Travel Tips
(The following article is taken from our May/June "I Want To THRIVE" magazine where you will also find articles about rock climbing, back packing, and camping in campgrounds. All these articles include food ideas, SCD outdoor eating suggestions and recipes. Also see our Inbox:Travel page for more on Travel.)
On The Road With Erin...It’s almost summer and that means you can plan some fun trips! Whether by car or by air, you can enjoy a wonderful vacation while on the SCD by just doing a little planning ahead. I have traveled cross-country for 10 days, Hawaii twice, numerous 20-hour driving trips and have flown often - all on the SCD! Here are some tips I learned along the way to make my travels easier.
Traveling by Plane: Food to bring with you in a carry-on: dates stuffed with nuts, baby carrots, SCD legal Freedom Bars, Cheese Lace (Snack section), frozen Easy Sandwich Bread (also in snack section), Laura Scudder's, Adam's, or Smucker's peanut butter (peanuts and salt only), and Nutty Caramel Candy or Sugar Plums (Dessert section). In checked baggage pack honey. Some black, peppermint, or spearmint tea bags are nice if you can find hot water. Small packets of honey are great to flavor your tea – or for some quick sugar calories. Driving in a Car: My parents flew back to D.C. to pick me up from my internship and help me drive cross-country. It was a fun 10-day journey, and this is how we did it. Since then, my family and I have made 30+ 1000 mile trips to visit family (!), and we continue to follow the SCD successfully this way! We had a suitcase full of non-perishable food and paper goods. Nutty Caramel Candy, fruit, raisins, honey, legal canned tuna and chicken, and other pantry items went in the suitcase or a small dry cooler. In a large cooler with ice, we kept almond bread, peanut butter, yogurt, baby carrots and Tropicana orange juice. These foods were my staples, but if we stopped at a restaurant along the way, I would eat something I couldn’t easily store in the car such as meat or eggs.
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Since the big cross-country trip, I’ve found that Wendy’s meat is legal. There are no additives and they cook it in oil. I order a double stack, special order: just meat, lettuce and tomatoes; no bun, sauce or cheese. The Cracker Barrel is also a great choice when you’re on the road, with locations across the country. I always order eggs, over well or poached (no scrambled eggs because of possible milk added), and bacon, crisply fried. Ask for hot water and supply your own legal tea bag if you wish.
Staying in a Hotel or Condo: Do some research on hotels. Some, like Marriott Residence Inn, have kitchens in the rooms for a good price. Also research restaurants around the area you will be. Ideas on what to get at restaurants: a plain steak with no marinade - just salt & pepper with unadorned steamed veggies. (You can ask for a cube of real butter to add to the veggies.) A plain grilled chicken breast (not pre-marinated) with steamed veggies. Fresh fruit on the side. Cobb salad with plain grilled chicken and no croutons or dressing. Bacon and eggs with fresh fruit for breakfast. (Ask for it to be cooked in just oil.) A lettuce-wrapped hamburger with no spices, sauces, or cheese - just plain meat, lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions. See my FAQ section and the Restaurants page for specific restaurants where I've found SCD-legal items. You could pack a small George Foreman grill to cook meat at your hotel/destination if needed. Also pack a yogurt maker if you are going to be there for a while so you can make yogurt as soon as you arrive. When you get there, refrigerate the Easy Sandwich Bread right away. If in a hotel, request a refrigerator. Then go to a nearby grocery store and get cheddar cheese, raisins, nuts, paper goods, chicken breasts (look for brands that contain no added broth or natural flavors; just water and salt), a half-gallon of milk for making yogurt, Dannon Natural yogurt for SCD Yogurt starter (or bring your own Yogourmet starter packets), speckled bananas, apples, oranges, or any other fruit you enjoy, and some Tropicana OJ (original with no added calcium or Vitamin D). You could make SCD English Muffins every morning if you have access to a microwave. Put all of the dry ingredients and coconut oil in separate baggies for each day, and just add the egg and water! Tip: If you have some extra money and want to splurge on some yummy pre-made food for your trip you can order some cookies, jam, and other legal treats from SCD friendly businesses like Wellbees or Liberated Specialty Foods (I love their Cashew Crème Bread!). Ordering some for a trip makes me feel like I am really on vacation! Quick Snack Ideas:
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