Uncorked and Cultivated is a wine and food touring company guiding mainly Australians through French and Italian wine regions. We are very mindful that you remain fit and healthy during your short stay with us. We asked Eleni Georgiou from the nutritionally founded group Two Greek Girls Cooking to offer their travel tips on health.

Marinated Seafood-Taormina

Our Tuscany Wine Tours take guests through the villages in Montalcino, Castellina and Rufina, home of pecorino and sangiovese; offering introduction-only visits to wineries, only some open to the public.  If you’d like to find out more about this exclusive guided experience for lovers of wine and food, you can call me direct on +61 427 705 391 or email denisew@uncorkedandcultivated.com.au.

Healthy eating is not a priority when travelling through Europe. Although a lot of European cuisine consists of fresh produce and amazing wholefoods, at times we get distracted and our eyes drift to the not so healthy options. We become so invested in culture, food and the people that there is zero hesitation to overindulge (speaking from experience at Uncorked). It is not difficult to maintain ones’ healthy eating habits when travelling though. The following are a few simple tips.

Iced Potato Soup-Summer Truffle-Nuits Saint-Georges

Do your research!

When planning a holiday, it is easy to get caught up in the logistical details of the trip, and forget about the real food!! Research online the local cuisine, best restaurants, deli’s, wholefood stores, and farmers’ markets, ask friends and family who have travelled before and MOST importantly, ASK THE LOCALS.

Asking the shop assistant or people walking the streets will usually lead you to those amazing restaurants that are not in the travel guides and where locals eat. This will present you with the most authentic experience. This usually means wholefoods with as little westernisation to the dishes as possible meaning less processed! Take your time when searching for a place to eat and assess all the options. (Uncorked’s guided tours have done this so we select fitting restaurants, and we add more on your personal travel guide during your stay in a city. But we agree in doing your health and enjoyment research, and you will note Peter is also a well respected TripAdvisor writer).

Fine Dining-Clos du Cedre-Beaune

Keep Hydrated

For anyone who has travelled to Europe, you will know there are endless sights to see and many streets to get lost in. This however usually involves A LOT of walking in the amazing European weather, increasing the chance of dehydration. It is SO important to always be carrying a large water bottle to keep yourself hydrated for a typical (never ending) tourist day. Look out for the ancient drinking fountains, there since Roman times, when in Rome.

Breakfast

Meal times are never consistent when travelling and are often skipped when sightseeing. It is however, still important to start your day with breakfast, no matter what time you wake. This will not only start your metabolism, but you will feel energised for the day ahead. Uncorked touring always includes breakfast.

Prepared snacking

Don’t panic, this tip does not involve the daunting process of “meal prep”.  Instead, try to visit a wholefoods store or farmers market to stock up on some fresh fruit or dried fruit and nuts to keep in your backpack. This allows you to be able to have a quick healthy snack when feeling low and also avoid hunger panic, which we realise, may end in a sneaky unhealthy purchase.

Try to include one proper nutritious meal per day

We know that the usual criteria for choosing food when travelling, especially in Europe, is “does it look good?” and the usual answer is “Yep!”. A compromise here is to try to choose one nutritionally sound meal per day. You tend to try a ‘bit of this’ and a ‘bit of that’ and find that you haven’t actually consumed a proper meal. Whether it be a protein-filled breakfast, or a carbohydrate and protein lunch, you would be surprised the difference it makes in how you feel. A good idea is to usually choose this meal for lunch, as people tend to indulge at dinner.

Prawn Tails, Foam -Trento