Preparing for a road trip, family vacation or business trip can require a lot of time and planning, but traveling with diabetes involves even more preparation. A person with diabetes has a lot to remember when traveling. You must remember to pack a glucose meter, test strips, oral medications or insulin, and glucose tablets (and remember to pack these items in your carry-on bag if flying). You also cannot forget to consider what food you will be eating when traveling, since healthy eating is a key component in the management of diabetes. Healthy eating on the road can be challenging for all people, with or without diabetes. Your normal routine is disrupted; you’re exposed to many tempting meals and desserts; if you’re traveling for work you may be stressed with a busy schedule and if on vacation you may feel the need to overindulge in attempt to treat yourself. Here are some tips for healthy and happy travels: Call ahead and ask questions. If you’re staying at a hotel ask if they have a refrigerator and microwave in the room, that way you know what you can bring with you. If going on a cruise or staying at an all-inclusive hotel, call ahead and ask if they have healthy meal options for people with diabetes. Most places are very familiar and accommodating to special diet needs. (Here are 21 Menu Terms Diabetics Should Avoid.) Prepare ahead with some healthy snacks. If possible, you should bring along some healthy snacks to avoid unhealthy choices at airports or convenience stores. This can also be a money-saving tip too. Here are some healthy snack examples: whole-wheat crackers, peanut butter (can purchase in small individual containers), nuts, fresh fruit, protein bars, diabetes meal replacement shakes. If you are driving and will be traveling with a cooler you can bring turkey sandwiches on whole-wheat bread, string cheese, fresh fruit, veggies and hummus, bottled water and light yogurt. A few things that may appear convenient, but aren’t the healthiest choices are trail mix, dried fruit, chips, and cookies. More from Prevention: How to Prevent Snacking Too Much [pagebreak]

Make healthy choices when ordering out

Breakfast: Healthier breakfast foods include egg-substitute omelet with veggies, oatmeal, fresh fruit with yogurt (ask if yogurt is sweetened with sugar or sugar substitute), cottage cheese and whole-wheat toast. Lunch: Healthier lunch foods include salads with grilled chicken, tuna or shrimp, wraps filled with chicken or turkey (go easy on cheese and mayonnaise), grilled chicken sandwiches, and bean or broth-based soups. If sandwiches come with chips or French fries ask if a salad or fresh fruit can be substituted. Dinner: Take advantage of the area you are traveling in and enjoy their specialty, if it can be made healthy. If you are traveling near the ocean order any seafood or fish steamed/grilled with veggies. Remember the general healthy eating rule and try to make half of your plate veggies, one-quarter of your plate lean protein such as chicken, fish or lean pork and the other quarter of your plate a healthy carbohydrate such as beans, sweet potatoes or whole-wheat bread. Bring along a healthy eating resource book. There are a couple of good books out there that will give you nutritional information for various restaurants and different types of cuisine, including Guide to Healthy Restaurant Eating and The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat and Carbohydrate Counter. With a little extra planning you can have a fun and healthy trip. Of course, you will probably treat yourself when on vacation, but try to balance it with your other meals and keep your activity level up too. Here is a quick Pesto Chicken Pita Recipe that could be packed for a road trip—a fast food restaurant wouldn’t even tempt you after eating this.

Pesto Chicken Pita

Serving Size: 1 pita Yield: 4 servings 4 whole-wheat pita pockets 1/2 cup whole basil leaves 2 tablespoons pine nuts 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup light mayonnaise ¼ cup fat-free half-and half 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast

  1. Slice one side of each pita to open pocket, but do not cut all the way through. Set aside.
  2. In a blender or food processor, puree basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise until a past forms, about 2 minutes.
  3. In a medium bowl, add basil mixture and half-and-half and whisk together. Reserve 4 tablespoons of basil sauce for later use.
  4. Place each chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until breasts are about ¼ inch thick.
  5. Place chicken breasts in shallow dish and pour basil sauce over chicken.
  6. Cook chicken breasts on indoor or outdoor grill for about 4 minutes each side.
  7. Toast pita pockets. Slice breast into strips and stuff inside pita. Add 1 tablespoon reserved basil sauce to each pita. Repeat procedure for remaining 3 pita. Nutrition Information: 377 calories, 13 grams total fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 78mg cholesterol, 395mg sodium, 34g total carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, 34 grams protein. More from Prevention: Learn How to Beat Your Sugar and Starch Addiction Copyright © American Diabetes Association from Healthy Calendar Diabetic Cooking. Reprinted with permission from The American Diabetes Association. To order this book, please call 1-800-232-6733 or order online at http://store.diabetes.org/.