Do Most Truck Stop Restaurants Offer Healthy Meal Choices These Days?

I like this guy though I vote him for Troll of the month award. I feel shamed because he's been trolling me hard and I didn't even realize it. Usually I pick up on these things without OS having to say it.

A+

(Cheerful/Proud Tone)

I like this guy though I vote him for Troll of the month award. I feel shamed because he's been trolling me hard and I didn't even realize it. Usually I pick up on these things without OS having to say it.

A+

(Cheerful/Proud Tone)

I think we can vote him the winner, unless he's the same guy as the last guy, or if the last guy was also here this month, in which case we need to squeeze two gold medal winners on the same podium.

I'm picturing the next round of questions being something along the line of,,,,,, Do I always have to open the doors or will someone be there to do it for me. What if it's raining? How do I back up when it's raining hard and I can barely see out of my mirrors?

I think about these things and immediately Clint Eastwood comes to mind in his roll as Gunny Highway. "We improvise, we adapt, we overcome"

Jeez, you Americans are so blessed. We have our own list of things we like and don't like and things we simply won't eat or drink meanwhile my relatives in Ukraine would fall on their knees to beg for raw potatoes.

It'll be difficult to eat like a kind every day especially if you're not the one cooking it. However, if you do eat as you like then you probably won't be bringing any money home because you'll be spending your entire paycheck on food.

No, my per diem should pretty much cover eating three hot squares, or one cold square for lunch, out daily even at places with healthy menu choices.

To cook the things I normally eat at home, I need a chest freezer, a full-size refrigerator, a blender, a toaster, a large microwave, Tupperware, a cheese grater, a gas or electric range stove and oven and a Weber gas grille. Not the normal food-service facilities the OTR driver will normally have access to all across the fruited plain. As well as a sink with running hot water, an automatic dishwasher, cupboards, spice racks: I mean a full-on household kitchen. Is their any reason under the sun that restaurants normally frequented by the OTR drivers cannot offer sensible menu choices? Can they not spray the skillet with PAM if the customer asks for it instead of drowning hash browns in oil? Can they not stock LEAN ham and LEAN ground beef? Why do these industries poison drivers with fat, sugar, calories and cholesterol? I wish the federal government would mandate that all truck stop restaurants offer healthy meal choices. Can this fat-slob image of big-rig drivers that the American food industry perpetuates ever end?

Of course, fresh fruit like grapefruit halves can be easily packed along inside the rig. I am sure the rig will have provisions for milk in the fridge. I have a bunch of Coleman coolers too.

There are not as many "big fat slob drivers" as you may think there is. I've seen many people out here exercising and practicing a healthy life style. If they can do it, so can you.

Jeez, you Americans are so blessed. We have our own list of things we like and don't like and things we simply won't eat or drink meanwhile my relatives in Ukraine would fall on their knees to beg for raw potatoes.

It'll be difficult to eat like a kind every day especially if you're not the one cooking it. However, if you do eat as you like then you probably won't be bringing any money home because you'll be spending your entire paycheck on food.

No, my per diem should pretty much cover eating three hot squares, or one cold square for lunch, out daily even at places with healthy menu choices.

To cook the things I normally eat at home, I need a chest freezer, a full-size refrigerator, a blender, a toaster, a large microwave, Tupperware, a cheese grater, a gas or electric range stove and oven and a Weber gas grille. Not the normal food-service facilities the OTR driver will normally have access to all across the fruited plain. As well as a sink with running hot water, an automatic dishwasher, cupboards, spice racks: I mean a full-on household kitchen. Is their any reason under the sun that restaurants normally frequented by the OTR drivers cannot offer sensible menu choices? Can they not spray the skillet with PAM if the customer asks for it instead of drowning hash browns in oil? Can they not stock LEAN ham and LEAN ground beef? Why do these industries poison drivers with fat, sugar, calories and cholesterol? I wish the federal government would mandate that all truck stop restaurants offer healthy meal choices. Can this fat-slob image of big-rig drivers that the American food industry perpetuates ever end?

Of course, fresh fruit like grapefruit halves can be easily packed along inside the rig. I am sure the rig will have provisions for milk in the fridge. I have a bunch of Coleman coolers too.

If you are willing to be creative you can easily cook for yourself. Here is a list of items that may/may not be beneficial to you.

12v - Thermoelectric Cooler (Coleman), coffee pot (for making hot water at the least), crockpot, electric skillet, rice cooker, lunchbox oven (nice because cleanup is easy with aluminum inserts)

(Do note that in my opinion most 12v appliances you find in truck stops are cheaply made and do not last long)

120v (obviously need an inverter) - SMALL microwave, dorm Frig (I wouldn't dare go any bigger), crockpot, coffee pot, rice cooker, small electric skillet, small blender/juicer (think Ninja).

120v items are cheaper than 12v versions. About 1/4 the price for similar size. However they are not made for the jarring and bouncing. The size of the inverter needed will depend on how many 120v items you have and how powerful each is.

It may be a good idea to mix/match 120v and 12v to achieve your desired results.

Like: 12V thermoelectric cooler, small microwave, 12v electric skillet, 12v rice cooker, 120v crockpot, 120v small bullet style blender/juicer.

