Question: What is the biggest food challenge for your clients who travel for business?

There are a few challenges that I hear about more often than others. Restaurant meals can be problematic. Large portions are common, and depending on where you are traveling, some restaurant menus are very limited. Eating dinner late also makes it hard for people to manage their weight. Sitting down to order a meal at 8:00 p.m. means you're starving and ready to devour the entire breadbasket - and you're more likely to order a higher-calorie meal.

Question: What is your top diet tip for business travelers?

Be proactive! And that means doing some advance planning. Usually, the trouble starts when you're feeling hungry and tired. You are more likely to reach for the cookies in a meeting, or stop at a Tim Horton's drive-thru for a donut or bagel with cream cheese.

• Bring portable snacks with you when you travel. Energy bars, granola bars, nuts and dried fruit all travel well. I suggest pre-packaging your fruit and nuts into snack size Ziploc bags to prevent over-eating. (Keep in mind that one cup of nuts may have as many as 1000 calories!) Plan to have a snack mid afternoon to prevent you from getting too hungry.
• If you're staying in one city or town for more than a few days, find a local grocery store to stock up on fresh fruit like apples, bananas and pears. Throw one in your briefcase for a mid day snack. If your hotel room has a mini bar fridge, you can also buy yogurt to eat for breakfast.

Question: What are the best breakfasts to eat when travelling for business?

This is where many of my clients go wrong - they often skip breakfast because they are rushing to get to a meeting and they don't have enough time to order room service or visit the hotel dining room.

• Bring breakfast when you travel. I have plenty of clients who bring a box of Kellogg's All Bran Buds with them when travelling. They just order milk or yogurt and fruit. Some clients also bring packages of instant oatmeal and use the in-room coffee maker for hot water. Others bring an energy bar and a piece of fruit for an on-the-run breakfast.
• In the hotel dining restaurant, choose an egg-white omelet and fruit or a bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit. Most hotel restaurants offer this.
• At the hotel continental breakfast bar, choose whole grain cereal and milk/yogurt or fruit, toast and a hard boiled egg.

Question: Any tips for those late night business dinners?

If you've started the day with a filling breakfast and you've made sure to eat a mid to late afternoon snack, you shouldn't arrive at the restaurant famished. But to control your diet - and those late night calories - I suggest the following to my clients:

• Skip the starchy side. Order a meal consisting only of protein and vegetables, like grilled fish and salad.
• Instead of an entrée, order two appetizers like soup and a side salad or Mussels and salad. If it's late, you don't need a large meal.
• Instead of a rich dessert, order a cappuccino or a bowl of fresh berries

One more tip - if you are eating alone, visit the local grocery store and buy a healthy dinner from the salad bar or deli section.