Holidays are for enjoying food
Food is one of the great pleasures of travelling in Europe, and nobody should spend a holiday counting calories. Still, many people come home feeling sluggish after a week of heavy meals, airport snacks and late nights. A few simple habits let you enjoy the best of local cooking and still feel energetic.
The good news is that traditional European diets, particularly around the Mediterranean, are full of vegetables, fish, beans, olive oil and fruit. Eating like a local often means eating well.
Build your day around one big meal
Rather than three large restaurant meals a day, many travellers find it works best to have one main meal and keep the others light. In southern Europe, that might be a long lunch, with a simple breakfast of fruit and yoghurt and a light dinner of shared small plates.
Markets and supermarkets are your friend. Picking up tomatoes, cheese, bread and fruit for a picnic lunch is cheap, delicious and gives you a break from restaurant portions.
Breakfast deserves a thought too. Hotel buffets can tempt you into a second lunch-sized meal before ten o'clock. Picking one or two favourites and saving room for a mid-morning coffee and pastry in a local bakery is often the more enjoyable choice anyway.
Look for the vegetable dishes
Menus aimed at tourists can lean heavily on fried food and pizza, but local menus usually have wonderful vegetable dishes if you look. Grilled vegetables, salads with local cheese, bean stews, soups and fish cooked simply on the grill are found across the Mediterranean, while central European kitchens offer hearty soups and seasonal vegetables.
Asking the server what is in season or what the kitchen is proud of often leads to the best and freshest dishes on the menu.
Water, walking and travel days
Warm weather, alcohol and flying all increase dehydration. Carry a refillable bottle and drink water regularly, especially between glasses of wine. Walking is one of the best ways to explore any city, and it naturally balances out the extra pastry.
On travel days, pack your own snacks such as nuts, fruit or a sandwich from home. It saves money and means you are less likely to grab whatever is nearest when you are hungry at the gate.
Good to know
- Make lunch your main meal in southern Europe.
- Alternate alcoholic drinks with water in hot weather.
- Pack healthy snacks for airport and flight days.