13 Ways to Keep your Healthy Eating Habits While on a Cruise

Cruising is a wonderful way to go on holidays for any length of time. It is relaxing and indulgent and it fits any kind of lifestyle, from simple to luxurious. One thing though is that there is no way you will not get exposed to a big feast of food in all forms and variety. Many people, especially if it is their first time, just go with the flow and indulge into it. I did it too. For me now, after being on many cruises, all over the years, I really try to keep with my healthy eating habits while on a cruise now. We normally go on 2 cruises a year and it is just not worth it, to work hard all year, on a healthy lifestyle, cooking from scratch and end up with many extra pounds after every trip.

There are lots of ways to eat healthy while cruising and also many opportunities to exercise, do some Yoga on the ship or go for a gentle Yin Yoga in your room’s balcony before you head off for your activities and be active jogging or using the ship’s gym. It is not always an easy task but it is doable! It is a great opportunity for you to focus on yourself, your body and your health, without all the multitasking that you normally do.

Tips on how to eat on a healthy way while cruising

The goal is not to deprive yourself of the delicious food, that a cruise will make available to you. For me, my goal is to come back home with no extra pounds. It is an attainable and realistic goal, dieting while you’re cruising could be really hard.

You will be surrounded not only by yummy treats and dinners but also by all the relaxing atmosphere of thousands of people in that same cruise, enjoying themselves with food, entertainment and drinks. It is almost impossible not feel the same, it is contagious.

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Eating Healthily while cruising: you can do it!

1- Try to avoid going to the buffet for breakfast

As much as possible, go to the dining room for breakfast. Not only is very nice to be served on a white cloth table but you will not be exposed to all that huge buffet food. The portions are normally smaller, the presentation is gorgeous and you will eat less and at the same time enjoy the meal in style. You will also be able to custom your order, asking for egg whites omelletes, just one egg, no toast, etc.

2- Order Breakfast with Room service

This is another tip that will make you eat less since you’re not staring at the breakfast buffet with all the temptations of a variety of fresh bread, buns, and carbs. We normally just order some coffee in the room, taking the time to be lazy and enjoying the view in the balcony.

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3- Skip lunch altogether

Being busy all morning with excursions or just activities around the ship is easy to skip lunch and just have some fruit or a small salad. Save your calories for a nicer dinner. Most Shipping Lines offer healthy options for people that, like you, will be watching what you eat. Celebrity has a healthy salad bar, the Spa food, for lunch, with a gorgeous presentation and nutritious options. Holland America has started doing the same and you can find some small plates with cheese and crackers, small salads and plates of fresh fruits.

4- Watch your alcohol consumption

This is a big source of adding calories to your meals. Try to save your drinks for when you’re hanging around the piano bar or watching a comedy. At dinner, one glass of wine can be enough to complement a more sophisticated dinner. Not indulging in purchasing the beverage packages – which are normally around US 50 a day – is another solution to reduce your alcohol intake, easy on your pocket and in your calories.

5- Try to focus on the whole experience and not only on the food

While on a cruise you feel is your time to be spoiled. The ship environment was designed to make you feel this way. The service in most shipping lines is superb on making you feel special and appreciated. It is a wonderful feeling that adds a lot of pleasure to your vacation. So, instead of focusing on exaggerating on your food intake, try to enjoy the whole experience: the beautiful table setups, the dressing up for some special dinners, the gorgeous food presentations that can please the eyes as much as your palate and the relaxing time you’re spending far from all your duties and routines.

6- Read between the lines on what type of food is being offered to you

Every Shipping Line knows their clientele very well. There are several different types of cruising styles, tailored to different clients. Carnival is known for being more of a party style that attracts younger crowds. It is also one of the most affordable cruises out there. It goes without saying that the food follows the same criteria, Carnival is a crowd pleaser on lots of heavy carbs options and many not so healthy choices. However, it is not difficult to avoid pizzas, plates of pasta and hamburgers and go for salads and grilled chicken and fish instead. We cruised with Carnival many times and I always could find tasty salads and even sushi to chose from.

The more you climb the ladder towards the more expensive cruises: Celebrity, Princess, Holland America and Disney Cruises, the more variety on tastier and more sophisticated healthy food you will find. What will vary is the level of sophistication and type of more expensive ingredients only because all Shipping Lines do offer healthy options, as I have mentioned before.

