Europe - good or bad?

On June 9th I'm leaving on a 30-day Contiki tour of Western Europe. Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Netherlands, in 30 days. I'm going alone, but I obviously meet up with a group of people in London for the trip.

Do you think this is a good thing or bad thing as far as eating well? On the one hand, I'm in amazing places and will not want to eat McDonald's or Burger King because I have those things at home. I can eat local cuisine instead. Also, we're walking aaaallll the time. It's crazy long days of sightseeing. So I'll burn a looot of calories.

On the other hand - it's party central for 30 days. Probably drinking a lot of wine and booze (although hopefully not TOO much - being hungover at 6 am every morning when we get on the road is going to ruin a very expensive trip). Especially with Italian food which is lots of carbs, and I'm sure we'll all be indulging - it's vacation of course - I just dunno.

Has anyone here done a long Europe trip or just any kind of trip? What did you find? Was it harder or easier to eat okay?

Italians have one of the healthiest diets, but watch out for all the mozzerela and patmesan cheese!

Germans and austrians like their meat, but i'm vege so i didnt really pay much attention to it when i was there.

I think greece is quite healthy, lots of olives and feta cheese. But i dont have a clue about the netherlands i'm afraid!

Have a fantastic time :)

xXx

 

Speaking is a European, it's very easy to eat healthily.  Apply the usual 'rules' about choosing plenty of fruit and vegetables, grilled dishes and not going for too many things smothered in cream, cheese and butter!  The latter especially applies in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands where the food can be on the heavy side.  Real Italian food is not necessarily 'lots of carbs'... you'll find there's a much bigger choice than pizza and pasta.   Plus European restaurant portion-sizes tend to be a lot smaller than those in, say, the U.S.  Come June you'll be hitting the peak of the European fruit and vegetable season so there will be lots of fresh, healthy things on the table.

The booze will make you a lot fatter than the food....  So remember the following words... agua, eau, wasser, nero, aqua.... and drink plenty of that at the same time.  Have a great time.

It depends where i travel to: I usually travel to the states for extended periods of time, and while i move around a lot, the food is generally greasier than european foods, and i get cravings for your movie popcorn, spare ribs, southern fried foods, gravy, huuuge steaks, blue cheese dressings, corn bread, cheese bread etc (my mouth is watering, and i realise i just went off on a homer-like rant! - sorry) - and i usually gain weight after a trip across the atlantic-

when i travel around europe, i'm not that food interested - but the drinking can get a bit out of hand, not getting drunk, but drinking every day (wine with food, beers or drinks afterwards), as it's a big part of european social life. weight wise i get back even..

when i travel to the middle east, i always lose weight: when it's too hot outside, i just want to drink water en masse and not eat anything heavy- so i do lots of salads and grilled meats... and i go swimming a lot too.

so all in all, for me it depends greatly on where i go and who i'm with.

i hope you have a wonderful trip either way - i  mean, the loss or gain of 30 days is hardly worth measuring against the memories you'll be making for a lifetime :-D

I did a months trip backpacking around Europe dring my gap year, going to all the major cities including all the ones you mentioned. I wasn't really bothered about my weight at all but i did find that i'd dropped under 8 stone when i got back, about 3 lbs or so less i guess. And i ate loads, but not too much junk (after the first couple of days my friend announced that we were being slobs and needed to eat the local cuisine, which i completely agreed with - the guy friends on the trip didn't so much!).

Basically it's not the food that will make you lose, it's the extreme amount of sightseeing walking that you put in every day. If you are getting up at 6 to see the sights then i think you are going to be burning alot of calories indeed, so don't worry about the odd ice cream and eating well. If you attempt to limit your intake too much you will probably feel starving wit all the extra exercise you are putting in.

Have fun, Europe is an awesome place to explore!

Kat

Not in ALL over Europe.....But I practically live In Israel every summer.  And I eat when Im hungry, And all I do there Is walk since the Mentality isn't the American one, And I lose at least 5 pounds.  So don't worry.

European food is healthier than American. I think that you will loose weight at the end of your trip. You will do a lot of walking, l in Europe people walk a lot and use bicycles. So don't worry about the calories. I have been in Europe couple times and let me tell you that it's easier to eat healthy there. They don't have so much fat and preservatives in their food. So my advice just experience different kind of food and enjoy it. You will burn everything you will be eating or drinking.  Besides wine is good for you.

have a wonderful trip

I would say its alot easier to eat healthy in Europe.  We don't have as much fast food available, and the portion sizes are definately smaller then in America.  Of course, eating out is always going to be more calorific then preparing your own food, so you need to make the same healthier choices you would in US.  Just try not to overdo it with the alcohol, choose a limit to stick to each day.  Also when I was travelling tiredness made me crave more fatty, carby food, so do try to get enough sleep!!

Have fun

Europe = awesome.

Maybe a biased view, i am european ;)

As an American living in Germany, I don't find it really easier or more difficult.  It's all about your will-power and what you choose. 

