What to Buy at the Grocery Store to Eat Healthy on Vacation

Recently, I took a trip with the fam for a Spartan Race in Oregon. Afterwards, I decided to treat myself to a little vacation—in a van. 🤩🚐 Vacations are always hard for me to eat well, but this trip I was determined to stick to my healthy eating habits. 💪

Here are the facts:

🌱 Plants contain different pigments, or phytonutrients, which give them their color. Different-colored plants are linked to higher levels of specific nutrients and health benefits.

🌈 While eating more vegetables and fruit is always a good idea, focusing on eating a variety of colors will increase your intake of different nutrients to benefit various areas of your health.

Here’s how I was still able to eat the rainbow while I was traveling.

I went to the store before I went out to my campsite. Fruit is always great. I bought a banana, clementines, black berries. I picked up some strawberries, a little thing of carrots and celery.

🙏🏽 @zupansmarkets came through with great pre-made options, right down to 4 pieces of bacon!

I brought some granola, of course. It’s great for breakfast, as a snack, it's always good to have! There was some pre-made vegetable fried rice and a little beet salad. I tried to keep it simple so that I didn’t have to do too much cooking.

So that's how I did it: I visited a local grocer and picked up a variety of colorful produce 🌈

Here's 3 tips for a more colorful diet while traveling (or anytime really😉)

It starts with your cart 🛒

Set yourself up for success by shopping for foods from every color of the rainbow. Before you check out at the grocery store, take a good look at your shopping cart.

Try different colors of your favorite veggies 🥕

Check the market for heirloom carrots in colors ranging from white to yellow to purple. Other vegetables come in an array of colors, like bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, radishes, and beets.

Choose carbs with color 🍠

Often, the starchy food on the plate is pasta, bread, or white rice. Not a lot of color or nutrients there! Upgrade your carbs by swapping them for darker whole grains like farro or buckwheat or replace them with boldly colored starchy vegetables.

At Elevated Oats, we believe in the benefits of eating the rainbow 🌈 That's why we handcraft our granola with real fruits and locally sourced veggies, like beets and carrots! 🤤