Maintaining a live food diet while traveling can be easy if you have the right information.
Once you’ve made the decision to go raw, the small inconveniences of your new lifestyle are quickly outweighed by renewed energy, rapid weight loss, and improved health. After a month or so, you should have an exciting repertoire of new foods to enjoy—some that involve more or less work than others, and some recipes that require special equipment like a dehydrator, a Vitamix, or a food processor.
So what should a “raw foodie” do when it’s time to hit the road? You can’t very well pack a five screen dehydrator and Vitamix in your overnight bag, can you? Fortunately, there are many quick solutions that will enable you to stay 100% raw and feeling great.
Quick Travel Snacks
It’s very important to pack a variety of easy snacks in your carryon bag in the event that you can’t find healthy snacks in the airport, train station, or hotel when you arrive. It’s easy to forget just how many options there are:
- Fresh veggies: carrot sticks, celery, broccoli and cauliflower.
- Dehydrated vegetables: sweet potatoes, white potatoes with salt and vinegar, zucchini, and yellow squash.
- Fresh fruits: a banana and grapes for the plane/train/car; apples, oranges, and pears packed in your bag.
- Dried fruits: dried apricots, apples, and pears; raisins, prunes, figs and dates.
- Raw cookies or snack bars: made in your dehydrator at home, last 3-5 days in Ziploc bags.
- Raw crackers: a huge variety can be made, a wonderful, crunchy treat when you’re craving salt.
- Granola: make a big batch in your dehydrator before you leave
Many organic grocery stores are beginning to carry prepackaged raw food bars. They’re a bit expensive ($3-5 US dollars each), so it’s best to make your own if you can, but some great brands are:
- Raw Organic Food Bars: cinnamon raisin is a favorite
- Raw Revolution bars: cashew is terrific
- Pure Bars: ginger snap—yum!
- Smart Monkey Bars: chocolate brownie
- Think! Organic: apricot coconut
Many of these brands can be pre-ordered by the case. Stock up before you leave. Note that international flights may not allow perishable items in carryon bags. Find out the rules before you leave.
Grocery Stores
Do research before you leave to locate hotels with organic grocery stores within walking distance of your hotel. A simple search, for example, for “organic stores, Boston” provides a Google map of the city with about 15 choices. Find one you like, and then do another search for a nearby hotel.
What to buy:
- Salad in bulk (if there's a big organic salad bar)
- Pre-packaged guacamole (make sure it’s dairy free), salsa, or olive tapenade to for dipping with carrot sticks or the crackers you made at home
- Lots of fresh fruit to keep around your hotel room in case you get hungry
- Buy a bag of pre-washed baby greens, some olive oil and raw nuts, and mix up a salad right in the bag!
Room Service
Room service can be dangerous! Whenever possible, avoid the menu altogether, because there are far too many temptations in that little black book.
However, if you’re in a remote location devoid of organic stores, just order plenty of fruit for breakfast, double portions of salad for dinner, and request olive oil and vinegar or a light vinaigrette dressing. Eat until you’re full—and stay away from those french fries!
Restaurants and Juice Bars
United States
- Atlanta: (live food truck that will deliver meals to your hotel or office)
- Boston: Grezzo (Alissa Cohen’s new restaurant, open 2/1/08)
- Miami: Tree of Zion (raw-friendly, fresh juices)
- New York: Pure Food and Wine (amazing gourmet raw food), Jubbs Longevity LifeFood Store (take-out live food)
- San Francisco: Alive! La Vie Cafe
International
- Amsterdam: Unlimited Health
- London: VitaOrganic
- Rio de Janeiro: Universo Organico (first live food restaurant in Brazil, great juice bar and raw food with local flavor, won Best of Brazil)
- Toronto: Live (affordable, delicious raw food), SuperSprouts and Remedy Café
- Vancouver: Eternal Abundance (organic produce, raw food in the back of the store)
Worst Case Scenario
In the event that you’re traveling to some far-flung place that is so far from a grocery store that you’re unable to get fresh produce—organic or otherwise—you can still travel “live.” Buy or order green powder, a multi-vitamin/mineral superfood meal replacement that can be mixed with water.
You can even order a battery-operated portable blender to pack in your suitcase. Throw in some bananas and distilled or filtered water, mix with an organic green powder like Alissa Cohen’s 100% Organic Wildcrafted Green Food Powder, and you will survive!
Related articles
Raw Food Diets: Tips for Getting Started
