Short trips & excess baggage
In Delhi, long weekends=long drives and short holidays. With the foothills of Himalayas just 6 hours away, a short weekend trip doesn’t need much planning. If nothing else, you can always drive down to Chandigarh via Murthal or take the expressway to Agra for lunch. All you need is a car, a companion or a group, a bag of clothes, an ipod and off you go. On the way, you can stop at murthal and devour greasy paranthas with fresh white butter, masala chai and dal makhani. In the car, while crooning to Rahman tracks, you munch on potato chips, namkeen, biscuits or home-made paranthas and sandwiches. Once in the hills, the tea keeps flowing, the morning starts again with paranthas, the sun sets with maggi and the moon rises with Bacardi.
The point I am trying to drive at is how much junk or calorie-laden food we eat while on a holiday. We forget, that along with us, our tummy is on a vacation too! So here are some tips that can help you satisfy the foodie in you while still keeping that excess weight away.
- While you pack your bag of clothes, make sure you pack a food bag too. The food bag should contain- a ziploc bag of mixed nuts (almonds, pistachio, walnuts), a packet of roasted chana, a packet of light biscuits, a few apples, fruit yogurt, paneer or chicken multigrain sandwiches, stevia, slim-milk tetrapak,water and sparkling water.
- When you stop at a dhaba, request the cook to make your parantha in very little oil or better still opt for a tandoori roti and dal tadka. Make sure your tea is without sugar and if you like it sweet, add stevia.
- Once in the mountains, make sure you go for a morning jog and an evening stroll. Hike up to that old mandir at the top of the hill, munch on your assorted nuts, go fishing or boating and burn those calories.
- When skimming through the menu, look for healthier food options, make smart choices- have grilled trout in place of mutton, request for no butter in your dal. Pluck fresh fruits and greens and make your own pre-dinner salad (better still, share it with your fellow travellers).
- If you like to enjoy a drink sitting around a bonfire, watching the stars come out– replace chips with nuts or roasted chana, papad with khakra and use sparkling water/diet soda to go with your rum.
Trips can be made more enjoyable if you pack in some nutrition and physical exercise. And when you return to Delhi feeling relaxed and refreshed, the only thing you will sulk about is the traffic and the heat!