Healthy Eating on the go

I'm going to be away with work for three days this week staying away from home in a hotel with a long drive each way.

Can anyone provide some guidance as to what I should eat for breakfast and dinner in the hotel without messing up my first week??

[Keep_on_going]

What do you normally have? Could you call the hotel in advance to see what's on the menu? They might have lighter options or perhaps you can make better choices if you know in advance what your options are.

[Hidden in reply to Keep_on_going]

Hi Keep_on_going, I would normally go for something like Sausages and Mash or Chilli con Carne with rice (comes with sour cream and nacho chips).

I have asked the hotel to email me the menus as you suggested as they are not showing on the website.

[Zest Healthy BMI]

Hi Rossbale,

Most Hotels will do a hearty bowl of porridge (you could add some nuts and seeds to the porridge to pack in some more nutrients), or maybe some poached eggs on wholemeal toast, or haddock on toast (which was what I had this morning at home with a poached egg - delicious!).

Lunch - maybe choose sardines and a delicious salad with a few new potatoes, being careful re: the dressing - maybe order it on the side so you can add it as you want to. Or maybe a jacket potato option with some butter and tuna or chicken; or a lovely warming soup with some wholegrain bread?

Like Keep-on-going says, it all depends on what you like to eat, and what there is available. Good idea to maybe check out there online menu (if they have one) or phone to discuss it.

Hope you enjoy your work trip and that you cope ok.

Lowcal

[Hidden in reply to Zest]

Hi Lowcal,

Thanks for the tips, the hotel breakfast menu is available online, they don't do porridge but do have scrambled eggs or omelette (made to order) available as well as "the full English", croissants, cereal, fresh fruit and yogurts.

Was thinking along the lines of a plain omelette or scrambled eggs with mushrooms, beans and whole meal toast??

[Zest Healthy BMI in reply to Hidden]

Hi Rossbale,

Sounds like you've found something you'd enjoy - often they can put some really good veggies into an omelette - e.g. mushrooms, peppers, onions etc, which can make it really tasty.

I bet they would do you some porridge if you asked specifically for it. I have rarely found a place that can't do porridge, but I suppose there is always an exception.

Hope you have a great trip.

Lowcal

[Hidden]

Hi Rossbale, I spent many years travelling the country, luckily I usually had company. The hotels were arranged through a booking agency which we were obliged to use (company policy). The cost of the hotel was paid for by me and I would claim the money back at the end of the month.

When booking a hotel, we would often state that we did not require meals if the menu was not up to scratch and then we would search for nearby eating places where we could order pretty much what we wanted, claiming the cost back at the end of the month. This saved the company money and so there was never a problem.

If we were working in a more remote place, we would phone the hotel and let them know that we had certain dietary requirements and to put it bluntly, if they weren't able to meet these standards, it would be communicated to the booking agency that we no longer required that hotel to be on our accounts.

I'm not suggesting you do likewise, only that as a customer you are in a position to pretty much call the tune. Basically, if they want your money, they must provide a service.

If you tell the hotel that you require porridge or smoked haddock in the morning, in my experience, they will supply it. It makes good business sense to provide something at little cost or effort, to retain the business

After all, suppose you had a gluten allergy or dairy allergy, would they turn the business away. I don't think so.

The hotel is there to supply your needs.

I hope this helps you.

Best of luck

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Tewson,

Thanks for your advice - I guess I need to be a bit more demanding 😈.

We have the flexibility to book our own hotels and arrange food etc which is then claimed back, so I will try out your suggestions and if not, go somewhere else that will!!!

Kind Regards,

Ross

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Normally at the time you go to reception, you will hand your card over for them to take an impression of and at that point they will ask if you require breakfast. So there's plenty of time to think about it and see what other eateries are close by if you decide to eat elsewhere.

Eating alone is not very nice though, so if you're with colleagues, you may wish to get a consensus of opinion first.

Good luck