Make and Take Meals

Written by Pam Hunt Rebidue, Personal Trainer @ O2 Fitness Falconbridge

With warm weather and spring in full bloom, most of us are going to be taking extra weekend trips to the beach, to visit friends and just hitting to road to go seek new adventures! But don't worry, good nutrition and good fast food can go hand in hand

You can rustle up a number of fast-food alternatives in minutes. Not only can you put together a faster, healthier meal -- with fewer calories and less fat and sodium -- but you can save money, too!

Healthy Fast Food: For the Road

When you want an alternative to the fast-food joints calling your name, think cool: an insulated cooler, that is. Then stock it with:

• Water, low-fat milk, or 100% juice. But beware of the calories in drinks other than water, says Lichten.Take that cooled milk and douse it over whole-grain cereals that come in their own single-serve cups. A great snack or part of a meal when you're in transit.
• Low-fat cheese sticks to go with rolls and fruit.
• Tubes or cartons of yogurt. Cut veggies or washed baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. Add a container of low-fat dip.
• Sliced bananas, apples, grapes and pears.

Other single portion items for portable meals include:

• Peanut butter in a tube or a small tub to go with crackers or bread sticks.
• Single-serve cans of tuna with easy-open tops and crackers.
• Cans or cups of fruit packed in their own juice.
• Dehydrated bean soups (get hot water at a roadside rest stop).

Always have fruit and vegetables along for the ride, they are the foods you miss out on when traveling.

Trail mix made from dried fruits, nuts, seeds, pretzels, or cereal with a few chocolate chips thrown in for good measure makes a satisfying snack, and in a pinch -- when you're on the road and didn't plan ahead -- pull into the supermarket instead of the fast-food drive-in. You can pick up fresh fruit, cheese, and bread for a satisfying meal to go!