Healthy Snacks for a Long Car Journey
Long car journeys and snacks seem to go together, don’t they? Even if I’ve eaten before leaving home, there’s something about sitting in a car for a few hours that suddenly makes snacks feel absolutely essential.
The trouble is that service stations aren’t always the easiest places to make the choices you’d normally make at home. You’re hungry, you’ve been driving for hours, everything seems expensive and somehow a family-sized bag of sweets starts looking like a perfectly reasonable lunch.
Planning a few healthy snacks for your car journey before you leave can make things much easier. That doesn’t mean packing a boot full of carrot sticks and watching everyone else eat chocolate, either. I think the best road-trip food is a mixture of things you genuinely enjoy, things that keep you satisfied and a few treats because, frankly, you’re on a road trip!
I’ve put together lots of ideas below, including snacks you can prepare at home, things you can buy from a supermarket before setting off and options that don’t need to be kept refrigerated.
If you’re following Slimming World, I’ve also included some tips further down. I originally wrote this article specifically for Slimming World members, but the snack ideas themselves are useful whether you’re following Slimming World, counting calories or simply trying to avoid spending £17 on snacks every time you stop at a motorway service station.
The above pyramid shares the UK’s favourite snacks for a car journey. I must say I disagree with some! Read more about their research here.
Who on earth put Liquorice Allsorts above Skittles??
I don’t necessarily think every car-journey snack needs to be “healthy”, and I’m certainly not going to pretend I’d choose a carrot stick over a Skittle every single time. What I find much more useful is having a mixture available rather than getting absolutely ravenous and buying whatever I see first.
So, rather than ranking snacks as good or bad, here are some ideas depending on what you actually need from them.
Healthy snacks don’t have to mean boring
One of the biggest challenges of a long car journey isn’t the driving – it’s the constant temptation to snack.
Whether you’re heading off on holiday, driving to see family or spending hours travelling for work, sitting in the car can make you want to eat simply because you’re bored. I know I’ve been there. Before I lost weight, a road trip often meant grabbing a giant bag of sweets at the petrol station before we’d even left.
These days I still enjoy snacks on a journey, but I try to choose things that will actually keep me satisfied rather than having me rummaging around for another packet half an hour later.
The good news is that you don’t have to avoid snacks altogether. A little planning can make a huge difference.
Healthy car journey snacks you can prepare at home
If you have ten minutes before you leave, taking food from home can save you a surprising amount of money as well as giving you much more choice.
Fruit is probably the easiest option. Grapes are one of my favourites for the car because they’re easy to eat without making too much mess. Apples, satsumas and berries can work well too, although I’d put anything particularly juicy into a proper container unless you fancy cleaning strawberries out of the car upholstery later.
Chopped vegetables such as carrots, cucumber and peppers are another easy option. Add a small pot of hummus if you have somewhere cool to keep it and you’ve got something with a bit more substance.
Hard-boiled eggs can be surprisingly filling too, although whether you want someone peeling boiled eggs in an enclosed car is perhaps a decision every family needs to make for themselves!
Other easy options include sandwiches or wraps, homemade muffins, overnight oats if you’re stopping somewhere to eat them, pasta salad and portions of leftovers that work well cold.
The main thing I’d think about is how easy something is to eat. A food can be wonderfully nutritious, but if it requires three pieces of cutlery and leaves dressing running down your arm, it’s probably not the ideal passenger-seat snack.
Healthy car snacks you can buy before travelling
You absolutely don’t need to make everything yourself.
In fact, if I’m going on a long journey, I’d much rather stop at a supermarket before getting onto the motorway than rely entirely on service-station choices.
Easy supermarket options include fresh fruit, individual yoghurt or Skyr pots, cooked chicken pieces, boiled eggs, vegetable snack packs, hummus, popcorn, small bags of nuts, cereal bars and individual portions of cheese.
If you don’t have a cool bag, choose things that can safely stay at room temperature for the journey instead.
I’d also look at the portion you’re buying. There’s nothing wrong with having chocolate, crisps or sweets in the car, but if I buy an enormous sharing bag and sit with it next to me for four hours, I know there’s a fairly good chance I’ll keep eating it simply because it’s there.
Sometimes buying the smaller packet is worth the extra few pence just because the decision about when you’ve finished has already been made for you.
Car journey snacks that don’t need a cool box
Not every journey needs military-level snack preparation. If you don’t want to take a cool bag, there are still loads of easy options.
Fresh fruit such as apples, bananas and satsumas travels well. Small packets of nuts, popcorn, rice cakes, crackers, cereal bars and dried fruit can all be kept in the car for a while without refrigeration.
