Lastly, a few words about allergies. If you’re severely intolerant of gluten, then the convenience store section, I’m sad to say, might not apply. Wheat has a nasty way of sneaking into every processed product imaginable, so you’ll have to be diligent in keeping a few healthy options in your car, briefcase, etc. in case of an unexpected trip. Bars (Larabars, etc.) are a good choice here, as are trail mixes, and if you have an opportunity to stop at a grocery store you might be able to track down a salad bar too. Be wary of pre-packaged salads, in any case, as the ingredients list will usually host some unexpected (and unpleasant) surprises. Any other suggestions?
And I’d be remiss, of course, if I didn’t mention pemmican. Can’t say I’ve made it myself, but I’d love to hear about your experiences if you have.
That’s it for part two of the guide. Part three, which will cover grocery shopping, will debut next week. See you then! And if you enjoyed this guide, please share it using the buttons below. Thanks!
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27 Comments »
I'm a writer, minimalist, and health dork with three goals in mind: to teach you how to lose weight, move more, and be happier by living a simple, natural life. It works. Like what you read here? Get 3NL delivered straight to your inbox!
I’ve gone the bring-your-own-food route and also ordering gluten-free meals. I’m glad to have these options.
There are a number of recipes out there for homemade trail mix, nut bars, etc. Since I do have a gluten allergy, encountering food I’ve not made myself is always scary, so bringing my own supply of stuff I know is safe to eat is one less stressor. Plus, trail mixes and bars are convenient and portable, and I’ve never had problems getting them through security at airports and whatnot.
Asking for gluten-free meals on airlines is a crapshoot as far as how good/edible what you’ll actually be given will be. The one airline that’s never let me down is British Airways. They cover many of the bases – gluten free, vegan, kosher. I think they even have dairy-free and sugar-free meals as well. Plus, the “special” meals get served first, so you get to eat before everyone else!
Thanks for the additional info! I’m sad to hear that the gluten-free airplane meals are so iffy, but I appreciate the knowledge regardless. Especially regarding eating first, since that’s clearly a massive perk.
My husband drives 14 hours everyday, he spends his nights in hotels. I am on my
own during the week. I cook enough for two every meal. I then freeze the second meal.
At the end of the week I have a week’s worth of meals for my husband to take on the road. He has boiled eggs often,(breakfast) avocado, coconut milk, green smoothies (frozen), fish filets (frozen),(lunch) and frozen meals nightly. I pack snacks too. He is always excited to see what is for dinner! I do change the menu up a bit here, and there
to keep things interesting. He calls nightly and brags on how good his meal is.
He has went from a size 34 waist with love handles, to a size 32 waist with smaller love
All of this within an eight week time frame. 
handles.
Betty, what a kind and generous wife you are… and an inspiration.
Very much agreed!
That’s fantastic, Betty! Kudos to you for having such a direct (and delicious!) influence in getting your husband to a healthier shape.
Your meals sound wonderful, in any case, and I can only imagine how much comfort they bring to your husband after such a long day on the road.
Hey, just checking in (finally!). Love the extensive guide! ^_^-b
It seems like I’m never home between work and school, so this advice is very timely for me. I may not be traveling, but I get hungry by 6 and since I’m back at school its been lots of nuts and jerky for awhile now. Believe me, that gets really old. I’ve just not ate quite a few nights just because I’m just THAT burnt out. I like the idea of some dried fruit and dark chocolate trail mix… I’ve missed dried fruit…
And a hard-boiled egg sounds SO good (its been awhile, lol)… Now I just think I’m hungry… 
Anyway, can’t wait for your book!!! And just because I don’t leave a comment, don’t think I haven’t came and stalked… er.. I mean… visited the site! ^_^
Glad to see you again, Chandra!
Your comment is making me hungry too, so here’s hoping you ate something delicious! Haha. And don’t worry — I haven’t forgotten about the books I’m supposed to send your way. You’ll get them as soon as I finally make it to a post office, haha!
HA! I knew you missed me hanging around here.
And thats all right, you can send ‘em next year if thats how long it takes. I can’t complain when I’m getting free books! 
I’m just super excited to get them, but I’m even MORE excited to read your new book! On that note, I hope everything is okay, and take as long as you need to finish it because family matters definitely come first. I’ll be so swamped with work and school anyway that it’ll be mid-May before I have time for anything (but, oh, dear sweet graduation… my light at the end of the tunnel… here I come!)
Well, like I said, I hope things work out and everything ends up okay. ^_^-b
Great article Matt! I’m really impressed, being a celiac for 5 years I have read a lot of guides, but you have covered the bases superbly!!
I’m sorry to ALWAYS be the gluten-free voice of doom and gloom… but I have requested the GF meal every flight I have actually needed a meal for (5 or so?) and never got one. Not once. Flown with several different airlines too. Not much you can really do about it if you are 14,000 feet over the Pacific and they ran out of GF meals before they got to economy class! “That’s it, let me off here! I want my dinner dammit!”
