Pregnancy and Travel: What To Pack To Bring Along

Maintaining a healthy diet and minimizing nausea during pregnancy can be challenging, especially when traveling. This is particularly difficult when traveling out of the country or far from home where familiar foods may be unavailable or hard to find. That’s why it’s important to prepare ahead of time and have a plan for once you arrive.

3 Strategies About Food While Traveling During Pregnancy

1. Pack Your Own Food & Snacks

The kinds and amount of food you can pack depends on whether you are driving yourself or traveling by plane or other mode. Pack healthy, convenient snacks you can eat while traveling and once you get to your destination. If you’re going on a road trip, take a portable cooler so you can pack cold items. The more you can take with you, the more you can be sure you will have healthy, familiar foods that don’t make you nauseous once you arrive – plus it will save you money.

Food items you can pack on a road trip include:

• baby carrots
• dried fruits such as raisins
• whole grain crackers
• granola bars (we’ve put together a list of high-protein snack bars)
• assorted nuts
• specialty foods/snacks you need – particularly if you have food allergies (such as gluten-free) or a medical condition

2. Request A Mini-Fridge At Your Room

If you are staying at a hotel, request a room with a mini-refrigerator at the very least, and/or a microwave, toaster, or other cooking accommodations are even more helpful. If you have access to kitchen appliances, you can buy more at the store and prepare your own meals. If you are staying with someone, ask if you can use a section of their refrigerator for your “pregnancy food” items. Visit a grocery store once you arrive your destination, and purchase items you couldn’t bring along. For instance:

• fresh fruit/salad
• milk and yogurt,
• cheese snacks such as cottage cheese or string cheese

3. When eating out, order healthy, “plain” items.

You will probably eat out at least a few times while traveling, if not quite often. Choose restaurants that offer nutritious selections, and order as healthy and light as possible off of the menu. Plain, bland foods and those without strong odors – as well as those served cold or at room temperature – are usually better-tolerated and less likely to cause nausea. Ask questions when you are not sure about ingredients or how an item is prepared, and make special requests as needed. If necessary, ask for bland crackers (such as Saltines) or order a carbonated beverage to calm your stomach. Examples of what to order:

• Breakfast – plain oatmeal with fruit, or whole grain toast with jam, milk or yogurt, and fresh fruit.
• Lunch – fresh fruit or a tossed green salad with simple dressing (such as vinaigrette) and a sandwich on whole grain bread with lean meat, lettuce, and tomato (or other tolerable veggies), light on mayonnaise and cheese.
• Dinner – a broth-based vegetable soup, baked or grilled chicken breast, plain brown or wild rice, plain steamed vegetables, and milk.

The Bottom Line

When pregnant and traveling, advance planning is the best way to ensure that you have healthy, tolerable foods available – wherever your travels may take you!