You can also take individual packets of crisps, pretzels or your favourite sweets.
For longer road trips, I like having a few different textures and flavours available. Something crunchy, something sweet and something a bit more filling stops the snack bag becoming incredibly boring after the first hour.
Just remember that cars can become extremely hot, particularly in summer. Chocolate that’s spent three hours sitting in a sunny car can become less of a snack and more of an experimental art installation.
High-protein snacks for a long car journey
If you’re genuinely hungry rather than simply fancying something to nibble while travelling, including some protein can make your snacks feel much more substantial.
Depending on whether you have a cool bag, you could take boiled eggs, cooked chicken, cheese portions, yoghurt or Skyr, edamame or a protein yoghurt.
Nuts also provide some protein alongside fats and fibre and are particularly convenient because they don’t need refrigeration.
You don’t need every snack to be “high protein”, but I find there’s a big difference between having something substantial and spending the entire journey repeatedly eating sweets because nothing has actually made me feel satisfied.
Sweet snacks for a car journey
If you’re a sweets-in-the-car person, take the sweets you actually like rather than buying some supposedly healthier alternative that leaves you thinking about the chocolate you really wanted for the next 150 miles.
One thing I do find useful is buying smaller packets rather than huge sharing bags. It’s incredibly easy to keep reaching into an open bag while you’re talking, listening to music or watching the motorway signs slowly count down the miles.
You could also mix things up by taking fruit alongside your sweets. Grapes are brilliant for that because you still get the little pick-and-eat experience without having to commit to eating an entire apple.
And yes, I still maintain that Skittles deserved a much higher position on that car-snack pyramid!
Savoury road trip snacks
If sweets aren’t your thing, there are plenty of savoury options too.
Popcorn, pretzels, crackers and individual bags of crisps are easy because they don’t need refrigeration.
If you’ve got a cool bag, you can expand that to cheese, hummus and vegetables, cooked meats, boiled eggs or little sandwich and wrap portions.
If you love a sausage roll on a journey, have one! You might simply decide to combine it with some fruit or choose something lighter for your next snack rather than deciding you’ve somehow ruined your entire diet before you’ve even reached Birmingham.
What about snacks for the driver?
If you’re driving rather than sitting in the passenger seat, I’d be much more careful about what you’re trying to eat. Anything fiddly, messy, wrapped awkwardly or requiring two hands can wait until you stop.
I’d rather pull into a safe place and spend ten minutes eating than try to unwrap a sandwich, open a yoghurt or chase grapes around the footwell while travelling at motorway speeds.
It’s also worth planning proper breaks on long journeys rather than treating snacks as a way of avoiding stopping altogether. Getting out of the car, stretching your legs, using the loo and having something to eat or drink can make the journey much more pleasant.
Don’t forget drinks
Food gets all the attention when we’re packing for a journey, but remember drinks too.
Taking water from home is considerably cheaper than repeatedly buying bottles at service stations. A reusable bottle is ideal if you’ve got one.
Coffee or tea in a travel mug can be lovely when you’re setting off early, although there’s an obvious downside to drinking enormous quantities before embarking on a journey where the next services are 47 miles away!
I wouldn’t deliberately avoid drinking because you don’t want to stop, though. Plan comfort breaks into a long journey and keep yourself properly hydrated.
Following Slimming World on a long car journey
If you’re following Slimming World, most of the ideas in this article can still work perfectly well for a car journey.
Fruit, vegetables, eggs and other foods that fit easily into your usual meals can be useful options, while packaged snacks and treats can simply be accounted for according to the current plan.
I’d recommend checking the current Swip value in the Slimming World app for branded foods rather than relying on an old value you’ve found online. Products change, portion sizes change, and Slimming World’s own calculations can change too.
More importantly, I’d plan what you’re going to eat rather than trying to be “perfect”.
I’ve done enough diets and long journeys to know that deciding you’ll eat nothing except fruit for eight hours isn’t necessarily realistic if everyone else in the car is opening crisps and chocolate beside you.
Pack foods you genuinely enjoy, include some more filling choices and decide which treats are actually worth having.
Why we snack more in the car
Have you ever noticed that you can happily drive for three hours without feeling hungry, but as soon as someone opens a bag of sweets, suddenly everyone wants some?
A lot of car snacking is driven by habit rather than hunger. Long journeys can be monotonous, and eating gives us something to do. If you’re travelling with children, snacks can also become part of the entertainment!
I’ve found that taking snacks I’ve chosen in advance helps me avoid buying expensive impulse purchases at motorway services. Research and nutrition experts also recommend planning snacks ahead of road trips, choosing foods that provide protein or fibre to help you stay satisfied for longer.
