Nutrition for a journey
Travel makes it very difficult to get the nutrients your body needs, and while fruits are usually available to keep you going for a while, there comes a time when you feel for something solid.
When that time comes, you should be prepared as choices are limited, if you are serious about avoiding salt, sugar, and preservatives.
Nuts have traditionally been used for exactly that purpose. Starting your journey in Jamaica, you can carry a supply of cashew nuts and peanuts. One portion I just soak overnight before the travelling day, then I rinse them every few hours. The taste will change to a very refreshing vegetable-like flavour as the roots start to grow. You will have a ready snack available for at least two to three days.
That should be enough to reach nearly anywhere, thanks to today’s global travel network. You will still have the roasted and dry nuts. Of course, the nature of them is to stay naturally preserved for a long time, and they go well with fruits.
One thing I would love to see more in Jamaica is sun-dried coconut. It is one of those items that makes a tasty snack, but it seems to be easier to get in faraway lands than where it comes from.
Wholesome bread is another great snack to have on a trip. Some Observer West readers might remember the wholewheat bread mentioned in this coloum a few weeks ago. With nuts and dry fruits as ingredients, it is a very nutritious snack as well. A bit of nut butter and a slice of tomato turn it into a meal. Of course, some dry fruits in your handbag should come in handy as well.
You should be well nourished with these supplies, and there is always the chance that you will find something on the way, but don’t depend on it. I walked for miles the other day in a major European airport out of curiosity, and didn’t find one meal I could have had without compromising my diet. It was some of the snacks mentioned and fruits I carried from the farm that kept me nourished during the layover.
Thomas ‘Bongo Tommy’ Huber is a Swiss national who migrated to Westmoreland’s Retrieve District 10 years ago. He is a naturalist who lives off the land and is deeply involved in an ongoing effort to create Jamaica’s next generation of exotic fruit trees.