by Nathan Higgins

Created on: August 05, 2008

For me, my main concern with "eating healthy" is to keep track of how many calories I am consuming. If for some reason I stop counting my caloric consumption, then I go on an eating binge and consume thousands of calories more than my body needs. When I am counting calories, I discipline myself to stick with a calorie budget. I only eat what I know will be necessary to keep my body going.

When I am eating at home, calorie counting is easy. Ninety-nine percent of the foods that I eat come with a nutrition label stamped on the package. (Not everything comes with a nutrition label, though. I have to go looking for nutritional information on fresh fruits and vegetables.)

Trouble can easily set in when I travel and have to eat out. If I do not know what I am consuming, I easily slip "off the plan" for the day and find myself eating thousands of calories more than my body needs.

What can I do? How can I continue to count calories when I am traveling?

Sometimes I stop at grocery stores along the way and pick up foods that have nutritional information printed on the package. This helps me to know what I am consuming, and this allows me to continue counting my caloric intake.

I also eat at restaurants that provide nutritional information. Some restaurants print this information in their menus. Others provide handy little nutritional information booklets. Still others offer their nutritional information online. (With a little foresight, I am able to print a copy of the online nutritional information for popular restaurants and carry this information with me when I travel. I order some items so regularly that I have the caloric information memorized.)

I also have purchased a nutritional information guide book that gives me all sorts of information for a variety of foods. If I find myself in a place where I have no clue how many calories are being served to me, I can take my best guess as to the serving size, and then take an educated guess based on similar items that I see featured in my nutrition book. Having a plausible number to put into my "running calorie tally" is yet another way to help keep me "on the plan".

For me, counting calories is an important part of eating healthy. When I am traveling, I can eat healthy by using a little foresight, by eating at locations that provide nutritional information, or by sizing up my portions and taking my best possible guess. Continuing to keep track of my caloric intake is an important key for me in my quest to eat healthy whether I am eating at home or on the road.

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