A New Healthy and Kosher Food Option When You Travel

When Rabbi Ben and I travel, we’re usually in it for the long haul.  When you are traveling long term, it is unwise to bring too much food with you because A) you probably will not be able to carry enough kosher food for the entire trip and B) your bags will be really big and heavy if you try to.

However, sometimes we do take shorter trips, and on those trips, we do take food with us.  When I did my trip to the Amazon rainforest, I spent a week there and a week traveling in Peru.  For two weeks, I could carry a reasonable amount of food just in my backpack.  I carried things like vacuum packets of tuna, basic condiments, instant oatmeal, and granola bars.  But that was over 5 years ago and today the number of kosher products has expanded. There is more available than ever before.

Recently, I reconnected with an old friend of mine from Miami.  She and I always had in common our interest in healthy, home-cooked food and exercise (especially on the Wii Fit!).  We shared many recipes, Shabbat dinners, and we would compete with each other on her Wii Fit.  I guess some things never change because we are both still interested in the same things! In fact, my friend recently started a website called Kosher Healthy Living.

One thing she pointed out to me that is really interesting is a kosher product available for travel that I had never heard of before.  It is a product called Shaklee 180 and it’s designed to help people lose weight in a healthy way.  Well, Rabbi Ben and I don’t need to lose weight, so maybe we’d eat two or three of these servings… but! Some of the products really are perfect for travel.

I haven’t tried it yet, but something like the “Meal-in-a-Bar” that’s available sounds similar to what I was trying to do with my granola bars on my short trips. Often I would eat just one granola bar to replace a meal. But I would almost always still feel hungry because granola bars are not really designed to be a balanced meal; they are more of a snack.  So if you are looking for a light and easy travel food, this might be a good thing to try.

There are other options, too, like Smoothee packets.  They are another easy meal substitute that won’t take up much room or weight in your luggage. All you have to do is mix them up with some milk or soymilk. (Be sure to check that the milk where you are traveling is reliable.)

So enjoy your travels, pack light, and maybe even lose some weight while you’re on the road.  Sounds like a good deal to me!