Jeez, you Americans are so blessed. We have our own list of things we like and don't like and things we simply won't eat or drink meanwhile my relatives in Ukraine would fall on their knees to beg for raw potatoes.

It'll be difficult to eat like a kind every day especially if you're not the one cooking it. However, if you do eat as you like then you probably won't be bringing any money home because you'll be spending your entire paycheck on food.

No, my per diem should pretty much cover eating three hot squares, or one cold square for lunch, out daily even at places with healthy menu choices.

To cook the things I normally eat at home, I need a chest freezer, a full-size refrigerator, a blender, a toaster, a large microwave, Tupperware, a cheese grater, a gas or electric range stove and oven and a Weber gas grille. Not the normal food-service facilities the OTR driver will normally have access to all across the fruited plain. As well as a sink with running hot water, an automatic dishwasher, cupboards, spice racks: I mean a full-on household kitchen. Is their any reason under the sun that restaurants normally frequented by the OTR drivers cannot offer sensible menu choices? Can they not spray the skillet with PAM if the customer asks for it instead of drowning hash browns in oil? Can they not stock LEAN ham and LEAN ground beef? Why do these industries poison drivers with fat, sugar, calories and cholesterol? I wish the federal government would mandate that all truck stop restaurants offer healthy meal choices. Can this fat-slob image of big-rig drivers that the American food industry perpetuates ever end?

Of course, fresh fruit like grapefruit halves can be easily packed along inside the rig. I am sure the rig will have provisions for milk in the fridge. I have a bunch of Coleman coolers too.

If you are willing to be creative you can easily cook for yourself. Here is a list of items that may/may not be beneficial to you.

12v - Thermoelectric Cooler (Coleman), coffee pot (for making hot water at the least), crockpot, electric skillet, rice cooker, lunchbox oven (nice because cleanup is easy with aluminum inserts)

(Do note that in my opinion most 12v appliances you find in truck stops are cheaply made and do not last long)

120v (obviously need an inverter) - SMALL microwave, dorm Frig (I wouldn't dare go any bigger), crockpot, coffee pot, rice cooker, small electric skillet, small blender/juicer (think Ninja).

120v items are cheaper than 12v versions. About 1/4 the price for similar size. However they are not made for the jarring and bouncing. The size of the inverter needed will depend on how many 120v items you have and how powerful each is.

It may be a good idea to mix/match 120v and 12v to achieve your desired results.

Like: 12V thermoelectric cooler, small microwave, 12v electric skillet, 12v rice cooker, 120v crockpot, 120v small bullet style blender/juicer.

I think the word you are looking for is "fridge". You may want to Google the word "frig" to see what it means. Trust me!

Oscar, your posts remind me of some recent folks who've been in here. Everything they posted were researching into the reasons why they did not want to be a truck driver. You've now gone from your distaste for the modern shapes of our trucks to the excessive proportion of fats in our foods. And you even went so far as to worrying about the way our foot pedals are shaped in our trucks. You seem to be either happily unemployed, or just amusing yourself by trolling trucking forums.

Which one is it?

Sometimes I think you're a mind reader. I was thinking that on his first post - which is why I haven't responded to any of them.

Brett could probably check IP's to see if he's one of our recently "dearly departed".

Not the typical questions we see from our typical "curious newbie", but detailed, almost nit-picking ones.

Fuel Pedal on a Peterbilt?

Reveal yourself demon!

Rick

Oscar, if you're serious, my doctor has me on a heart-healthy diet. I don't have a refrigerator or even an inverter for a microwave on my current truck. I do have a cooler, but it's a pain to buy ice every day, so I haven't been. I've been eating a lot of food that you can store without refrigeration, and I've been eating food from truck stops. I read labels too, especially for sodium, saturated and trans fats, and sugars.

So far I've been doing OK with the available offerings at Subway, some of the PJ Fresh stuff at Pilot/Flying J, some of the stuff in Love's coolers, little restaurants, and even McDonalds. Yes, McDonalds, but you have to take your time to look instead of just ordering a Big Mac or a Royale with Cheese. The full service restaurants (which I rarely eat at) like Denny's, Huddle House, Iron Skillet, etc. also have some low fat / low sodium choices on their menus.

It's nowhere near the same as working a job where I can prepare my meals at home every day, though, and it never will be. If that's critical, you should probably just forget about trucking.

Brett covered the exercise part. If you really want to do it, you can, even with a goofy schedule. I haven't been getting in as much as I'd like, so I'm using this long weekend to reset myself and gear up for making it daily again when I go back on the road.

Now, if you're really just a troll instead of a geek obsessed with details that don't matter, I won't give my vote to you for Troll of the Month. You could do a lot better at trolling us. I mean, "steak sauce as a dressing mixed with plain yogurt" was like one of those little spinner jigs sparkling in the water as it glides through the weeds, but I'm not biting, tempting as it is.

I will give you props for your funny list of things you like to eat. It reminded me of a funny song by Ween that I hadn't thought of for a long time.

Blame my autocorrect for the Frig, but since we are on it. I think I will frig the pagan goddess Frigg.

Here's a hint about food choices​ people make:

Bowing to public pressure, McDonalds has offered salads for years. According to Hoffington Post, salads only make up 2-3% of sales. I guess "eating healthy" is up to the customer, yaknow?