Here’s a Montana Farmers Market you'll want to visit, some truly original ideas for eating well and healthy while on the road, and an MD-recommended lotion that should go on every trip.
A Farmers Market and Then Some
A great way to get to know a community (and find fresh and  healthy food) is to visit its Farmers Market. The Farmers Market in Whitefish, Montana, located in Northwest Montana, is no exception. Held every Tuesday evening from May through September, there are booths with fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, baked goods, arts and crafts-even soap made from buffalo tallow. Music is playing and it often appears everyone in the town has come out.
But Whitefish has taken the farm-to-table concept one step further and also provides a map to the farms and fresh food found throughout the Flathead Valley, produced by an organization called FarmHands, which has as a mission: connecting people with working lands.
The map identifies more than 70 farms, plus seasonal farmers markets in Kalispell, Whitefish, Bigfork, West Glacier and Columbia Falls, a harvest calendar AND the names of local businesses -- restaurants, hotels and markets -- that buy from local farms. It's available at the farmers market and in businesses throughout town.
--Ann Shepphird
Smart Eating on the Road
The challenge of eating well and healthy while traveling just seems to get more and more complicated: security restrictions change like the wind, airline and rail food offerings are limited at best, and the highway’s most accessible offerings are the bottom of the barrel.
Here are some strategies to help you along.
Plan Ahead
- For jet lag, a little restraint goes a long way. When changing time zones, eat light and drink plenty of fluids. Before the flight, a high-protein, low calorie meal is a good idea, along with limited amounts of starchy carbs, salt and fat, all which lead to swollen ankles and tapped energy. When you arrive, continue to eat light and try to adapt to the local meal times as soon as possible. Lots of water helps too.
- Consider bringing your own meal when you fly.
- Before even going on your trip, do a little homework. Research local specialty foods and eateries and target spending your money and calorie budgets wisely. Why force down a luke-warm airline breakfast burrito when a fresh pastry and cappuccino await you in Paris? Having something special to look forward to can really temper instant gratification urges.
Stay Hydrated
- We have heard about alcohol and caffeine as being dehydrating but sweet drinks like soda and juice can also work against quenching thirst because of their high osmolar load. Cut the juice with sparkling water for vitamin rich/ low calorie hydration.
- Keep in mind that thirst, like fatigue, is often mistaken for hunger.
Everything in Moderation
- Don’t overeat ….just because it’s there.
- Whether eating out in restaurants on business or on vacation, avoid the temptation to turn every meal into an "occasion" or celebration. Think ahead and plan (there’s that word again) your day so you can enjoy the local food and not return home feeling like a stuffed potato.
- Eat like a kid and choose drinks and meals from the children's menu for smaller portion size.
--Paula Meyer, MS RD CSSD CDN
Paula Meyer Nutrition
The Lotion for Those of Us in Motion
Chances are, if you use moisturizing creams and lotions on your face regularly, you’re likely to keep up the routine when traveling, but what about the rest of your skin?
It’s so easy to forget about taking care of it when rushing for planes, moving between time zones or just enduring long car rides.
For any kind of travel, Sharon Littzi, M.D., an aesthetic dermatologist in New Canaan, Connecticut, recommends using a really effective moisturizer such as AmLactin which has alpha hydroxy acids that exfoliate and hydrate the skin. “It is especially effective for hands, feet and the body,” she says.
“Another product that’s very effective is Vaseline Clinical Care.” And for those skin irritations that have a habit of showing up when you’re on vacation, “Always bring along Aloe Vera Gel. It’ll help soothe burns and other skin irritations.”
These are all available in pharmacies.
--Susan Farewell
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