7 Healthy Eating Strategies for Travel Nurses

Healthy eating requires planning. Especially when you’re away from home. To avoid the pitfall of going too long between meals, you have to plan what and when you are going to eat for the day and even the week, including contingency plans for when things go awry.

But, meal planning for one is tough. Meal planning for one when one is busy is even tougher. And, meal planning for one who is busy and away from home is toughest! So, how do travel nurses and interim healthcare consultants avoid making impulsive, which is the word many moms might use for “bad,” decisions about what to eat when they are on months-long assignments?

Here are some strategies that our friends have found helpful in maintaining a healthy diet when away from home for extended periods.

Before you go to your new temporary home, research available grocery stores, markets, and restaurants that will help you stick to your healthy habits. Find out where the closest organic market or farm-to-table restaurant is. Google, Google Maps Street View, and community groups on social media are great resources for investigating before you go. If you know where you can find your preferred groceries and eat meals out, you’ll be prepared from the minute you arrive.

Know your go-to, good-for-you snacks and have them ready at all times. It’s easy to keep nibbles at the ready when they have a longer shelf life and are easy to transport, like nuts and dried fruit. Raw veggies can be cut and stored in the refrigerator for several days and are also good options when you are on the run. Keep these items in a variety of locations - the purse or backpack you carry daily, the fridge at the job, your pantry at home – so they are on hand when you get stuck in traffic, pick up some OT, or find you’re just hungrier than expected.

Right when you’re unpacking your weekly shopping haul, separate your snacks into containers and stash them in their designated locations for the coming days. Cut veggies and place them in water to keep them from drying out, make dill dip with Greek yogurt for the veggies (healthier than ranch dressing) and divide into smaller containers, and package nuts in snack size baggies. Spending a few extra minutes to do this while unpacking the groceries will save you time and regrets later in the week.

It could be tempting to focus on your work assignment and forget about the time you’ll be spending outside of work. When you are away from your regular circle of friends and living in a place that isn’t yours, there is less to keep you busy when not working. Find an activity in your new neighborhood or use your off hours to explore your new community. If you don’t find ways to keep yourself entertained, you might find yourself bingeing Netflix and visiting the fridge or pantry more often than is wise.

If your family is not in tow for your temporary relo, plan dinners or lunches with new friends, so you aren’t eating all your meals alone. We unconsciously make different decisions about what and how much to eat when we are eating with someone else versus alone. In addition to the social benefits of spending time with others, you’ll probably talk more and eat less. If your spouse or family is in tow, make them help with meal planning and prep!

When your environment changes, so might your other habits. Maybe at your new job there are more junk food options readily available like a candy dish you can’t avoid, a coworker who likes to share the cookies and cakes she bakes, or a cafeteria that offers delicious home-cooked meals. Use a food-tracking app to raise your awareness of what you might otherwise absently consume.

For effective meal planning you’ll need, at a minimum, a number of assorted containers that are made for travel, a calendar, and a shopping list. Each of these comes in various forms and only you will know the form that works best for you. For containers, you might prefer glass over plastic or screw top over snap on. Pick something that fits in your life and can be taken with you or purchased easily for the next assignment. Calendars and shopping lists can be virtual or real, both are functional. Find the tools that enable you to plan best and can use when you are away from home.

Healthy eating is essential to overall well-being, and healthcare professionals working travel and interim positions can find their eating habits thrown off track when new assignments disrupt their routines. Nurses, directors of nursing, unit managers, and administrators who follow the tips provided here are able to maintain their habits wherever their work takes them.

For more ideas on how you can develop healthy habits and stay healthy while on assignment, check out this article!