Five tips for a healthier holiday

Karina Stewart Founder of Kamalaya shares her five top tips for staying healthy whilst on your summer holiday:

1.  Prepare and pack your own meal for the journey. This provides you with an alternative to eating the expensive and typically unhealthy prepared meals offered by the airline, trains etc. Bring protein and nutrient-dense dry foods that include nuts, protein bars, hummus dip with cut vegetables, and firm fruit like apples that won't bruise.

2.  Drink plenty of fluids during your trip. If you can, choose water over other beverages while you're in transit. Avoid juices and soda as these beverages are high in sugar content and thus lead to blood sugar disturbances, and avoid excessive alcohol consumption. Avoiding the latter is especially important for minimizing travel-related health conditions, such as dehydration and jet lag.

3.  Stock your hotel room with bottled water, fresh fruits and healthy snacks like nuts, seeds, low sugar granola bars or high fiber crackers such as oat cakes. Doing so helps remove the temptation to raid the room's mini bar.

4.  Avoid fast-food outlets. Though they may be a comforting choice when you're in an airport or new city, these kind of meal options are high in trans-fats, sodium, sugar and nutritionally empty calories. More importantly, they may cheat you out of experiencing the local foods and culture. Wherever you decide to eat, focus on meals that incorporate healthy components, like fresh vegetables and lean proteins such as fish and chicken.

5.  Don't forget to eat breakfast. This is usually easier said than done in the whirlwind of a vacation. However, breakfast helps keep your blood sugar balanced, primes your system and prepares you for a full day of activities or business meetings. If your hotel offers a complimentary breakfast, choose a high fiber, low sugar, healthy protein meal, such as vegetable omelet with side serving of berries and steel cut oats or whole grain toast to give you instant energy and fill you up until lunch.

Book your stay at Kamalaya today. Contact our wellness experts on 020 7843 3597 and ask for advice on the best programmes and offers.