I mentioned a while ago that I’m doing the GAPS diet to heal the damage caused by celiac disease (go here for more info about GAPS). Right now that means I eat lots of soup. Since I’m currently in the much more restrictive Intro phase, it’s more difficult to lead an adventurous life, but it’s still possible. The ideas below can apply to any restrictive diet being followed because of health concerns, as well as non-restrictive diets.

Plan, plan, plan.

1. where will you be when it’s meal time?
2. what will you eat?
3. how will you transport your food?
4. are snacks an option?
5. do you have a back-up plan?

So let’s look at those questions a little more in depth and see how they can help us plan for whatever we might encounter while on our adventures.

1. Where will you be when it’s meal time?

Will you be in the car? In the middle of a hike? Out skiing? At a park? What kind of facilities will or won’t be available? Is there a restaurant nearby where you can eat? All of these can have an impact on what you can eat.

Right now, with an 18-month-old and a 3 year-old I try not to be out and about during meal times. It’s just easier. On the occasions that we are out at meal times I usually pack sandwiches for the kids and soup for me.

2. What will you eat?

Once you know where you will be eating, you can think about what you will be eating. If you will have a fire available because you’re hiking, you can bring food to re-heat. If you’re in the car, eating on the go, you’ll need foods that don’t need to be re-heated. Soup, leftovers, sandwiches, finger foods- what fits your dietary needs and preferences? We usually bring sandwiches for the kids because they’re not very messy. Of course, messy is relative….

3. How will you transport your food?

Do you have a thermos or two for soup or hot beverages when it’s cold? If you’re not eating a lot of soup, you can pack your food in other containers like stainless steel tiffins. Is the weight of the containers going to be an issue? Glass vs. stainless steel vs. plastic.

There’s pros and cons to each and you need to decide what will work best for you. I’m not a huge fan of plastic, but I have no problem packing sandwiches or snacks for the kids in plastic bags when we’re out hiking. Glass or metal containers that are too bulky and heavy for hiking work fine in the car.

4. Are snacks an option?

There’s really not any snacking options available to me this early in the Intro phase, but in the future there will be a couple options. The kids, who are just gluten free, have quite a few options.

I always bring fruit snacks, Van’s snack bars, Epic bars, plantain chips, and organic applesauce packets, even if we’re just going into town. A quick trip through the drive-thru is not an option for us, so I like to have snacks available if we’re out and about longer than intended. Nut butter packets are sometimes in the mix, though they tend to be a bit pricier than some of the other options available to us.

5. Do you have a back-up plan?

If you were planning on eating at a restaurant, but they don’t have the gluten free options you’d researched online, what will you do? There’s only a few restaurants I feel safe eating at even when I’m not doing GAPS. If the restaurant falls through, can you stop by a grocery store and pick up sandwich fixings? What if your trail meal burns/spills/has some sort of accident? Hangry children (or adults!) + time back to the car = not a good situation for anyone present. This is why I try to always carry extra snacks.

Planning Pays Off

With some planning, potential crises, big or small, can be avoided. When crises are avoided, more fun and memorable experiences are had by all. The first few times we planned our food for our adventures it took some time, but now we know what to do and what to grab and it’s a much more streamlined process.

In reality, we rarely eat all the food we bring with us, but I’d rather have too much food than not enough.

Do you plan your meals? What works for you? Do you have any tips I didn’t mention here?