Bon appétit!

Going on holiday doesn’t have to mean a complete lapse in healthy eating. Three heart matters readers tell us how they manage their diets when they’re away.

The caravan holiday

The cruise

The Spanish haven

The caravan holiday

Helen Anderson, 51, (pictured right)holidays in her caravan both in the UK and abroad, with her husband, and sometimes children and grandchildren, too.

“The advantage of being in a caravan is that you are more in control of your food. I’d say I probably eat less, too, because there just isn’t so much around to snack on. When I’m outside and in the warm weather, I also find I don’t want to eat as much and am less inclined to have heavier meals.

We have to really focus on what we want to eat, which means we tend to buy fresh and only get what we need

“Because we’re out of the normal daily routine, there’s less on my mind, so I would say we think more about what we’re going to eat. It’s one of the main activities of the day. We take longer over our meals, too. We often cook outside and then chat and eat in the sunshine,rather than quickly gobbling down our meals and rushing on to the next thing.

“When we’re abroad, it’s different to the UK where we know the shops and the food. But although the offers are generally the same as at home, we shop differently. There might be special deals like ‘buy one get one free’ on biscuits and things, but being in a caravan means there just isn’t that much space for storage. We have to really focus on what we want to eat, which means we tend to buy fresh and only get what we need.”

The cruise

Pat Parkinson, 72, first went on a cruise for a “holiday of a lifetime” for her 70th birthday and has since been on a cruise on a smaller boat around Croatia, too.

"I chose Croatia as I had been on holidays there in the past and always liked it. I enjoyed going on a smaller boat, too, as we were more active. We would often sail into the little ports and could swim off the boat.

“I think the best thing about holiday food is having someone else to prepare it for you. You don’t have to think about what to cook and you don’t always know what it’s going to be.

"The boat I was on offered full board, so you could eat big meals if you wanted to. I found that I preferred to eat at regular times and similar amounts as at home, though. I don’t like feeling over-full and didn’t want that to stop me from enjoying myself while I was away.

“I tend to have a lighter breakfast, like yoghurt and fruit, or some scrambled eggs. Then I have a salad for lunch and a main meal later. I’m not really a snacker, but I will have the odd thing if I feel like it – a sandwich at teatime or a piece of homemade cake. It is a holiday, after all!”

The Spanish haven

Tim Wilcox, 64, and his wife have been going to Andalucia in Spain regularly for the past ten years.

“Andalucia has a huge amount to offer, food-wise. Top of our list is fish, which is widely available. When we are staying in Málaga, we walk to the east of the city, which is filled with restaurants serving sardines and other fish that are barbecued right in front of you on the beach.

“I definitely eat more fish, and a wider variety of species than I do at home. I now love pulpo [octopus], for example. I really wasn’t sure at first but, cooked well, it’s delicious. We’ve also tried new fruits, which have been a bit of a revelation, and I’ve discovered even familiar fruits and vegetables like tomatoes are delicious when they are really ripe and locally grown.

“We definitely eat better while we’re away, although we probably eat more, too! But we’re also more active. The weather is so nice, you just want to be outside.”