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7- Always check on the Vegetarian and Sugar-Free options offered on the menus

There are always options for vegans in all the menus. Normally they are tasty options that have way fewer calories. This is true, especially for desserts. There is always a fruit plate as an option, as well as fruit sorbets and no sugar added dessert.

8- Burn your calories every day

As Canadians we cruise in the winter to run away of the cold weather. It is just a joy to feel the sunshine out that makes it way easier to go for long walks, jogging and fitness classes. It is like our bodies get awaken from the winter hibernation and just being out, moving around is a pleasure. This way is not difficult for us to get moving and burn the extra calories that will add up very fast if we don’t watch it.

9- Try to skip the ice cream machines and the afternoon tea during the day

The cruising industry knows that a big part of our entertainment is about food and they make sure to literally surround us with many options. Ice creams machines are strategically placed in busy places, so you can grab a cone when walking around the ship. There is always a 24 hr booth for you to grab some pizza any time of your day. You never have to wait to eat if you’re hungry, which as nice as it sounds, is deadly for your healthy eating.

The afternoon tea is a good example. Some cruising lines are still offering. It sounds attractive and I’ve been to a few but at the end of the day, it wasn’t worth it for me.

Please note that this is my opinion only: It is normally around 3:00 pm when you’re not hungry at all if you had a nutritious lunch. The afternoon tea is a feast of sweet carbs in all forms and shapes, some tea sandwiches and other treats. The problem is that not only you’re not hungry and will end up eating just for the sake of pleasing your taste buds, but the whole experience (sometimes they will even have a pianist performing, which is very nice) is rushed, because the time frame the crew has to get all ready for dinner is not long enough. So, my advice is, go once, just to see what is about or skip it altogether. Your waste line will thank you.

10- Bring some healthy snacks

If you’re low key as we are on a cruise, the odds are that you will go for a nice nap in the afternoon. We normally chose the late dinner and as we wake up from our afternoon nap, the temptation to go to the buffet or order something to the room is difficult to resist. For that reason I always bring some nuts for a quick fix. Or we just order coffee and tea to hold us until dinner time.

Related: Homemade Granola Bars

Another solution is to order a fruit basket, when available (not all Shipping lines offer it). A crispy apple makes a good and healthy snack.

11- Go for 2 (or 3) appetizers instead of one main course for dinner

The nice thing about dining on a cruise is that you can order as many appetizers, entrees or desserts you want. This option could also be a curse since you can feel tempted to try different things and end up ordering much more than what you can eat.

However, it is nice to have a second chance in case you order something that is not at all what you expected or if you just want a couple of appetizers instead of a complete meal. I do this all the time. Many times, a soup and salad will be enough and I save my calories for dessert if I want so.

12- Don’t let your “fear of missing out (FOMO)” interfere with your healthy eating habits while on a cruise

If you are cruising with a big group of friends or family, there is some chance that you will be more susceptible to follow what everybody is doing. It is just our human nature to sometimes forget about our personal plans and go with the group decisions. Be aware of it and pay attention to what the group is eating and stick to your food options. It is not always easy, and the best way is just not to drag any attention to what you’re eating. People might feel uncomfortable for being reminded by you, that there is a way to enjoy a cruise holiday and eat healthier. Many times they’re just not willing to do the same.

Try not to preach anybody about it and stick to your plan. The less you talk about, the less you will be noticed or/and criticized.

13- Skip the late dining and late buffets

 

Many Shipping Lines have stopped doing the midnight buffet and other extravagant food parties late at night. However, they all keep at least one restaurant opened all night with pizza, sandwiches or other snacks. Many people, after a late show or party, head off for a late bite to eat. You still can go and partake and just have some tea or other drink.

Eating healthy on a cruise is easier than what you think

Just be aware of what you want to do with your holidays and think of all the time and effort you have put during the year, living a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t take too much effort to keep your healthy eating habits while on the cruise, it is just a matter of paying attention to the food choices and make the right ones for your lifestyle.

 

The end result of keeping your healthy eating habits while cruising is that you will feel twice as rested and re-energized with your holidays when the cruise is over!