Isn’t it always the same when you’re on the road and your stomach starts growling – a stop on the next gas station, having a sandwich with cheese and ham, a Coke and a chocolate bar. But in the end it didn’t help feeling better, except that you get tired and unconcentrated.  Am I right?  😉

What’s the reason for this?

The sandwich usually contains mayonnaise, butter and greasy sausage or cheese – mostly fast carbohydrates. In addition, the cold cuts often come from low-cost production, sometimes even from enzyme meat and always with nitrite curing salt. Furthermore: Mayonnaise and all these kinds of ready-made sauces which make your sandwich delicious, contain a lot of added sugar, preservatives, flavour enhancers and artificial flavours. Most of these ingredients aren’t good for your health and moreover chemically produced. The proportion of fast carbohydrates and refined sugar will keep your body going at full speed for a short time. This is due to the rapid increase in blood sugar. But this doesn’t last long and the result is fatigue, lack of concentration and cravings. On the other hand, if you rely on products with slow carbohydrates, vegetable protein and no added sugar, you can avoid this fatigue hole and boost your health.

Sugar & Sweets

For many people, sugary drinks and snacks have become a habit. Especially in the USA it is difficult to find other drinks. Therefore, always check the list of ingredients. Added sugar could be labeled as raw sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, corn sweetener, agave syrup, honey, molasses, malt syrup, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar.

The more sugar you consume, the higher the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. That’s why prevention is very good. Sugar doesn’t wake you up, on the contrary, it makes you tired. The first hype is quickly over and the energy curve falls quickly into the basement, making you feel worse than before. 

Sweet drinks containing zero sugar are also sweetened, simply with aspartame. There are many studies around aspartame, which indicate that it is really bad for our health and promotes the development of cancer and diabetes. So, try to avoid it!

There is also a very interesting movie That Sugar Film that you could watch. [amazon_textlink asin=’B0178W7GMW|B010TVUC3Y|B016XZ65RC’ text=’Buy here…’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’therollingbea-21|therollingb0c-21|therollingbes-21′ marketplace=’DE|UK|ES’ link_id=’c831d98c-2b53-11e8-95ce-9f13c4d55367′]

Good to know:

After around two weeks of abstaining sugar, the palate recognizes the original flavours of the food again. The taste buds also have become accustomed to it and the body stops demanding sugar.

Protein

I was recently asked where I get my protein if not from meat and cheese. The mistaken belief is that protein only comes from animal products. However, the vegetable alternatives are numerous and almost available everywhere in the world: dry lentils, beans, peas etc..

Maybe you’re wondering now for what the hell do we need protein! Good question!

Proteins are an essential nutrient, they are an important building material for our muscles, skin and hair and they are also involved in many bodily functions, such as blood clotting, transport of iron and oxygen in the blood and helping the immune system to keep you healthy.

Nuts

Nuts are ideal as a protein-rich snack on the road, help to fight the small hunger and are good for the concentration that every driver always needs. Moreover they are very handy and can be snacked while driving. They are rich in protein and the fat in nuts provides mainly mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids with positive properties. Nuts also contain minerals and vitamins, especially vitamins from the B group and vitamin E, as well as potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Nuts are ideal as a protein-rich snack on the road and help to fight the small hunger, are good for the concentration that every driver always needs. Moreover they are very handy and can be snacked while driving. They are rich in protein and the fat in nuts provides mainly mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids with positive properties. Nuts also contain minerals and vitamins, especially vitamins from the B group and vitamin E, as well as potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus.

Peanuts are on the number one of high protein nuts, followed by cashew, walnuts, almonds, pecan and Brazil nuts. Brazil nuts (Paranuts) are also very rich in selenium, which is very lacking in our soils due to monocultures, but which is absolutely necessary for the body. 3-4 of them should be on every diet per day. Important but in any case, avoid sweetened nuts. A look at the list of ingredients is always good idea.

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Protein-rich raw bars

Then there are protein-rich, purely vegetable raw bars made of nuts, dates and dry fruits. These are without added sugar, mostly gluten & animal free. The Raw Bars contain only natural sugar from the fruits used. The great thing about these raw bars is, that they are storable, do not require cooling and do not take up much space. I can recommend Raw Bit , Roo Bar  and  Clif Bar.  

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Dry fruits & Crisps

Dry fruits such as figs, dates, apricots or banana chips are great as a sweet snack instead of chocolate or cookies. Crisps made from chickpeas, lentils or vegetables are also a delicious bite. They are both storable and long-lasting. However, the latter are not available everywhere in the world and you can’t simply produce them yourself.

Fresh fruits and raw vegetables

Fruits may have a high sugar content in some cases, but since this is of natural origin and is eaten together with the fruit fibres, it is rather unproblematic. Bananas contain a lot of natural sugar and should only be eaten in moderation. However, they have a high magnesium content, which is important that our muscles function properly.

Apples and pears are very suitable, handy and delicious. Mangoes, pineapples, papayas, can be prepared in the morning and stored in a handy food storage box in the cooler. When you put the juice of a lemon over the fruits, they will last longer and will not turn brown. Carrots, zucchinis, cucumbers and peppers are excellent raw vegetables. Prepare in the morning, then you have something to snack all day long. Fresh fruits and vegetables also have a high vitamin content and keep your immune system fit. Try to get your fruits and vegetables in organic quality.

Drinks

Water and unsweetened tea are the best way to stay hydrated. If you are on the road in hot weather, an ice-cold tea with pure ginger, lemon juice (directly from the fruit) and peppermint is very refreshing. The tea can easily be prepared the evening before in a glass decanter. When it has cooled down overnight, it can be placed in the cooler:

Recipe:

• 20g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
• juice of one fresh lemon
• 2 tablespoons of peppermint, fresh or dried in a tea bag
• 1.5 l hot water

Enjoy!  😎 

And at the end of the day, the ice-cold beer should not be missing. Cheers! 🙂

Summary – Snacks on the Road

• unsalted and unsweetened nuts
• dried fruits like dates, figs, apricots, etc
• raw protein bars
• chips made from lentils, chickpeas or vegetables
• fruits: bananas, apples, pears
• cutted raw vegetables: carrots, zucchini, cucumbers and peppers
• self made ginger-lemon-iced tea

If you pass a good organic food store on your journey, you can replenish your supplies of chips, nuts, raw bars, very easily.  To find an organic store I can recommend Happy Cow.

Join the Facebook Group “Vegans Overlanding the World“!