I travel. I travel abroad regularly, but I travel a lot for business and educational reasons in the United States. Work takes me to all sorts of places, some of them conscious, and some downright scary for a whole foods human. Sometimes I get to revel in farmer’s markets and wonderful artisan-made goods. Other times the closest I get to real food is a questionably manufactured bowl of soup in a chain restaurant.

The latter situation is pretty daunting, and inspired me to write Travel Tips for the Whole Foods Human: Eating Well on the Road.
I generally travel with a few non-perishable energy foods (seeds, nuts, dried fruits and the like). I seek out a health food store in the area, (or worst case scenario, the organic section of a supermarket) but in the past it has been hit or miss. Sometimes I don’t have a car and am stuck in the immediate area; other times, a community may simply not offer healthy options. A recent trip to Orlando, Florida was a mixed experience. The options near the conference I attended were satisfying; those close to my hotel were extremely limited. I had no car, so it took some planning to anticipate food needs. I’m sure I’m not alone in this situation. Clients consistently tell me that they are deeply challenged to maintain balance when they travel for work. (It is worth noting that vacation travel often integrates better eating opportunities).
Help has arrived! The Eat Well Guide gives us a tool to help reconnect to one of our most fundamental needs –that of nourishment- no matter where we are.

The site offers listings of stores, restaurants, farmer’s markets, food coops, caterers and more. Businesses range from chain establishments like Trader Joe’s and Chipotle Grill to small businesses with conscious practices. There are individual guides for a number of major U.S. cities. You can find out what is in season in your area. You can refine your search by category, product (vegan, sustainable seafood, kosher, etc); and production methods (biodynamic, organic, pasture raised, free range and more). Punch in a zip code or town, and you are on your way. Traveling across country? You can plan your trip by food destinations (wish I had known about this in 2010!) This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to eat well and would like to have better access to information on the road.
Massive Health has rolled out a free iphone app called The Eatery, an experiment in helping people understand their eating habits better. Photograph your meals and send them in; you’ll get an on-going report on your eating habits. No calorie counting, just insightful feedback on how you nourish yourself. The feedback comes from other users and consequently may not be completely accurate, but it’s a great idea and I’m confident that Massive Health will continue to refine The Eatery over time. I'm inclined to say that the guys over at Massive Health could benefit from the professional input of a woman or two. Keep in mind that this is in its beta-testing stage and you can give active feedback as a user. My D106 colleague Sam Costello has a full review of the app.