5 Nutrition Tips for Winter Travel with Kids
Winter travel with your little ones can be a fun and exciting adventure, but it also brings its own unique challenges.
In this blog post, we will share five essential nutrition tips to keep in mind when traveling with kids during the winter season.
We will cover strategies to honor their routines, the importance of packing satisfying and enjoyable non-perishable snacks, how to support your immune system with nourishing foods, the benefits of fiber for digestive health, and the crucial role of hydration.
By following these nutrition tips, you can ensure your family stays in tune with their bodies’ needs and enjoys a healthy and fun winter adventure.
1. Maintain some consistency
You’re on vacation. A time for a change of scenery and a break from the ‘everyday’. However, some kids can get quite thrown off by a major change to their routine, and this includes eating.
Every child responds to travel differently. If your child is sensitive to changes in their diet, try to maintain some consistency while away on vacation.
As an adult, you’ve had lot of time to learn how to listen to your body. Your children may not always know when they’ve hit their limit of treats. You can help your kids feel good on a trip by providing them with some familiar foods you know their tummy will tolerate.
2. Bring non-perishable convenience foods that are airline approved (if flying)and easy to serve (if driving)
Stock your carry-on luggage or diaper bag with easy to eat, nutritious foods. I love using a bento box to fill with snacks for air travel, because you’re likely right next to your child to prevent them from tipping it over. Purees are also AWESOME for air travel because they are hydrating (more on that below). In case you have a long wait in the airport or flight delays, it’s best to bring some non-perishable food with you, in addition to perishable snacks.
For a road trip however, bento boxes or snack containers are not always realistic. Try bringing puree pouches or chewy, not crumbly, snack bars in the car for mess-free snacking.
3. Foods for the immune system
While there are no nutrients that will prevent kids from getting sick on vacation, we do know that there are certain nutrients that support the immune system to make it stronger and better able to defend against pathogens.
Here’s just a few nutrients to consider:
Zinc – mushrooms, meat, spinach, wheat germ, beans, chickpeas, egg yolk
Vitamin C – strawberries, kiwi, oranges, red peppers
Selenium – mushrooms, beef, chicken, tuna, eggs, cottage cheese
4. Choose fiber-rich foods to help maintain a happy, healthy gut
We’ve all experienced tummy troubles while traveling. Bloating and constipation can happen when we’re out of our regular routine and eating lots of low fiber foods.
To help avoid constipation, try offering your kids a small bowl of high fiber cereal at some point in the day. Bring some whole grain crackers and Cerebelly smart bars along for high fiber snacking.
5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
Staying hydrated when traveling by plane is essential. Make sure to bring a reusable water bottle on your trip for each child.
Water is the best way to hydrate. But there are other ways to keep kids hydrated while traveling (if forcing them to keep taking ‘one more sip of water’ is just plain exhausting).
Remember that pureed foods are made with water to make them smooth, so they provide a good amount of hydration. Other high-water-content foods like fruit and yogurt are good choices too. Is your child a pasta lover? Good news – foods that are boiled and absorb water, like noodles, also hydrate the body!
Most importantly, have fun!
With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can make sure that your kids are maintaining a consistent, healthy diet while on the go. By following these tips in this blog post, you can ensure your family stays well nourished and energized during your winter travels!
Have more questions? Send us an email at support@cerebelly.com and we will be sure to get back to you!
