How do you stick to your dietary plan when traveling for medical care?

Wanted: Your best tips.
Sticking to diet requirements or restrictions can be a challenge at the best of times. But what about when you have to travel for medical care? I'm looking for your tips and tricks about how you plan ahead. Feel free to also share the challenges you haven't yet been able to overcome. I bet another member will have a solution. Let's share.

What special planning do you do to help stick to accommodate your dietary needs while travelling?

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I don't have to travel, but if I did, I would locate a grocery store in the area(s) I was in, and stock up on good, helathy, low-carb, low sugar food and drink that is non-perishable.

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@contentandwell

Great suggestions so far. I would love to be able to share a dessert with my husband but he never feels like desserts in restaurants, although at home I generally have to have something for him every night, like an apple turnover, or a Haagen Daaz ice cream bar.

I have learned the value of staying in VRBOs and Airbnbs. If anyone chooses to check them out my best advice would be to really read the reviews from past renters. We have had fabulous to really bad. The really bad one had no reviews but it sounded so ideal for what we needed that we took the chance. I have also stayed in Residence Inns. They have an included buffet breakfast but I find that there are enough things that are not exposed to airborne germs that it will work for me -- one of them made omelets to order, there's always bananas, yogurt, things of that nature. I have wondered about toast or bagels that you put in the toaster -- would that kill germs? -- but so far have not done that.

I do try to order things where sodium can be limited, never get soups, and sometimes bring along a little container of my own salad dressing because it is lower in sodium. I love a couple of Braswell dressings -- the Vidalia onion and the raspberry -- and although they do not make a claim on the label about being low sodium, they are. I always check salad dressing labels for sodium. I don't even bother with commercial soups anymore.

Flavored water is good to bring along, I like Hint a lot. Of course you cannot bring it into a restaurant. Also, make sure if you are dining in a restaurant and get water that they do not put any citrus slices in it. Those fruit are often not washed. I always specify NO LEMON OR LIME SLICE.

@lelia CL, you put olive oil on oatmeal? Sounds interesting. I generally have oatmeal a few times a week and a new variation would be great. Now I generally put some nuts in, cinnamon, and fruit. What do you put in with the olive oil? A savory preparation would be a nice change.
JK

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I realize that the original question was about travel dining, but I was inspired to comment by the remark about olive oil and oatmeal. I always liked sweet oatmeal myself, but lately I've discovered how good it can be in a savory dish. We cook up brown rice, oats, and beans together with lots of EVO olive oil and apple cider vinegar with some mustard, onions, garlic, and spices like turmeric and cumin. We use it as the basis of a hearty dinner main dish. Together with a salad that's all I need for my main meal.

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