In the next couple of months many of us will be taking vacations, day trips to the beach, or traveling to see family.  I remember summers spent in the family station wagon driving for what seemed like hours or days to get to our vacation destination. During this time my mother always packed away sandwiches, seasonal fruits, and cooler jugs full of water. You see even though it would have been easier to stop at a fast food restaurant along the interstate, she still felt my brothers and I should get healthier foods even away from home. Another advantage to this was the roadside picnic at rest areas all along the East Coast, just a time to get out of the car to stretch our legs and get in a little outside play.

Today, it seems that while parents still pack snacks for the road, they are buying a lot of prepackaged
items like cookies, snack cakes, and sodas. Though these are very convenient and pack away nicely, they are not the best alternative for the long miles. Another convenience is the growth of the off-exit stops that give the consumers gas and usually a couple of fast-food choices. Again, convenience, but not always the best option to keep your families eating healthy even on the road.

So, in ending, why not take a page from the past, before “healthy” was chic and pass by the hundreds of fast-food options out there and pack some healthy lunches and snacks in a cooler and stop for a road side picnic while on your journey. Instead of snack cakes pack some sandwiches, trail mix, fresh berries and fruit from the farmer’s market, bottled waters, and any other good snacks. Remember fruit is nature’s own snack on the go and they are packaged for you.