My favourite healthier snacks for a car journey
There are so many options beyond sweets and crisps. If I were packing snacks for a long journey, I wouldn’t fill the bag entirely with foods from one category.
I’d probably take grapes or another easy fruit, something savoury and crunchy, something more filling and then some sweets or chocolate that I actually enjoy.
I’d also take plenty of water and, depending on the length of the journey, potentially a cool bag with something more substantial for a proper stop.
That way I’m not trying to convince myself that three grapes are going to keep me satisfied until France, but I’m also not relying entirely on sweets and service-station food.
Healthy eating on a road trip doesn’t need to mean eating perfectly. For me, it’s much more about being prepared enough that you have choices.
Some of the snacks I regularly take include:
- Grapes
- Apple slices
- Baby carrots
- Cucumber sticks
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Cherry tomatoes
- Homemade snack boxes
- Popcorn
- Roasted chickpeas
- Greek yoghurt (with a cool bag)
- Light Babybel
- Lean chicken slices
- Protein yoghurts
- Sugar-free sweets for a treat
When I know I’m going to be in the car for several hours, I try to include at least one snack that’s rich in protein because I find it keeps me full much longer than sugary snacks alone. Protein-rich foods such as eggs, cheese, jerky and yoghurt are commonly recommended as satisfying road-trip snacks.
What should you avoid taking on a long car journey?
Anything that melts easily can be a nightmare in hot weather. Foods with a particularly strong smell may also make you unpopular with everyone else in the car.
Messy foods are another one. Anything covered in sauce, crumbs or sticky icing has enormous potential to end up somewhere it shouldn’t.
And if a food needs refrigeration, don’t assume it’ll be fine sitting in a warm car for hours. Use a suitable cool bag with ice packs or choose something else.
Sometimes the best car snack isn’t the healthiest or lowest-calorie option. It’s the one you can actually transport, store and eat safely without redecorating the inside of the car.
Other ways to make a long journey healthier
Food isn’t the only thing worth thinking about.
If you’re driving for several hours, try to:
- Stop every couple of hours to stretch your legs.
- Walk around while refuelling.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Avoid eating simply because you’re bored.
- Keep healthy snacks within easy reach and treats tucked away until you genuinely want them.
Little habits like these can make a surprisingly big difference to how you feel when you arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best snacks for a long car journey?
The best snacks are easy to transport, easy to eat and suitable for the temperature they’ll be stored at. Fruit, nuts, popcorn, cereal bars and crackers are convenient without refrigeration, while a cool bag lets you take things such as yoghurt, cheese, eggs, hummus and cooked chicken.
I’d take a mixture rather than relying on one snack for the entire journey.
What healthy snacks can I buy for a road trip?
Supermarkets usually have plenty of easy options including fruit pots, whole fruit, vegetable sticks, hummus, yoghurt, cooked chicken, boiled eggs, nuts, popcorn and individual cheese portions.
You don’t need to buy products specifically labelled “healthy”. Look for foods you enjoy that will actually work for your journey.
What snacks can stay in the car without refrigeration?
Whole fruit, nuts, popcorn, crackers, pretzels, cereal bars, rice cakes, crisps and sweets are generally much easier to transport without a cool bag than fresh dairy, cooked meats or other chilled foods.
Always follow the storage instructions on packaged foods, particularly in hot weather.
What snacks should I take on a road trip when trying to lose weight?
I’d take some foods that are genuinely filling rather than relying entirely on low-calorie snacks.
A combination of fibre, protein and foods you enjoy can work well. Fruit, nuts, yoghurt, eggs and vegetables are possibilities depending on storage, but there’s absolutely room for crisps, chocolate or sweets too.
Trying to lose weight doesn’t mean your road trip snack bag has to resemble the contents of a rabbit hutch.
How do I stop eating out of boredom in the car?
Planning your snacks before you leave helps enormously. I also find chewing sugar-free gum, drinking water and stopping for a short walk at service stations makes a big difference.
Are motorway service stations good for healthy food?
They’re much better than they used to be. Most now offer fruit, salads, yoghurt and sandwiches alongside the traditional sweets and crisps, although bringing your own snacks is usually cheaper and gives you more control over your choices.
What are the best Slimming World snacks for travelling?
Fresh fruit, boiled eggs, vegetable sticks, chicken pieces, homemade snack boxes and other filling foods are all practical choices. If you’re following Slimming World, always check the latest official guidance, as Swip values can change over time.
More Slimming World snack ideas
There are lots of tasty snacks you can have, which are either syn-free or low in syns. If you have not found anything above to take your fancy, then do check out these lists.
Snack ideas that are usually syn free
What are your favourite snacks? Are they on here?
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