Eating on the road can be a pretty dicey prospect. A lot of food is too messy, complicated or easy to spoil to really fit in the confines of a car or truck. While everybody has their favorite road food, it’s more important to follow certain guidelines than to stick to specific kinds of provisions. Here are the rules of road food.
Cold is not an option
First, refrigeration is not an option, at least not unless you’re traveling in an RV or another vehicle large and well equipped enough to have a small chill chest. If you travel like most road trippers, you won’t have access to that most modern method of preservation. That said, older preserving techniques are fair game. Salt is your friend in this case. Particularly, jerky is a wonderful road food. It’s one of the oldest road foods in history. People have been preserving meat, fish and other foods in salt for longer than we’ve been recording history. Jerky and other salt-preserved foods take up little space, provide a lot of energy and help travelers with the next rule…
Hydration is about more than water
Staying hydrated is very important for remaining focused, happy and healthy while enduring the rigors of the road. But hydration involves more than just consuming ample amounts of water. People need to help their bodies absorb the water they consume, which usually involves electrolytes like salt, potassium and calcium. Salt is the most easy to come by for travelers, unless keeping a bunch of bananas on hand seems like a good idea. An ounce of jerky plus a bottle of water makes for a great energy boost (and fewer pit stops) on the road.
Steer clear of diuretics
Unfortunately, a lot of drinks available to road trippers aren’t kind to the human bladder. Caffeine, while a source of energy boosts, also puts stress on the kidneys which means a lot more frequent bathroom breaks. Coffee, tea, soda and energy drinks aren’t a good idea on the road. Seek pep in kinder places, like Vitamin C. Oranges, pre-peeled, sliced and bagged, make perfect road provisions for energy.
Limit sugar intake
There’s nothing wrong with a little sweetness for stimulation and fun on the road, but keep it to a minimum. Sugar can upset the stomach in larger quantities, cause tooth sensitivity beyond the reach of a toothbrush and bring on fatigue when the upswing wears off. Try not to indulge in that gas station candy and show some restraint when you hit the inevitable roadside fudge stand.