Photo of Nikki Sharp by Jeff Skeirik/Rawtographer. Clothing by Root to Rise.
The sun is shining, the crowds are screaming, and you’re at a festival with thousands of others enjoying your favorite music—fun times! Food-wise though, festivals can throw even the best meal-prepper for a spin.
Don’t let it frighten you! There are some easy ways to survive the festival while still enjoying those last drops of summer sunshine.
Prepare Your Snacks
Plan ahead. You already know there isn’t going to be a salad bar with all the fixings, so have snacks ready to go if hunger strikes and there’s nothing healthy nearby. Pack some snacks such as nuts, trail mix, date balls, a piece of fruit, or a healthy bar. Opt for items that can’t go bad or get squashed.
Photo by Jeff Skeirik/Rawtographer
Pack with Intention
Remember the good-old days being a kid and having a lunch box/bag? It’s time to whip that out and fill it with all the essentials. Some ideas: hardboiled eggs, homemade popcorn, sliced veggies, and proportioned hummus in containers.
If you’re going for more than a day, pack a cooler with frozen waters at the bottom, chilled snacks next, paper towels to soak up condensation, then any snacks that don’t need to be chilled.
Drinking alcohol will inevitably lead you to want to eat a slice of pizza (or three), but resist those extra slices. You’ll only feel worse the next day. Soak up the booze with water, some more water, then one slice of pizza or a burger.
Photo of Nikki Sharp by Jeff Skeirik/Rawtographer
Hydrate
Drink plenty of water. If you want to mix up your flavors, add fruits or herbs like mint to your water bottle or Mason jar. Make sure to munch on all veggies you can find as part of your hydration plan.
Protect Your Skin
Apply sunscreen every two hours. This is absolutely key because sunburns dehydrate your skin, can cause headaches, and will pretty much ruin any fun time you want to have. Bonus points if you drink a liter of water each time you apply sunscreen. The extra stress from dehydration or sun burns can interfere with your meal planning.
Read More about Meal Prep
Read more meal prep for festival food and traveling suggestions from Nikki Sharp in the Meal Prep for Travelers story on layoga.com.
Check out Nikki Sharp’s book Meal Prep Your Way to Weight Loss.
Credits
Photos by Jeff Skeirik/Rawtographer
Yoga Clothing by Root to Rise
Nikki Sharp is the author of The 5-Day Real Food Detox and Meal Prep Your Way to Weight Loss. You can follow her journey and find more recipes at: nikkisharp.com. Follow her on Instagram @nikkisharp.