We all know that fast food has been a healthy person's enemy for years. However, as I am currently on a 2-week road trip I have become close friends with the fast food industry, finding ways to bridge our divide. I love to treat myself to a McDonald's mocha every once in a while and there are times when I am driving when I swear it is the coffee that has been God's means to keeping me awake and alive. Our first road trip stop was a McDonald's for lunch, and I knew that a mocha was on my menu for that meal. Therefore, that meant that a salad would accompany my mocha to create a little nutritional balance. There have been too many times in the past where I have gotten the travel blahs and it takes a few days for my stomach to get back to normal. Fresh food (fruits and veggies) are hard to come by when on the road, so I take every chance I can get to eat them up. We stopped at Wendy's for dinner and I had a baked potato with broccoli, chili, and apples. A little later for my after-dinner sweet craving, I munched on a chocolate and yogurt covered nut mix that I brought from home.
The tip for today is to know that fast food eating can be done well. Make sure there is some nutritional value to your meal and eat in moderation. It doesn't need to be nutritionally all or nothing -- if you just need to have a burger because that is your weakness, then go for it. But pair it with something more healthy than fries and a soda. Fast food restaurants have come a long way and usually have lots of good options. Give and take, but don't use traveling as an excuse for not eating well.
