After returning from a getaway, many individuals express their frustration at having gained weight, often more than they’d like to acknowledge. Relaxing poolside, frequent dining out, indulging in daily treats, and relishing in a few enticing cocktails can quickly lead to an unplanned calorie surplus.
Maintaining a nutritious diet while on vacation poses challenges; the desire to relax often leads us to indulge, and convenience often pushes us towards high-calorie restaurant fare, which can be the most accessible option. Additionally, there’s a common belief that eating healthily costs more.
To alleviate this, consider visiting places where healthy eating is affordable. The following locations offer wholesome cuisine that allows you to dine out regularly without the accompanying guilt. (See also: Eat These 6 Foods to Stay Healthy While Traveling)
Thailand
Thai food is a vibrant explosion of flavors, featuring a mix of aromatic herbs, fiery chilies, and carefully balanced sweet, salty, sour, and spicy elements. Many traditional dishes rely on fresh ingredients, simply prepared and presented. This simplicity, combined with a variety of vegetables, makes them quite nutritious.
Key components include abundant leafy greens, eggplants, green beans, rice, noodles, and proteins like fish, chicken, and pork. Though popular noodle dishes like Pad Thai can be oily, stir-frying is healthier than deep-frying, preserving nutrients in the vegetables.
Thailand is a budget-friendly destination, and the low cost of food significantly contributes to this. Street food, prepared right before your eyes, often starts at around just a dollar. Even dining at midrange restaurants offers meals with drinks for as little as $5 to $10. (See also: How to Eat Street Food Safely While Traveling)
Foods to choose
Opt for light, fragrant broth-based noodle soups like Tom Yum that are loaded with vegetables. A variety of grilled meats and fish can be enjoyed with plain or sticky rice alongside fresh salads. Exotic fruits such as jackfruit, durian, mango, and pineapple make wonderful snacks, as do boiled eggs served with fish sauce.
Foods to avoid
Curry dishes made with coconut milk, like massaman and various Thai curries, can be calorie-dense. Many traditional desserts are also quite sugary, featuring copious amounts of sugar or sweetened condensed milk, like sticky rice with mango and various sweet pancakes or crepes.
Mexico
There’s a common misconception that Mexican cuisine is primarily deep-fried, cheesy, and unhealthy. However, there are two distinct sides to Mexican food, each vastly different in healthfulness. While American-influenced dishes, like greasy enchiladas and cheesy tortilla chips, dominate the landscape, authentic Mexican cuisine is colorful, diverse, and rich in nutrition, centered on fresh seasonal ingredients.
The traditional diet includes staples such as beans, nopales (cactus), corn, rice, chiles, and the celebrated superfood, avocado. Traditional tacos use whole grain corn instead of refined flour, making them more nutritious. They typically contain a modest amount of meat or vegetables and are topped with salsa and guacamole rather than excessive cheese and sour cream.
Street food is abundant and often the most economical choice, with meals costing just a couple of dollars. Dining in good restaurants is also affordable, typically just over $10 for a meal with drinks. (See also: 7 Countries Where You Can Travel on $30 a Day or Less)
Foods to choose
Pozole, a delightful stew made with hominy and meat, is served with fresh garnishes like radishes, cilantro, and lime. Variations of tacos, including quesadillas, gorditas, and huaraches filled with fresh produce or seafood, are healthier if you avoid fried options. Street snacks like boiled corn, fresh fruit, and air-popped popcorn are also widely available.
Foods to avoid
Flautas, which are tacos rolled with fillings and deep-fried until crispy, are tasty but high in fat. Also, many snacks such as potato chips and churros are deep-fried and not the healthiest options.
Vietnam
Over the past decade, Vietnamese cuisine has gained global popularity due to its healthy cooking methods and bold flavors. Many dishes are steamed or boiled, making frying a rare method. Broths, particularly the fragrant and beloved noodle soup pho, feature prominently in the cuisine with numerous regional variations.
With influences from both Thailand and China, there’s a diverse array of ingredients used. Fresh vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, and bamboo shoots dominate dishes, enhanced by aromatic herbs and spices like Thai basil, mint, and lime.
Street vendors and local eateries typically offer meals for just a couple of dollars, even higher-end restaurants rarely exceed $6 or $7 per dish.
Foods to choose
Pho and other noodle broths are nutrient-rich and low in fat. Fresh spring rolls, filled with greens and raw vegetables, are healthier than the deep-fried versions more commonly seen in Western cuisine. Bánh cuốn, which are steamed rolls filled with pork and vegetables, offer a delicious low-calorie option.
Foods to avoid
Bánh mì, a baguette sandwich, tends to be high in carbs and should be limited. Bún chả, featuring grilled pork patties with noodles in a fatty broth, can also be calorie-dense.
Indonesia
Indonesian cuisine is brimming with proteins, vegetables, and healthy superfoods. The country’s staple fare consists mainly of chicken and rice, complemented by flavorful regional soups and salads.
Popular expat areas like Canggu and Ubud in Bali excel in providing healthy dining options, with a plethora of health food restaurants serving sushi, poke bowls, grilled fish, and quinoa salads. Eating healthily in Bali is also budget-friendly, with meals seldom exceeding $6.
Foods to choose
Look for Indonesian soups, chicken sauté with peanut sauce, and chicken and rice dishes. Health food spots in Canggu and Ubud ensure a wide range of tasty international dishes that are nutritious.
Foods to avoid
Avoid deep-fried chicken, overly greasy noodles, and nasi uduk, which is a dish consisting of chicken and rice cooked in fatty coconut milk.
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