Healthy Diets on Vacataion

So is it possible to maintain a healthy diet while on vacation?

I just recently got back from a trip to Las Vegas (Sin City!), where everything is as over-the-top as it gets. Its glitzy ostentatious vibe can be felt even before you leave the plane, with the hotel casinos in all their splendor decorating an otherwise barren landscape, standing as tall as the mountains surrounding the valley itself. From that first sight out the airplane window, to the strip lit up like a runway... from the casino floors to the overpriced food on the many restaurant menus, the gluttonous ambiance that is Vegas can be felt everywhere.

So what's the health conscious traveler to do in a town where appearance and presentation are everything? Is it even possible to find a healthy meal, something that hasn't been bathed soaked and or infused with butter? Or refined sugar? Or soy for that matter (in the form of vegetable oil)? If you suffer from a dairy or a soy allergy like myself it can be an interesting experience, but not impossible.

For breakfasts I stuck with the buffet; all the casinos have them, and it's the best place to find a variety of somewhat healthy foods. There's always plenty of fruit and veggies, as well as eggs and locks to fill that protein part of your plate. Now are the fruit or vegetables organic, or the eggs from free grazed chickens, or the salmon "wild caught"? Probably not, but when you’re on the road (out of your elements), "healthy" has to be put in perspective. Non-organic fruit and veggies are definitely a healthier choice than pastries, crapes, or anything topped with whipped cream and some berry flavored syrup.

The buffet also can cover you for those snacks throughout the day... I took some fruit for the road every time.

As far as lunch goes I was always able to find a chicken salad of some variety at most of the restaurants within the casinos, substituting olive oil and balsamic vinegar for whatever dressing came that came with it, and minus the cheese that chefs love to add as if a salad can't just be a salad.

And for dinner it's simply a matter of navigating the menu for that soy or dairy free meal. The key here was simply letting the waitress or waiter know my allergy situation right off the bat, filling them in on the many places soy likes to hide and reminding them that "yes, butter is dairy" and "no, a little bit of butter is not ok".

So remember your next trip should be a vacation from the all too stressful day-to-day grind, but it doesn't have to be a vacation from your healthy lifestyle.