RoadTrip Snacks
Healthy Travel Snacks

Here are my dietitian ideas for roadtrip snacks and healthy travel snacks.

There's no better way to pass time than to indulge in car snacks and airport eating, but if you're not careful you could wind up arriving at your destination heavier than you started out!

Grabby Finger Food

If you like to keep your hands busy snacking more of the time than not, these are some good healthy roadtrip snacks that won't break your calorie bank if you eat them in large quantities:

• cherry tomatoes/grape tomatoes
• edamame (green soybeans)
• grapes
• baby carrots
• snap peas
• radishes
• celery sticks
• air popped popcorn (pop in advance)

These are healthy travel snacks/car snacks but have a lot of calories:

• trail mix
• dried fruit
• nuts/seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios,etc.)

Tips to help control calories:

• Use snack size baggies to pre-portion nuts/trail mix in 1/4 cup serving sizes.
• Purchase small, single serving sizes.
• Purchase nuts/seeds in the shell so you have to work harder to get the calories.

Protein Bars and Lowfat Granola Bars

Bars are good healthy travel snacks because they're portion controlled.

They have a defined beginning and a defined end, unlike a bottomless bag of nuts, trail mix, chips, etc.

My favorite brands:

• Balance Outdoor Bar
• Boomi Bar
• Boulder Bar
• Bumble Bar
• Cascadian Farms Chewy Granola Bar
• Cliff Bar/Cliff Jr. Bar
• Kashi Go Lean Bar
• Lara Bar
• Luna Bar
• Odwalla Bar
• Pure Protein Bar
• Think Thin Protein Bar

Roadtrip Snacks/Travel Snacks That Can Be Easily Prepared

• Instant oatmeal packets: Stop at a coffee shop and get a cup of hot water. Stir in oatmeal.
• Instant bean soup: Stop at a coffee shop and get a cup of hot water to hydrate soup. Note: You can transfer instant bean soup from the bulky cardboard cup it's sold in to a baggie so it fits nicely in your travel bag.
• Tuna pouches/salmon pouches: Eat right from the pouch, or add to a garden salad that you purchase from a fast food restaurant or airport restaurant.
• If you're traveling by car, don't forget to pack the essentials for a peanut butter and banana sandwich:
  • loaf of whole wheat bread
  • jar of peanut butter (or individual packets of p.b.)
  • bananas
  • knife

Happy Travels!

More of My Professional Advice You May Find Useful

List of Healthy Snacks

Quick Meal Ideas

Leave RoadTrip Snacks and Go To Your Personal Nutrition Guide Home