Updated

Summer is here and with the kids out of school, it's a perfect time for a family trip. Whether driving or hopping on a plane, travel comes with temptation- fast food, dining out and snacking during the day. And because U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show more than half of American adults are overweight or obese, it's more important than ever to watch your diet while you travel. But it is possible to eat healthy on vacation. See below for my favorite family friendly travel tips.

In-the-Car Snacking:

Rather than stopping at greasy, fattening fast food joints, plan ahead and pack a cooler with healthy snacks.

Pack veggies like baby carrots, sliced celery, cucumber and red pepper with individual cups of ranch dressing for dipping.

Kids love sweet fruit. Sliced apples, grapes, and dried fruit like raisins, dried apricots and apples are a perfect travel snack because they are not messy and easy to eat. Avoid fruits you have to peel like oranges, kiwi and grapefruit-the juice and rinds are messy.

Other great snack ideas include:

Yogurts (individual tubes, such a Gogurt are easy to eat since no spoon is necessary)

String cheese

Gnu Food's Flavor and Fiber Bars: These granola bars come in five yummy flavors and contain 12g of fiber. Kids love them and moms love that they are all natural.

Trail Mix: Kids love the sweet and crunchy mix of ingredients. Mix whole-wheat pretzels, wheat chex, dried craisins or raisins, chocolate chips and nuts for a high-energy, high-protein snack.

Make sandwiches on whole-wheat tortillas-kids love the fun shape of a rolled up sandwich. Turkey, peanut butter and jelly, chicken are all great options for fillings (avoid tuna fish since the mayo makes the bread soggy and the smell is strong which might bother other travelers on a plane, or stink up your car if you are driving!).

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and founder of

. She is also the creator of The F-Factor DietaC/, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being. For more information log onto

.