Our dear friend has left on a jet plane for 2 whole years (WHAT?!).  As much as my selfishness wanted to take over and lock him in my basement so he missed his flight, we are both so happy for him and his love for travel.  It feels like he just returned from his last trip to Australia, so watching him leave again is like déjà vu.  So he will be taking his extra long travels this time to Europe, more so England to be precise.  

We just hope this child stays healthy when on the road.   Now, we know the traditional idea of British eating tends to be on the heavier side.  He may be indulging in banners and mash and deep fried pub food.  And tea parties!! (which would be really neat btw, I’ve been to 1 tea party in my life and have to say it is something I would love to do more often) I know this because of my Nanny and Granddad who were both from London England and the meals we had at their house were exactly this, heavy, lots of potatoes and lots of beef.  My Granddad’s idea of a snack for us grand children was an english muffin with melted cheese and HP sauce. (which was quite tasty actually, but almost zero nutritional value)  Let’s go through some real Traditional British Foods that are eaten:

Roast Beef

Yorkshire Pudding

Toad-in-the-Hole (?)

Sheppard’s Pie 

Bangers and Mash

Bacon Roly-Poly

Fish and Chips

Black Pudding ( :s )

As you can see, none of these foods necessarily sound like a health food.  However, this is the most of traditional foods in England, so not to worry.  It seems like things have evolved so maybe our dear boy Ian is not in as much trouble as we thought.  Take breakfast for example, the English eat heavy breakfast including eggs, toasts, sausages, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes.  This sounds like my weekend breakfast growing up.  It was always exciting.  Now, there has been more of a contemporary eating that’s been adopted.  Breakfast can include cereal with milk or they like to have toast with marmalade or jams.  This isn’t necessarily the healthier option depending on the cereal and bread choice, but it definitely seems lighter.  

We know that our buddy is going to go all out and experience everything he can while travelling around the UK, but we ask that he take these small tips into consideration, while he is indulging in black pudding.

Do some grocery shopping – this way you can have some food wherever you are staying and you don’t have to rely on eating out everyday.

Bring snacks on your outings – things like granola bars, nuts and seeds or a piece of fruit will leave you less hungry and keep you from making bad decisions.

Make healthier choices when eating out – get a salad as your side or load up on the veggies.  Ask if they have multi grain bread as an option.

Always carry water with you – staying hydrated is extremely important, especially with all the walking around.  Choosing water instead of a pop, juice or coffee will also help cut out the sugar.  Please drink your water buddy!
Eat your veggies - You can eat healthy anywhere you are if you make the effort, that’s the beautiful thing about vegetables, they grow from the earth all around the world.