Let’s be honest—nothing brightens up a long drive quite like the promise of a tasty treat: a delicious, indulgent spark of excitement to break up the monotony of long hours spent on the road.
But in the chaos of pre-departure vacation planning, snack-packing often gets left off the to-do list, only to be replaced by a gas station stop or drive-thru run on the way. Oftentimes, this means bags of chips or candy, greasy fast food and sugary drinks—which, while convenient, might make the journey less enjoyable, and healthful, in the long run.
“On vacation, you want to stay energized and focused, especially if you are the driver,” says Allison Attuso, a clinical dietitian at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The big influx of saturated fats, salt, and sugars loaded into that bag of potato chips or movie theater-sized box of gummy worms might go down easy, but it can leave your body feeling sluggish, or even cause G.I. upset, without offering much nutritional benefit.
When it comes to keeping road trip snacking balanced and nutritious, a little bit of planning goes a long way for Attuso and her family. “Let me introduce you to, ‘the snackle box’!”
Similar in shape and concept to a tackle box, these pre-portioned snacking containers (available at most major grocery stores) allow road-trippers to create personalized “picnic-boxes-for-the-road.” Before any long drive, Attuso likes to create specially curated boxes for each person on the trip—preparing selections of fruits, vegetables, whole grain crackers and pretzels, cheeses, nuts, and a few sweet treats as well.
“You get to be as creative as you want, adding novelty to the whole experience,” she said. Sometimes, to add novelty, she’ll include exotic fruits that her kids aren’t familiar with—something altogether new to try.
“You still want the experience to be fun and special,” she said, “while also using the food as a way to fuel our bodies.”
On the other hand, Attuso often lets her kids get involved with selecting the foods to include in their snackle boxes, granting them some control over what they eat and ensuring they’ll look forward to opening their boxes when they get on the road.
It’s been a lifesaver, and a memory maker, for Attuso’s kids, she says—but also for the adults in her family. “I always make my mom a snackle box when we go on trips,” she said. “She gets one just for her, and she loves it.”
Just as important as adding snack-planning to your road trip prep agenda, according to Attuso, is prioritizing hydration. “A lot of people will avoid drinking on a road trip to minimize stops,” she said. “Don’t do that—keep yourselves hydrated. Everyone should have their own water bottle throughout the drive, and you can use those stops as a break for your body, a good stretch and movement break.”
Attuso even keeps a ball in the car to toss around at rest stops with her kids, “to get us all moving and get some wiggles out,” she said.
By putting a little intention behind road trip nutrition, travelers can not only make healthier choices but enhance their adventure experience into the bargain, creating memories that’ll last a lot longer than a stop at the gas station.
Stay tuned for more health tips and advice from the pros at Pennington Biomedical, and get involved at pbrc.edu/getinvolved.