There's not as much fast food like McD's, Burger King, Taco Bell (mmmm!), but there are tons of other "fast food" options here.  The big one is doner kebab - that huge spic of meat grilled and then stuffed into a pita or flat bread and loaded with veggies, cheese, and tzatziki sauce.  They tend to have more healthy options however, like salads and sandwiches, so you don't have to choose the doner.

Contrary to what others have said, the portion sizes (in my area) are huge.  I'm sometimes shocked at how much food they bring out.  Thank goodness for doggie bags.

The most dangerous thing for me is the beer and wine.  It's tasty and cheap.  Aim to eat lots of fruits and veggies so you can enjoy the alcohol!

All in all, just enjoy yourself; it's vacation!  You'll be walking a lot to work off any extra calories anyhow.

Have fun.

Europeans really like to make their food with sauces and extras in general but the portions are definitely not as big as they are here so you might find yourself getting used to their normal portion sizes there instead of the massive ones you get in a restaurants somewhere around here, where it's the more the marrier. When I was in Europe I ate pretty much whatever I wanted, which was a lot of seafood, especially since I didn't speak German or anything, I wasn't too intense about eating healthy and picking out healthier items. I as well did lots of sightseeing and wine drinking and lost a few pounds by the time I got back. Not only that, most food is fairly expensive in cities so it's a kinda of deterant to eating tonnes while you're there.

 

Plus wine is really really good for you compared to drinking the beers and such there... The beer in Germany and Austria is very heavy so if you try to stick to your wines you'll be fine I'm sure.

 

Happy vacationing

I say, enjoy yourself. Don't deprive yourself of any experience. You will most likely walk off any excess calories.

I live in the UK and whenever I go to the continent, I find that the exercise I get walking offsets any extra calories I might take in.

If you really want to lose weight, go to Japan. I spent about a week there last year and I went down a size--and I didn't "diet." I just ate the local cuisine, and plenty of it.

I'm heading to Europe next month as well for the first time as well. Not nearly as long though! 30 days, wow!

While talking to my husband this morning, I told him that I was seriously considering packing Raisin Bran Crunch, my favorite cereal, I just love love love it. Surely there'll be something I can eat for breakfast!

Have a great time!!

Hi there,

I too am going to be travelling for a month....Ireland, England (briefly) then 2 weeks in France.. I expect to be tempted by lots of good vino...so it might be interesting to compare stories upon our return (end of June for me).

I have only been on this "healthy lifestyle" for about a month so far....but have lost 10lbs as of today.  I am hoping it isn't all "packed on again" when i return from my trip, ha ha.  HOWEVER, I will do my best not to unravel....but if I do...i won't beat myself up over it......i want to enjoy my holiday to the fullest

Just remember to pack some good walkiing shoes............ enjoy!!

This is after the fact, but I just returned from my Italian vacation and here's what I discovered about how they eat:

1- breakfast is awesome, by far my favorite meal time of the day. The various hotels I stayed in all offered muslix (as well as other cold cereals), croissants, nutella-filled pastries, fresh fruit, bread, thinly sliced turkey and ham, as well as swiss and mozza cheese. And caffe latte of course.

2- I never had lunch while there (I kept a few granola bars and/or nuts for my husband and I to snack on in the mid afternoon). The locals and tourists all seemed to feast on fresh fruit cups (pineapple, strawberries, and coconut were abundant), cold sliced meat sandwiches, and slices on pizza on the go.

3- gelato is everywhere, resistance is futile (ice cream). It looks a bit yucky at first glance (or at least it did to me)- it's piles of stuff in deep rectangle metal pans (think buffet style pans), and the texture is almost that of soft serve. Trust me though, you'll never taste soft serve as amazing as gelato. It is amazingly delicious, and everyone eats it. Comes in flavors such as coconut, ferrero rocher, tiramisu, and fresh berries among many others.

4- supper is a long and late affair. Some restaurants don't even open before 7pm, and it is not just a meal, it's a cultural experience in itself. Give yourself at least 2 hours to "eat". Everywhere we went charged for water (around 2 or 3 euros for 1/2 to 1 liter), and you could usually get wine for about the same price.

Pizza is served at many restaurants, as well as pasta and fish. You'll find that their meals are presented quite differently than North Americas- we order a meal that is a plate with a meat, and maybe 2 sides, all on the same plate. They order starters(often meat and/or cheese platters), 1st course (your pasta), 2nd course (meat or maybe pizza), then dessert. It can be pricey to eat this way, as each item might be in the 10 euro range (give or take, depending on the restaurant). Ask if they have a tourist/fixed rate menu- it may give you the 1st and 2nd course, as well as dessert and maybe water/wine included (we got it a few times, and it was in the 15 euro range). Don't be expecting to find rice or vegetables on the menu- never had or even saw the option to have the whole time there!

If you're there for the purpose of sightseeing, you'll do lots of walking and will likely balance it all out. I decided not to try to eat light- since it was my once in a lifetime trip, I ate what and when I wanted. When I got back, I weighed the exact same as before I left.

Hope this helps someone! :)