Food Network star, Cat Cora, on the food challenges while on the road

Cat Cora, the famous Iron Chef, cookbook author, philanthropist, mother and avid world traveler  spends nearly 300 days away from her home. Her career has taken her from Jackson, Mississippi, to Europe, Central America, Asia and everywhere in between.

Healthy TravelAs a frequent traveler, Cat has become accustomed to a fast paced lifestyle that's both healthy and fun. We recently caught up with Cat at her home in San Francisco. If you've ever wondered how to "not" gain 10 lbs when traveling, read on.

GoGirlfriend: How do you moderate your eating habits when you travel as much as you do?

Cat Cora: It's about balance, everything in moderation. You can get into that whole, "I'm in vacation, so I can have whatever I want," mode, which will get you into trouble.  

Have that one really great dessert at night or enjoy a lunch that's classic to that region. Balance it out with vegetables and the local fish for your other meal. Because you'll be sightseeing and walking more, you'll probably maintain or even lose weight. But you'll still be able to enjoy everything that country or city has to offer.

Even when I'm on vacation, I exercise. It's important to me to stay on my routine as much as possible while enjoying the food and the sites of the region I'm visiting.

GoGirlfriend: It's challenging to find healthy food at airports and almost impossible on the plane. How do you manage?

Cat Cora: I plan my meals around what's easy to carry on the plane the next day. The night before when I'm making dinner, I'll make something that's really conducive to flying the next day, veggies, black beans or salad. I'll pack my lunch after dinner and throw in a banana, almonds and fruit in the morning.

When I get to my hotel room, I clean it out my containers so they're ready to fill for the trip home. During my trip, I try to visit little markets and put salads and fruit in my mini fridge for snacks.

If I'm returning home from another country, it can be challenging to find food for the flight back. But when I come back from New York City, I go to one of the markets and pick up a quick salad and some fruit or other foods to pack in the containers at my hotel room.

Room service is another option, but that can be pricey. Sometimes it's just a matter of thinking through your options until you come up with something that makes sense for where you are.

How do you handle food and travel? Are you happy with your solutions or do you need to tweak them to keep from gaining weight on your next trip?

See other posts in this series!

• Cat Cora on Traveler or Tourist?
• Cat Cora on Packing, Best Seat on the Airplane and Layovers (Coming soon)