Coffee is not the only difficult thing to come by when staying in hotels for business and personal travels. To the detriment of gut and pocket, healthy meal options are not always readily available.
French performer and actress Josephine Baker once said: "I have walked into the palaces of kings and queens and into the houses of presidents. And much more. But I could not walk into a hotel in America and get a cup of coffee, and that made me mad." Fortunately, a collection of helpful tips from Yahoo! Travel provides great reminders on how to make a hotel stay a healthy one. Here are five of these tips.
Tip #1 Request for a mini-fridge to store ingredients for healthy breakfasts. If the room does not already have one, ask for a mini-fridge from the hotel. Usually, hotels accommodate such requests. This can be used to store yoghurt and fruits for a good meal to start the day.
Tip #2 Free does not always mean safe. The free breakfasts and breakfast buffets offered in most hotels are a double-edged sword. Going for the wiser day-starters is always the better option. Fat-free, protein-packed, low sugar items are always a good place to begin.
Tip #3 Let the coffee maker double as oatmeal maker. Otherwise, simply ask room service for hot water and a bowl. Cheap and filling oatmeal breakfasts are still possible during hotel stays by bringing along oatmeal packets, dried fruits and nuts.
Tip #4 Pack a shaker bottle for a protein shake meal. With just a shaker bottle, powdered shake mix, an optional mix of peanut butter powder, a portion of either light milk or water and some vigorous shaking breakfast is served. This can also serve as a great choice for a light dinner after one too many heavy holiday meals.
Tip #5 Keep fruits on hand. The easiest to tote back to the hotel room are apples, oranges and bananas. In case of bananas, these can stay fresher for longer by wrapping the banana stems in plastic. Using this method of ethylene gas release prevention from the fruit's stem, a banana can stay fresh for as much as five days longer.
Do you have your own travel diet tips? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.