Food and Drink Recommendations for a Road Trip from Riyadh

Saudi Arabia, with craggy green mountains, expansive arid deserts, and a beautiful coastline, is a tourist destination built for road trips. It offers a variety of environments and experiences for you to go out and know them. Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s largest city, as well as its capital city. 

Riyadh is known for its long, rich history with numerous palaces, forts, mosques, museums, and vibrant souks. The vast region is also famous for attractions like Diriyah, Saudi state’s first capital, and the At-Turaif district, a historical site that lies northwest of the capital.

The simplest way to travel is by renting a car. There are several automobile rental firms in Saudi Arabia, and the rental process is simple. Riyadh car rental is the best way to explore the city’s attractions like the Edge of the World, National Museum, Kingdom Tower, and King Abdullah Park.

When in Riyadh, rent a car to travel between cities or go on outdoor excursions to explore historic villages and soak up the history, scenic beauty, and dynamic cosmopolitanism. You can take your time to explore the old souks, enjoy delectable local cuisine, and stroll on the sandy beaches. You need to be ready before you take your luggage and start driving. 

Here are some recommendations we offer for a memorable road trip to various attractions in Riyadh.

• Go for nuts as snacks

While on a road trip, go for healthy snacks with a jar of nuts and seeds instead of chips if you want to have something crunchy and salty. Your favourite nuts like pistachios, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts, as well as pumpkin or sunflower seeds, are nutritious sources of both protein and healthy fats.

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Even though nuts are a great source of protein, fibre, and healthy fats, eat them in moderation. The caloric sweet spot for snacking is 100 calories, which is comparable to just 20 pistachios or 14 almonds. Also, limit sodium intake by selecting unsalted options.

• Choose healthy beverage options

It is advisable to avoid soda, for it contains a high amount of refined sugar that leads to obesity and several illnesses, including type 2 diabetes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture advises eating (or drinking) refined sugar of fewer than six teaspoons a day if your daily caloric needs are around 1,600. There are 1.3 ounces or 39 grams, which is equal to 10 teaspoons, of sugar in a can of soda.

Water, 100 per cent vegetable or fruit juice, and seltzer are healthy beverage substitutes for soda, fruit beverages, and sports drinks. While on a road trip, have some bottles or cartons of water or juice chilled in the cooler.

• Pack fruits that are easy to travel with

Fruit that is easier to pack and carry is a great choice. Berries, like grapes, are naturally finger food. All you need to do is clean and slice the fruits as required before the road trip. To help keep the fruits cool and fresh, use food containers with lids to store them in an insulated cooler. 

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You can also carry dried fruits and applesauce in single-serving packets apart from having fresh fruits sliced or cubed. Any dried fruit, including raisins, cranberries, and apricots, can be a nutritious addition to your regular diet. Fruits like bananas, apples, and grapes make excellent snack selections since they are convenient, palatable, and healthy. Another great choice is dried fruit without any added sugar.

• Replace candy bars with energy bars

A candy bar of standard size gives 260 calories, 30-35 grams of sugar, 40 grams of carbohydrates and 10 grams of fat. To increase your protein and fibre intake and avoid sugar, think about switching to an energy or granola bar from the candy bar. Bars with protein – 5 grams, fibre – 3 grams, and calories less than 35 are what you should seek out.

Energy bars are ideal because they don’t produce excess sugar and keep you satisfied for hours.

• Bring pre-prepped veggies for a nutritious snack

Raw vegetables washed, prepared, and readied are always healthy snacks. Baby carrots, which are snack-sized, grape tomatoes, cherry, celery sticks, broccoli florets, and snap peas are a few options that are suitable for road trips, but any of your favourite vegetables will keep fresh when cut and kept in an insulated cooler.

You can also add healthy fats and protein by having peanut butter or hummus as a dip to help keep your hunger at bay and your energy level up. Using a cup of baby carrots and one or two tablespoons of hummus as a dip, for instance, makes a 100-calorie-healthy snack.

• Enjoy cheese on the go

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Low-fat cheese is the ideal road-trip-friendly finger food, whether it comes in the form of Colby or cheddar cubes, cottage cheese in single-serving containers, or string cheese snacks. Cheese of 1.5 ounces or two string cheese snacks contains calcium and several nutrients and vitamins and gives 100 calories. Cheese is a fantastic nutritious food to have in your diet if you are snacking on it.

• Create your trail mix

Pre-packaged trail mixes are generally available in convenience stores if you are on a road trip and need a snack but beware of their high fat, sugar, and sodium levels. Fortunately, you can produce a simple and quick snack with trail mix and store it nicely in a lidded container. You can combine granola, dried fruits, raw seeds and nuts for a simple trail mix.

If you want something spicy and crunchy, add wasabi peas and for sweetness, you can add dark chocolate chips. Further, you can also have GORP which means good old raisins and peanuts, a classic trail mix. You can improvise it by adding peanuts and dried cranberries.

• Indulge in some cheese and crackers

A classic combo of cheese and crackers provides protein and healthy whole-grain carbohydrates that will keep you full for a long time. To make this snack suitable for transportation, prepare the cheese slices at home or pack a few string cheese snacks for single-serving in a cooler.  

• Yoghurt for something cooler

Yoghurt is a fantastic snack for both kids and adults, whether it’s combined with fruit and oats and stored in a cooler, made into a low-fat smoothie, or a road-trip-friendly tube. It increases your daily dietary intake of vitamin D and calcium.  

• Wrap up your snacks for easy transport

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Sandwiches can stave off hunger easily while enhancing your daily nutrition with some quality protein and good grains. A mini-pita sandwich with raw vegetables and hummus, or wraps with cheese and lean meats, should be stored in a cooler. The other options, like whole grain bread with any nut butter and jelly, need only room temperature to store.

A road trip is completely manageable with Riyadh car rental from one of the best car rental companies in Saudi Arabia.