How not to blow it when you're on vacation

Summer is here!! Since many of you will be traveling this summer, I am sharing my healthy travel tips. Whether you're on the road, a long flight, or a cruise, you can stay healthy while still enjoying your vacation.

For the flight

- Pack a bag of snacks for the plane ride, so you aren't tempted with junk from the airport. Fruits and veggie sticks are fine to bring on the plane, as long as you eat them before you get to customs on the other side. Soy chips, rice cakes, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, and dried fruit are also easy to pack.

- If you have dietary restrictions, order a special meal when booking your flight. I get the Asian (Indian) Vegetarian meal. Other meals include low sodium, low fat/cholesterol, and vegan meals, available depending on the flight and carrier.

- Watch out for liquid calories. Ask for just a glass of juice/beer/soda, not the whole can. Water is best.

Dining out

- Don't skimp on breakfast, which only sets you up to go overboard later. Eat a hearty, healthy breakfast with protein, whole grains, and some fruit. Avoid filling up on simple carbs and sugar, like pancakes and muffins, which result in an energy crash later.

- Go for foods steamed, grilled, sauteed, boiled, baked, and roasted, which are healthier cooking methods, rather than fried.

- Watch out for foods that are breaded, battered, or encrusted (with nuts, etc), which add on extra calories.

- Have a broth-based soup or salad before your entree to help fill you up.

- Reduce calories from Mexican food by asking for less sour cream, guacamole, and cheese. Ask for extra lettuce and salsa.

- Consider soup and salad for a light yet filling meal.

- Not all salads are healthy! Watch out for loads of cheese, bacon, dressing, ham, tortilla chips, etc. Ask for the dressing on the side, and choose a vinaigrette rather than a creamy dressing.

- Avoid creamy sauces and soups.

- Consider dining out for lunch, which is usually cheaper and lighter, and cooking a healthy dinner at "home."

- Share an entree or dessert.

On the road

The foods I mentioned to bring on the plane can also be packed for road trips. You could also bring a cooler with hummus, peanut butter and jelly, and other sandwich ingredients, water, string cheese, yogurt, whole grain crackers, fruits, veggies, etc. Japanese (brown) rice balls are a great road trip food, too.

Of the fast food places, I think McDonald's offers the healthiest choices. Get the grilled chicken instead of fried, and order a small order of fries instead of the standard size. Ask for no mayo. You could even get a kids' meal instead of their normal combo. They also have healthy snacks such as a yogurt parfait and apple slices. Go for a vanilla ice cream cone, which only has 150 calories, versus the "Mcflurry" which has 620!

Happy travels!!!