Before a recent trip, I decided to finally pull together a couple of copycat Lara Bar recipes that will travel well! Since I can’t have them anymore, as I’ve heard that General Mills bought the company and we SCDers are unsure if there are any illegal ingredients that aren’t listed on the label, these have been on my list to make for quite a while!
With the ingredients being so simple, these also don’t require refrigeration making them a great travel choice. They’re also super fast to throw together, which makes them an excellent choice in the hurry and scurry before a trip.
They turned out really yummy and got the thumbs up from my non-SCD family members as well! (Recipe below.)
With travel on my mind, I thought I’d share these ideas with you:
Travel while following the SCD can be a bit daunting. What should you pack for the road? How do you prepare for the unexpected? What if you need to make yogurt while you’re on vacation? Which SCD-legal foods travel well? And which restaurants have SCD-friendly food?
Due to distance from family and our love for travel, my husband and I have taken dozens of trips in the past 20 years, while I’ve been 100% SCD! I feel kind of like a pro now, although I still have my moments. ;) But it took time to gather these skills and ideas that make travel on the SCD easier and more enjoyable, so I want to share them with you to shorten your learning curve and help you have some great getaways!
1. Have a plan. It is very easy to get overwhelmed and even to be tempted to stray from the diet when I don’t know what will be happening, where I’ll be able to find food I can eat, and the people around me aren’t aware of my dietary needs. So I need to have a rough plan for my days.
Where will I be at each meal and what will be available? What nearby restaurants serve food I can eat? What foods travel well, and I can make them ahead of time to have for “emergencies?” What SCD-legal foods can I buy and bring along? How can I explain my food needs to the people I will be staying with? If I can answer those questions, I am well on my way to an enjoyable trip.
2. Decide which SCD foods to make ahead and bring along. Minimal refrigeration is ideal so they can be thrown in a purse or backpack. Some can be refrigerated in a cooler.
Some of my favorite make-ahead travel foods are: SCD Yogurt with honey and nuts, Peanut Butter Cookies, and Dates stuffed with walnuts or pecans, homemade applesauce with cinnamon, cheese lace crackers, and Caramel Candy.
3. Bring along pre-made foods that are SCD-legal and that you tolerate well. For a newbie on the diet, you’ll want to stick to making food from scratch when in doubt. Use your own discretion. I’ve been on the SCD for almost 25 years now (hard to believe!), and can easily tell when I have a reaction to a food, so this is what I pack: SCD-legal fruit leather and dried fruit, honey, cheddar cheese, peanut butter (peanuts & salt only), unsweetened freeze-dried mango from Trader Joe’s, and unsalted roasted sunflower seeds (also from Trader Joe’s).
You can find my complete shopping guide with everything I buy at various stores in the SCD Success Academy Club.
4. Have a list of restaurants in mind where you can find something quick to eat if needed. For me, I keep track of where I can get a 100% pure beef patty with vegetables. These are places like Wendy’s, Freddy’s, Culver’s, and Five Guys. Wendy’s is pretty easy to find along the road on a road trip. I order two plain beef patties with just tomatoes and lettuce and then add salt and pepper. (Be sure to specify no sauce or cheese.) At Five Guys I can specify that it’s for an “allergy” so they cook the burger on a cleaned-off grill. I order two patties in a bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, and bell pepper.
Other foods to look for at restaurants are eggs and fruit. These are pretty easy to find, especially at breakfast. Just avoid scrambled eggs, as they may have milk added. I usually get mine over medium. Also ask if the eggs are cooked in oil (okay) instead of cooking spray (not okay).
For more specifics on restaurants and what I order, see my Restaurant Guide available through the SCD Success Academy Club.
5. Have the right gear. For example, on road trips, I take a large cooler for ice and perishables, a smaller bag-cooler for dry goods, and it’s a good idea to have an insulated lunch bag. Bring your yogurt maker and starter if you will run out of yogurt on the trip. (Also, it’s nice to come back to yogurt in the refrigerator so make some to come back to before you leave!)
6. Have a contingency plan. Always have something that you don’t have to refrigerate with you. A great one is unsalted peanuts or other nuts. . . just a handful will tide you over for awhile. Fruit leather or dried fruit also make great snacks for last-minute needs, but they won’t “stick to your ribs” as long as a handful of nuts!
For more ideas on sticking to the SCD in unexpected situations, see my Fast-Track to SCD Success course, Milestone Six, video #6, on What to Do in Emergency Situations. This is included in the SCD Success Academy Club!
With these tips in your back pocket, you should be able to successfully survive (and enjoy!) a trip while sticking to the SCD.
Happy travels!!
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