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, Lara Bars (legal flavors listed on the Prepared Foods section of the website), Cheese Lace (Snack section), frozen Easy Sandwich Bread (also in snack section), Laura Scudder'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 Lipton Decaf, 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. We had a suitcase full of non-perishable food and paper goods. Nutty Caramel Candy, fruit, raisins, honey, legal canned tuna and other pantry items went in the suitcase. In a cooler 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 this 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), 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.) See my FAQ section and the Restaurants page for specific restaurants that have SCD-legal items. Pack a small George Foreman grill to cook meat at your hotel/destination. 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 (Foster Farms or Sanderson Farms are some legal brands that contain no added broth), a half-gallon of milk for making yogurt, Dannon Natural yogurt for SCD Yogurt starter, speckled bananas, apples, oranges or any other fruit you enjoy, and some Tropicana OJ (original with no added calcium or Vitamin D) and/or Welch's 100% grape juice. 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 at DigestiveWellness.com. Ordering some for a trip to Hawaii made me feel like I was really on vacation! Quick Snack Ideas:
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