My advice is to go with the flow, embrace the chaos and try to laugh about it. Any flight shorter than about 8 hours I just snack on apples, nuts and rice crackers. Rice crackers are horribly high GI and not nutritional at all, but as you said – you dont fly every day, its not going to kill you. If it fills your tummy enough so you can sleep, and doesnt do any actual harm, that usually enough.
It depends where you travel as to how awful convenience foods are. The UK have some fairly strict food labelling laws, and Australia are even better, so you can trust what you read on the packets there. America does not however, it is getting there. There are some great forums out there that give travel advice to mobile celiacs too – being able to quiz someone who lives in the country you are visiting BEFORE you go is always a win!
Great series Matt, cant wait for the next one!
Thanks, Mia.
And please, no need to apologize! You’re very familiar with gluten-free offerings, clearly, so I’d much rather have the voice of experience speaking here.
I’m sorry to hear about the lack of GF meals. Surprised, too, since the forums I read while researching this post made them sound more common than they apparently are. Concerning GF snacks and other semi-healthy convenience foods, I guess we can only hope that the world overall will start offering them more frequently as word about Celiac’s and gluten sensitivity continues to spread.
Fingers crossed!
My husband makes pemmican for us. He dries the beef and shreds it (we don’t use any berries) and mixes it with an equal amount BY WEIGHT of fat. He uses half melted tallow and half melted lard. Made with the lard the flavor is much better than made with all tallow, but the finished product will be soft unless you keep it chilled. I keep small squares of pemmican in the fridge at work for anytime I need a good meat and fat snack. The equal amount by weight is important. If you do equal amount by volume you’ll have a chunk of fat with a few shreds of dried meat in it.
Interesting! Thank you so much for the tips. I’m not sure when I’ll ever have a chance to chow down on pemmican, but I’ll keep in mind the ratio concerns when I do.
I drive every day for a living. Every sunday night I cook several chicken breasts, chop them into small cubes and make enough chicken mayo for three days. I take some to work every day in a tupperware with creamy coleslaw and black pepper and maybe a few walnuts. Mmm yum-yum! For the rest of the week I substitute tuna mayo intead. One tin and a red onion makes enough for two days. That’s my packed lunch sorted for the week.
As for travelling by other means (plane, bus or train) this still works for the outward journey although it usually takes some creative thinking (or intermittent fasting) for the journey home.
Great Post.
~Steve~
Preparation is key.
Your Sunday prep work makes for some pretty tasty-sounding dishes, Steve, so kudos for finding a system that works!
Excellent list, and timely. We’re gearing up for a trip to South America in about 6 weeks. We usually get to the airport a little early and splurge. We tend to split a burger and some kind of veggie or even fries for something to coat the stomach (code for – we want to indulge).
Splitting it is more than enough food and keeps the cost down. It’s well worth it. By the time we’re on the plane, we’re content and happy and then snack on nuts later.
I also like to hydrate with coconut water for several days before, b/c I’ve found even if I try to stay hydrated on the flight, I never quite succeed. And often being dehydrated tricks your mind into thinking you’re hungry.
Deli meats, by the way, tend to have gluten, though there are brands out there that don’t. Just be careful what you pick.
They do? Hot damn! I was not aware of that, so thank you for the info. I knew the excess sodium was an issue, but I’m not too surprised to hear that gluten snuck in as well.
Thanks, Susan.
Enjoy that trip to South America! And the coconut water, too, as you and I both know that coconut tops all. 
If I hear the word ‘practical’ one more time, I’m gonna puke
Hahaha seriously though, I cracked up so bad when I first read “Concerned about making healthy food choices whenever you’re out and about? Don’t eat.” Almost wish you’d stopped the post there.
(Honestly, will be referring back to this one. Great tips!)
You don’t know how tempted I was to leave it at just that.
Matt, I just found your blog & it is amazing. I spent a large junk of time this weekend skimming through it all and read your ebook, Simpler, and wow did it hit home for me! I’ve been trying to do paleo for some time now but have been going at it all wrong. I also spent yesterday cleaning out my closet and plan to conquer one room a week until my apartment is clutter free. Also going to try to “close my laptop” too. Thank You so much for sharing all of this…I’m excited for what’s to come!
Thank you so much, Toni! Glad I can be of help, and glad to hear about all the changes you’ll be making.
I’m curious about what you mean when you said that you did Paleo all wrong, so please don’t hesitate to email me if you’d like to discuss it further. I’m always happy to help!
I just got back from Primal Con. For the plane ride I brought homemade beef jerky, coconut flakes, dark chocolate, summer squash, tomato paste, smoked salmon and baby carrots. I ended up NOT eating the salmon and had to give the tomato paste to security due to it being a liquid and being over 3 oz. Bummer.
I also brought coconut juice which I stored in my suitcase.
Tomato paste?
Nice post. I especially like the part about not worrying about missing a meal here or there. I’m sure the cavemen didn’t eat at set times everyday.
Exactly!
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