Lose: Waffles, biscuits with gravy and pancakes
The days when a stack of pancakes was considered a proper breakfast are long gone, says chef and nutritionist Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads ^[1] (Rodale Books). These high-carb, low-protein meals can send your blood sugar reeling.

"Think of your blood sugar as a freeway," she says. "When you eat all carbs, it's metabolized into glucose, like a bunch of cars going way too fast."

Eating protein, which metabolizes more gradually, is like adding super-slow cars into the mix, she adds.

If you can't resist these high-carb treats, order a healthy, protein-rich breakfast, and get a pancake, waffle or biscuit on the side instead of toast.

Road food stop #2: Gas-station convenience stores
You're making a quick stop to fuel up when a snack attack comes on. Here's what to do when faced with aisles of chips and candy bars:

Lose: Cheese crackers, potato chips or corn puffs
Crunchy snack foods are high in simple carbohydrates and low in protein. Eat these and you'll be hungry before you've hit the next town on the interstate.

That's because high-carb snacks are quickly broken down into glucose, triggering the pancreas to make more insulin to remove it from the blood. That, in turn, makes blood sugar levels unstable, so you crave more snacks to keep sugar levels up, explains Beckerman.

Choose: Peanut butter and crackers, unsalted nuts, turkey jerky
These foods have protein, which slow digestion and conversion of food into glucose. They'll make you feel full longer, De Fazio says.

"The best thing would be to pack a peanut butter and honey sandwich before you go," adds Mitzi Dulan, R.D., team nutritionist for the Kansas City Royals and co-author of The All-Pro Diet: Lose Fat, Build Muscle, and Live Like a Champion ^[2] (Rodale Books). If possible, use "natural" peanut butter and whole-grain bread.

It's healthy road food that "doesn't need to be refrigerated," she says.