How to keep a healthy waistline and eat well on business

However healthily you may eat at home, once out on the road, it's easy to fall into a trap of eating easy, on-hand foods morning, noon and night and washing them down with sugary drinks that all head straight to the waistline.

Without even trying - or realising - you'll be adding anywhere between 500 to 1,000 calories over the recommended levels each day, while away.

What's more, many business travellers are so accustomed to multi-course meals with alcohol and dessert that over-eating and over-drinking becomes effortless. And even if conscious of how much is being consumed, you're usually too exhausted or too busy to do anything about it. Often, you'll eat whatever is in front of you. And there isn't always a healthy option.

But before you throw in the towel and chow down on the 16-ounce steak with creamed spinach and fried potatoes at your next dinner meeting, realise that small changes pay off big when it comes to warding off pesky pounds.

It makes plane sense

When on a plane, make sure you plan ahead. Order the low calorie meal when booking your flight. The day of your trip, regulate your meals. If it's a morning flight and you know you're not going to have time for breakfast, grab at least a piece of fruit, a yogurt or a granola bar before leaving the house.

If it's a night flight, have a small meal before leaving the house. Even if you're not hungry, it's better to eat at home than at the coffee shops, fast food outlets or from the tidbits in the business class lounge at the airport.

On the plane try not to sit for too long, so if possible move around the cabin. Stand up and stretch your arms and legs every couple of hours. Go for the light bite on the plane. Eat a light meal and drink water - little and often is best. Go easy on the alcohol, coffee and tea.

On arrival at your destination, don't double up meals. So if you have to rush to a business meal not long after the plane lands, avoid the temptation of eating a full dinner on the plane. Go for the side salad or a fruit salad, just to keep you going until you get to the restaurant.

Slash those calories the easy way

When on a business trip where all your meals seem to be booked with clients, keep a few tips in mind:
• Ask for the salad dressing to be put on the side, not on the salad
• Use skimmed milk, not full fat or cream
• Limit the amount you eat from the bread basket.

These three changes alone will save you a few hundred calories a day. What's more, avoid drinking orange juice with breakfast, soda with lunch and wine with dinner. These drinks are usually the status quo at business meals, but liquid calories add up fast and don't keep you full. If you must have a calorie-laden drink, try and do so only at one meal.

Secret stash

In addition, having a stash of snacks stowed away in your carry-on is crucial. Always have energy bars and raw nuts with you. If you're stuck on a plane, in meetings all day or if there is no healthy food available, it's important you have something on hand to tide you over.

These bars or raw nuts are easy to carry, will not spoil and are quick to consume when on the run. When choosing energy bars, the key is opting for an all-natural one that isn't loaded with sugar and has a combination of fibre and protein, which leaves you feeling full longer.

That way if you miss out on breakfast or lunch, you won't come to dinner lethargic, with low blood sugars, starving and demolishing whatever is put in front of you without considering if it is what you want or even tastes good.

If there's no healthy food in sight and you don't want to come across like an unwelcoming host when entertaining clients at lunch or dinner, the key is not to starve yourself.

Your best option is to keep your portions small - that means a palm-sized amount of protein and a fist worth of carbohydrates. Unless vegetables are buttered or creamed, enjoy them in unlimited amounts. Eat slowly and enjoy more your company than the food that is in front of you.

Pretty soon, these healthy habits will become second nature. You will not only control your weight but also feel more energised, more productive and have a better business trip all around.

Nathalie Haddad is Dietitian/ Managing Director of Right Bite Catering, a lifestyle enhancement service that delivers personalised healthy meals based on your nutritional requirements fresh daily to your doorstep.