Staying Vegan While On Vacation

Today I am delighted to publish a guest post from one of my readers, Cole Millen. 

Cole describes himself as "an avid traveler and foodie who never forgets that life's best memories are made through real life apprehension of legitimate 'experiences'".

Cole has recently been finding out how difficult it is to maintain a nutritious diet when travelling. 

With increasing demand for healthier travel experiences, I thought it would be useful for Cole to share some tips and tricks of the trade that he has learned from his own experiences of travelling and staying healthy. 

It is easy to stick to a routine when everything stays the same. However, it is difficult for many dieters to be consistent when something changes. Going on vacation is challenging because dieters lose focus and splurge. Those who are on a vegan diet do not have to give up while on the road. It is not always easy to find vegan meals, but it is possible stick to a vegan diet and eat healthily while on vacation without much hassle.

Bring Food Along

It is always smart to pack snacks. Trips never go as planned and it can be hard to know when or where the next meal will happen. Having snacks around saves money and offers an energy boost while on the go. Plus, not every restaurant caters to vegans. Travelers may have to make many substitutions to a dish before it is ready to eat, and the leftover result may be simple and bland.  No one should have to settle for lackluster dishes while on vacation. Travelers should pack their favorite vegan condiments and discretely use them on food to increase the flavor.

Research before Travel

No one is truly a stranger in a strange land thanks to the internet and travel guides. Travelers research climates, hotels and attractions before vacationing anywhere, and it is smart for vegans to research food options. Looking into the customs of an area, finding vegan friendly restaurants nearby a hotel and searching specifically for vegan cuisine is helpful before travel.

The most helpful pieces of advice will come from fellow vegans so. Look for blogs or reviews of hotels and restaurants to find tips from others. There may be specific vegan groups from an area on the internet, or a few travelers may have listed how they survived in a new location on a vegan diet. In my most recent travel to the west coast, I found a great site that allowed for me to better prepare for my trip by reading the reviews on Las Vegas hotels and finding vegan alternatives in the midst of the heavily condensed buffet zone. Being prepared beforehand will help travelers enjoy the sights without worrying about the food.

Learn the Language

Venturing across the world means there might be a language barrier. While people in many countries speak English, it is helpful to learn a few phrases in the native language. Do not just look for translations of the word "vegan" because this often just means a simple meal in other cultures. Assemble a list of basic vocabulary words that relate to foods vegans typically eat. This lets travelers inquire for specific and well liked items. Foreign countries often offer unique foods. There may be special vegetables or vegan dishes that a country is known for. Look up the vocabulary for local foods to try new vegan items.

Offer Ideas at Restaurants

Restaurants try to accommodate patrons, but many wait staff are not always familiar with the needs of a vegan diet. It may fall to the guest to ask questions and make suggestions to help inform the staff. Knowing what a restaurant offers beforehand and having ideas ready helps the process of dining out go smoothly. Those who are friendly and explain their dietary needs while making polite suggestions should find that the restaurant is willing to make changes.

Cook While on the Road

Eating out for the entirety of a vacation is the fastest way to gain weight and lose money. Most accommodations have a kitchen area, so travelers should plan to cook a few meals. Cooking gives vegans total control of a meal and can be a worthwhile experience. This lets travelers visit authentic markets, buy local foods and create their own recipes. Making dinner in a different setting can be as memorable an occasion as anything else on a trip.

Staying on a vegan diet while on vacation is not impossible. Some people may encounter locations that do not have vegan options, but all vacations have setbacks. Maintaining a positive attitude and laughing over challenges helps make the most of any vacation. There is always another restaurant nearby, and no one will starve will trying to uphold a vegan diet on vacation. Researching the area, planning beforehand and being flexible make it possible to have an enjoyable, exciting and relaxing vegan vacation.

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An apple a day may keep breast cancer away

Six studies published in the past year by a Cornell researcher add to growing evidence that an apple a day -- as well as daily helpings of other fruits and vegetables -- can help keep the breast-cancer doctor away.

In one of his recent papers, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (57:1), Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science and a member of Cornell's Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, reports that fresh apple extracts significantly inhibited the size of mammary tumours in rats -- and the more extracts they were given, the greater the inhibition.

"We not only observed that the treated animals had fewer tumours, but the tumours were smaller, less malignant and grew more slowly compared with the tumors in the untreated rats," said Liu, pointing out that the study confirmed the findings of his preliminary study in rats published in 2007.

In his latest study, for example, he found that a type of adenocarcinoma -- a highly malignant tumour and the main cause of death of breast-cancer patients, as well as of animals with mammary cancer -- was evident in 81 percent of tumors in the control animals. However, it developed in only 57 percent, 50 percent and 23 percent of the rats fed low, middle and high doses of apple extracts (the equivalent of one, three and six apples a day in humans), respectively, during the 24-week study.

"That reflects potent anti-proliferative [rapid decrease] activity," said
Liu.

The studies highlight the important role of phytochemicals, known as phenolics or flavonoids, found in apples and other fruits and vegetables. Of the top 25 fruits consumed in the United States, Liu reported in the same journal (56:18) that apples provide 33 percent of the phenolics that Americans consume annually.In a study of apple peel published in the same journal (56:21), Liu reported on a variety of new phenolic compounds that he discovered that also have "potent antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities" on tumours. And in yet another study in the same journal (56:24), he reported on his discovery of the specific modulation effects that apple extracts have on cell cycle machinery. Recently, Liu's group also reported the finding that apple phytochemicals inhibit an important inflammation pathway (NFkB) in human breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed invasive cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the United States, said Liu.

"These studies add to the growing evidence that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, including apples, would provide consumers with more phenolics, which are proving to have important health benefits. I would encourage consumers to eat more and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily."

For imaginative ideas and practical tuition in how to incorporate more fruit and vegetables in your diet, come along to a Cooking for Health course, held throughout the year in Somerset, UK.