Traveling and food go well together for the stomach, but not always other parts of the body. One difficult task in traveling is getting enough fruit and on a related note, fiber.
If you are used to eating fruit and high-fiber foods at home, finding those when you travel can be more difficult in more ways than one.
When you travel, finding grain- and vegetable-related carbohydrates doesn't take much skill. And when you do find fruit, it usually comes in a small glass of orange juice. Nice, but there isn't a lot of fiber in a glass of juice.
Finding whole wheat spaghetti is nearly impossible; finding regular spaghetti is easy. Again, a lack of fiber.
But traveling in summer is a great opportunity to check out the farmers markets where you are traveling, connect with local growers, and walk away with fruit and fiber for your vacation and your health.
And when traveling outside summer, consider even a nearby grocery store to stock up.
On this trip, I hit two well-known markets in these communities: in Montréal, the Marche Jean-Talon; in Quebec City, the Marche de Vieux Port. (In French, marche means market.)
Though the perception is that Montréal and Quebec City are very cold cities, they do get a rather nice summer. And despite their deserved reputations, both cities have a year-round market.
The fruit and vegetable vendors were in the open-air section, roofs but no walls, in the center of Marche Jean-Talon, located on the north side of the city. The market is just west of the Metro stop (named Jean-Talon), so you don't even need a car.
In Quebec, the structure is enclosed and located near the train station, a decent walk away from the center of Old Quebec.
The province is also known for its mushrooms, a good source of fiber. Even if you aren't into fruit or if it's less than ideal weather for fruit, there are other farmer-friendly sources.
My main conquest from Montréal was bleuets, or blueberries. I even got a container with a handle, convenient for traveling. I got a pint and made that last several days, even traveling by train from Montréal to Quebec City. And even after several days with rough treatment, they lasted very well.
On my last day in Quebec City, I had a nice little picnic consisting of a small Caesar's salad from a local grocer, small tomate (tomatoes) from the market in Quebec, and the remaining blueberries from Montréal. It was the most delightful meal I have had since Paris.
Food can get expensive when traveling. For about the same price as a McDonald's meal, I ate very well with lots of fiber as well.
Traveling usually involves getting out of routines. Especially when you are trying to be good, keeping those routines is rather important. Taking time from seeing the sights isn't high on most travelers list. Though in both cases, the markets became part of the fun.
I got to work on my French, see how two cold cities have vibrant year-round farmers markets, and how they use their markets to accent other sources of food, from meat to wine to crafts. Yes, in the province of Quebec, seeing wine for sale in a farmers market is pretty normal.
And even if you are traveling to less international-focused locales, you can find local fun and keep more regular — by adding a little fruit and fiber to your vacation fun.
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