Traveling on GAPS
A few years ago, the thought of traveling more than a couple of hours would bring me severe distress and anxiety. I would sit and wonder, "What will I do if my stomach gets upset on the way?" "What will I eat that won't make me sick?" "What do I do if everyone else wants to go out to eat and I can't?" The swirling thoughts and the stress of it all prevented us from doing and enjoying so many things for so long.
This will be the first time in years we will be traveling.
Since my healing on the GAPS nutritional protocol, these thoughts and fears no longer consume me. We are going full force on a long 8-hour drive to surprise our two kiddos to visit my husband who is working out of state in Tennessee. We are preparing with Full GAPS foods to bring with us on the ride and for the trip. We will be going for about 6 days in total. I am on over-planner. In my mind, I would rather have too much food prepared than not enough. Today, I did just that. I prepped tons of foods to make traveling as care-free as possible. I also confirmed we will only be about 5 minutes from a Whole Foods store, which will be good if I need to grab anything while we are there.
I have so much calm and peace with where I am at on my healing in comparison to how sick I was a few years ago. I am so excited to not feel chained by the stress and anxiety any more at the thought of traveling! I am here to encourage you that you can not only heal on the GAPS protocol, but you can also be able to live and travel and enjoy your life again without fear or worry!
Things to Keep in Mind:
Preparation is key. Preparing food and meals ahead of time will help you to feel more at ease for your trip. Look up recipes ahead of time. Make and freeze what you can. Plan a day of prep closer to your trip for other items that need to stay on the fresh side.
Travel Method: If you are traveling by car, you will have a lot less limitations. You can pack as big of a cooler as you want and there is not limit to how much you can prepare ahead of time (besides the size of your vehicle). If you are traveling by airplane, you will be a little more limited. Look up your airlines restrictions as most will allow a small cooler, but you will need to be aware of what size is allowed. Depending on the length of your flight will also determine what you can pack and prepare.
Accommodations: If you are able to find an Air BNB with a kitchen or a hotel with some kitchen fixtures, this will make your stay a lot easier! Think about this ahead of time when booking a place to stay. If you are staying somewhere that does not have a stove, I would suggest purchasing a hot plate to take along! You could also bring other helpful items like a small crock pot or toaster oven.
Local Stores. If you are staying for a period of time, look up what stores will be near where you are staying. That way if you need to make a pit stop for additional food items, you will have a better idea and sense of security that you have a back up if you run low on food. If you are traveling by plane, this will be especially helpful if you will need to purchase all of your food items and to know what is available to you in order to be best prepared.
GAPS items you can find at most grocery stores:
Raw Honey
Butter (we love kerrygold)
Cheese (Tillamook is a good brand found at many stores)
Organic pasture raised clean lunch meats
Grass Fed Meats
Organic Fruits & Vegetables
Organic eggs
Remember to always look for organic, clean, and unprocessed as much as possible. Homemade is always best!Snack options for the kids I have packed:
Bare Apple Chips
Organic Raisins
That's It Bars
Peanut Butter Lara Bars
Chomps
Apples
Clementines
Hard Boiled Eggs
Almond Butter Blondies
No Bake Breakfast Peanut Butter Cookies
Carrot Cake Bars
Meals I've Prepared Ahead of Time:
Chicken No-Tortilla Soup made with Chicken Stock
Egg Cups
Almond Flour Waffles
Parmesan Garlic Green Beans
Cooked Garlic Herb Chicken (I also brought items to make a Folio Cheese wrap with these as a convenient and GAPS approved meal when I need something quick)
Roasted Chicken and Vegetables
Sandwich Rounds (to make sandwiches for the kids on the road recipe)
Extra Meat Stock
Other Ideas:
GAPS Muffins
GAPS Crackers
Soups prepared & frozen ahead of time. Some great ones are chicken stock with veggies, broccoli cheddar soup, chicken no-tortilla soup, get creative!
Meatballs
Veggies & GAPS dip
Homemade Yogurt
Nuts
Pre-made Frozen Smoothies
Lettuce Wraps
Cooking Items to Bring:
Hot Plate
Small Crock Pot (if needed)
Toaster Oven (if needed)
Thermos
Food storage containers
Travel Berkey Water Filter (if you have one)
Cooking Utensils
Small Stainless Steel Pot
Small Stainless Steel Pan or Cast Iron Skillet
Cooler for Travel
Recipes To Save:
I am also taking our eggs along and sugar-free clean bacon. I am also packing some grass-fed hamburger to make the kids some GAPS burgers and any of our other needed fixings like butter, etc.
Meal prepping for travel when you are on a healing protocol like GAPS can be a lot of work, but it is worth it.
Planning and preparation is key to enjoy your trip away from home. My motto is always better to be over-prepared with too much food than not enough. Make things as easy as possible for you and your family and rest assured, you CAN travel on GAPS and ENJOY yourself!!!
Please share any of your favorite GAPS meals or snacks you like to prepare when you travel!