I was feeling nostalgic the other day. My husband and I were driving four hours to our daughter’s college graduation. Our youngest is ready to launch into adulthood and a career.

I saw many families with young children at rest stops and convenience stores. I asked my husband if he remembered our family trips.

“They were a lot of work,” he replied matter-of-factly.

I was expecting him to sentimentally talk about the fleeting moments of childhood and family life. He was correct, though.

We stopped to fill our gas tank. I overheard kids trying to convince their parents to buy them candy and pop. The store was using the “buy two, get one free” tactic, and the kids had their hands full of food packages and bottles. The parents were ushering them back to the cooler and shelves.

I did not miss that part of family trips. We usually traveled with a cooler filled with healthier, less expensive fare.

“Did you see that?” my husband asked when we returned to our car.

“Yes, she bought two bananas and a cup of coffee,” I replied.

You can purchase healthy food in most places if you make a plan. Unfortunately, quick-stop stores and dollar stores are filled with what we now call “ultraprocessed foods.”

Eating processed food is not necessarily “bad” for us. Most of our foods are processed in some way — by cleaning, peeling, grinding, cooking, canning or freezing. Much of the processing is done to make the food safe, edible and convenient.

For example, grinding and sifting wheat into flour is technically processing, but the process allows us to consume the grain kernels. Baby carrots have been processed from large carrots, but they have all the vitamins and fiber.

Eating minimally processed foods with fewer added ingredients is healthier for us. Most of the time, food is chosen for its flavor. Ultraprocessed foods certainly tempt us with their salty and/or sweet flavors.

Ultraprocessed foods are formulated to be tasty and include numerous additives with names that are difficult to pronounce. These ingredients might enhance the appearance (such as synthetic colors) or the flavor. Additives can be used to preserve the food or improve the texture.

Much of our convenient grab-and-go foods, such as pastries, candy bars, soda, instant soups and chips, would fall in the ultraprocessed food category.

While eating an occasional treat will do no long-term harm, a steady diet of ultraprocessed food could promote weight gain and several chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

What’s a person to do on a road trip? Read and compare the Nutrition Facts labels and check out the ingredients. Make your own snacks. Travel with water as your thirst quencher of choice.

Bring your own snacks in a cooler with ice. Low-fat string cheese, whole-wheat crackers, apples and other whole fruit, hard-cooked eggs, homemade granola or trail mix, mixed nuts, homemade fruit leather, dried fruit or beef jerky, popcorn, whole-grain crackers and Greek yogurt are all options that contain minimally processed ingredients.

Don’t forget wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer to clean your hands on the go.

See www.ag.ndsu.edu/food and check out the “Food Preservation” and “Drying” sections to learn how to make your own fruit leather, jerky and other snacks. Next, from the main page, go to “Food Safety” and explore the “Home” resources that include food safety for camping, hiking and picnics.

Here’s a tasty recipe that can go on the road with you. We thank the Iowa State University Spend Smart – Eat Smart program for the recipe and nutrition analysis.

Peanut Butter Banana Oat Bites

1 medium ripe banana
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup dried fruit (finely chopped) or chocolate chips

Mash banana with a fork. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together banana, vanilla, egg and sugar with a fork or whisk. Stir in peanut butter and baking powder. Stir in oats and dried fruit or chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Drop the batter by leveled-off tablespoonful 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Gently pat down with fingertips to form circles. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand on the baking sheet for 4 minutes. Remove onto wire racks or paper towels to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 16 oat bites. Each has 150 calories, 9 grams (g) fat, 5 g protein, 15 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber and 90 milligrams sodium.

(Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., R.D., L.R.D., is a North Dakota State University Extension food and nutrition specialist and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.)

NDSU Agriculture Communication – May 22, 2025

Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, 701-231-7187, julie.garden-robinson@ndsu.edu

Editor: Dominic Erickson, 701-231-5546, dominic.erickson@ndsu.edu