If you follow me on Facebook, you may have noticed that I was in New York City over the past few days.
While I’ve already shared some of my favorite travel tips in past posts, I thought it might be fun to share some highlights of this particular trip, including how I balance my choices while on vacation, rather than on business travel.
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1. Drink plenty of juice!
New York City has no shortage of fresh juice bars.
Organic Avenue happened to be the most convenient location, so we became regulars during our stay!
In addition to a daily green juice, we also sampled some of their “shots,” such as aloe and e3 Live.
These fresh, hydrating juices were greatly appreciated in this summer heat!
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2. Enjoy plenty of salads.
Since we were dining-out at every meal, I made a point of ordering at least one salad each day. We found some great restaurants that offered fresh and local produce, so these salads ended up being some of my very favorite meals!
(That bottom salad was actually served at a Sports Bar, so it just goes to show how you can eat healthy practically anywhere!)
When traveling for fun, I tend to throw some food combining rules out the window, so I can enjoy flavors the way the chef intended. While savoring every bite, mixing small amounts of nuts, goat cheese and fresh fruit doesn’t seem to be much of an issue, especially when paired with hydrating leafy greens.
In fact, Austin has requested fresh fruit on his salads for the rest of summer.
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3. Seek-out air conditioning.
This trip was exceptionally brutal when it came to heat and humidity, so we took advantage of as many indoor activities as possible.
Even if that meant sweating in an air-conditioned Physique 57 class.
This was my first visit to a New York City studio– at the original 57th street location– and it was just as fun as the Beverly Hills experience!
It was also just as effective. My arms are still sore from all those push ups!
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4. Walk, walk, walk.
Since NYC is such a pedestrian-heavy city, we also covered a lot of ground on our feet. I sweated through nearly two outfits a day!
This photo is from Roosevelt Island–> an oddly abandoned island next to Manhattan. We walked over two miles on this tiny island alone, just to find this cute lighthouse!
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5. Splurge!
When in New York, there’s no way I’m skipping dessert.
Over our four-day trip, I sampled a vegan doughnut (and a frosting shot!) from Babycakes, an over-the-top ice cream sundae at Serendipty 3, a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery, and my very favorite–> a slice of raw tiramisu from One Lucky Duck!
We all agreed that it was the best tiramisu we’ve ever tasted, raw or otherwise!
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For more travel tips, check out my previous guest post at The Vegetable Centric Kitchen!
Reader Feedback: Do you have any trips coming up? How do you balance your vacations? Personally, I feel like 4-5 days on vacation won’t make-or-break any diet or lifestyle choice–> it’s what you do on a regular basis that matters most. However, keeping my meals as fresh and healthy as possible also keeps me enjoying my vacation, rather than weighing me down. No one wants a stomach ache, especially while walking so much!
Oh my, what an amazing trip! I’d love to see NYC some day and I’ve heard lots about One Lucky Duck so I’m eager to check that out too! My top healthy travel tips include doing tons of walking, carrying healthy snacks around (fruit, trail mix, homemade granola/protein bars etc) which ends up saving you money in a lot of situations, and focusing on activities and sightseeing more than food. It looks like you had a fantastic time!
Oh, Serendipity 3 is one of my favorite places ever! I love their ‘Frozen hot chocolate’ Yummm. Since you’re a huge chocolate lover like myself, you would also enjoy a trip to Max Brenner next time you’re in the city. Everything on the menu is made in some way with chocolate. It’s even running through pipes in the ceiling! http://www.maxbrenner.com/
How did I not know about this place?! Thanks for sharing– I’ll definitely be visiting Max Brenner next time!
First, let me tell you that your blog is amazing! I am starting the IIN classes in September and that’s how I got to your website….Your delicious receipes convinced me to give raw food a try…i am hooked!
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Anyway, my husband and I are travelling abroad at least 3 or 4 times a year, mainly in Europe. We spend most of the time walking – in Paris we’ve been walking the entire city for 5 days – so we were not too worried about food choices, especially since in Europe they use mostly fresh ingredients…just tried not to eat too much sugar
My biggest concern is food served in airplanes…yuck…!
Thank you for being such an inspiration! I’ve learned a lot from your posts..
Love these tips! One of my favorite things about living in NYC was that you could walk everywhere!
This post was right on time! I have a trip to Chicago / Indiana this weekend, for my kids 4 day BMX training camp. I have the splurge section covered, with plans to visit Al’s sandwiches while in Chicago. I also have looked online and found Green Corner to get my fresh green veggie juice in the mornings. I plan to pack my new Yoga DVD for working out. I bought some LaraBars for the kids to snack on between their strenuous workouts, and some dates and pecans for a natural energy boost! I plan to sneak some dark chocolate bars in my purse and share with the hubby.. I am excited to try to stay on track during our family trip. I have felt better than ever the past few weeks, but still have some things to accomplish to truly be on the right track towards detox (colonics), but, i’m working in the right direction!
What a fun trip! I absolutely love visiting NYC. Serendipity and Magnolia Bakery are definitely favorites of mine. And I love that you were able to get such a tasty looking salad at a sports bar!
Oh my gosh, I live in NYC, how is it I’ve never had Babycakes frosting shots? I should just make my own I guess, but that sounds fun.
The raw tiramisu is perhaps my favorite dessert of all time. It’s kind of a too-frequent indulgence, and my budget won’t stand for it much longer.
I have varying degrees of healthy success depending on the vacation. You’d think my yoga friends would be the easiest to be with, but sometimes they want to go all crazy since they’re “off”! Salads are key, you are right. They’re everywhere, even if they’re not exciting everywhere.
Yes, you must try the frosting shots at Babycakes! I prefer frosting over cake any day, and I’ve found their frosting recipe hard to follow at home… however, their prepared version is delicious!
And I’m kinda glad I don’t live in NYC– that raw tiramisu would be too tempting, and my wallet would cry. LOL
Well, that’s funny, because I just tried the recipe yesterday (found it here on your blog) and found it was really just a coconut cream more than a vanilla frosting shot. I love frosting! I’m going next week for my birthday!
Now, how do I make that raw tiramisu myself?!
Great travel trips! You definitely need to indulge a bit on vacation.
I’ve never been to NYC, but am dying to get there sometime.
I haven’t been on vacation in a while, but when I go it will be my first solo trip as a vegan. It will be quite an adventure in culinary specificity.