Good news! Traveling while following the Wahls Protocol and Autoimmune Protocol is possible. Following a therapeutic diet doesn’t mean that you’re confined to your home kitchen.
It just requires a little planning before we hit the road.
For most of us, our therapeutic diet is what enables us the physical ability to travel – we’ve reclaimed energy, strength and so much more.
As tempting as it is, we can’t take a vacation from our therapeutic diet.
Dr. Wahls reminds us, one cheat could have irreversible damage.
So, let me guide you through a few tips and tricks that can help to have your vacation and eat well too!
Planning Your Travels on the Wahls Protocol
Gone are the days of living on the edge without a plan.
You can’t just “wing it and hope for the best.”
That’s setting yourself up for frustration, hunger and a potential flare of symptoms.
You need to go in with a plan.
Here are some factors to consider.
LODGING
Opt for kitchen-friendly lodging
- Air BnB
- Hotels with a kitchen for mini fridge
- Campgrounds with an electrical hook up
COMMUNICATE
Don’t assume that your family and friends understand the importance of you remaining compliant on the road.
Set expectations and share your plan before your trip so everyone is on the same page.
This diet is part of your medicine to manage your health.
Just as your family wouldn’t expect you to stop taking a prescription medication on vacation, same goes for your food prescription.
PRE-TRAVEL TIMELINE
Don’t wait to the last minute for anything. That’s too stressful and stress is not supporting our health in any way. So plan ahead and space out the preparations.
2 Weeks Prior
- Prep a meal that you can freeze to either bring with you in a cooler or have available when you return from your trip.
1 Week Prior
- Refill any prescriptions or supplements you may need.
2 Days Prior
- Hydrate well. We tend to not drink as much on travel days, which can contribute to fatigue and constipation – neither which are great travel buddies! So, get ahead of this by hydrating well the two days before you leave and when you’re still close to your home bathroom.
- Prioritize sleep. The night before you travel you may have some extra excitement or nerves that can impact your sleep, so focus on a good night’s rest two nights prior to your departure.
1 Day Prior
- Run through your checklist of items to pack
- Rx
- Supplements
- Meals/snacks
- Water bottle
- Travel tools (more on this in a minute)
- Any medical notes you may need to bring with you
Travel Tools
There are a quite a few travel tools that can help you maximize your food options on the road.
- Hot Logic Portable Oven
- Mini Slow Cooker
- Portable Wireless Blender
- Pill Organizer
- Instant Ice Packs (these are more for managing heat sensitivity)
- Water Bottle
Travel Meals & Snacks
Figuring out what to eat for an actual meal can be a little tricky whether you’re on a road trip, at a hotel, flying or camping.
Here are some great options to consider packing.
Packable Meals
- Wild Zora Paleo Meals to Go (Savory chicken is my favorite)
- Wild Zora Instant Grain-Free Hot Cereal
- Soup in a thermos
- Salads in a Stasher, Ziploc bag or a travel salad container
Packable Snacks
- Paleovalley beef or turkey sticks (I LOVE these!)
- Mushroom jerky
- Bag of nuts
- Apple & individual nut butter pack
- Baby carrots & individual guacamole packs
- Cabbage (Dr. Wahls’ favorite travel sulfur snack)
- Bare Coconut chips
- Homemade energy bites
- Coconut rolled dates
Packable Beverages
- Herbal tea with individual collagen peptide pack
- Paleovalley organic supergreen powder in water
- Smoothie with your portable blender
How can you use these snacks for a full day of food?
Sample Menu
Breakfast
Smoothie with portable blender or
Wild Zora hot cereal and Paleovalley supergreens drink
Snack
Carrots & guacamole pack
Lunch
Travel salad with Paleovalley turkey stick or canned salmon
Snack
Apple & nut butter
Dinner
Wild Zora Savory Chicken Meal-to-Go
Berries for dessert
Snack
Coconut chips
Traveling with food restrictions is possible. It just takes some planning.
My hope is that the information in this post helps you to book your next trip with confidence!
What do you find to be your best travel tips while following a therapeutic diet?
Please share below!
