The Good Life

Our contributing editor Julie Peasgood offers her top tips for staying healthy on your cruise while still enjoying life to the full

- Julie Peasgood

As our intrepid reporter found out (page 66), it is possible to lose weight on a cruise. I have seen it done, spectacularly well, in fact, on a month-long sector of a world cruise where the lady in question, Bimbo – I’m serious, that was her name – lost nearly two stone. She did stick rigorously to a spartan diet, however, and provoked a fascinating mixture of envy and anger as she ran round the deck for five miles in the morning and again at sunset.

Good for Bimbo. But I want my margarita as the evening beckons, and I also want to enjoy the gastronomic delights on board. Plus I’m happy to power walk the odd mile or two, but I’m not in training for a marathon. Not yet, anyway. So how do we stay healthy on our cruise in order to maximize all that’s on offer, while making sure we don’t need to invest in a wardrobe of elasticated waistbands? (Never a good look.)

Well for a start, every cruise line now has healthy eating, or ‘spa cuisine’ choices incorporated into the dinner menu, and there’s usually the option of grilled chicken, fish or salad, too. Oceania Cruises incorporate its Canyon Ranch Spa Club dining menu in selected restaurants across its fleet, with calories, fat and fibre content all listed on the menu.

MSC Cruises has special Dukan Dietthemed voyages, while heart-healthy foods feature on the menus of all Viking ships, with its renowned Norwegian salmon poached the way the chairman likes it.

At breakfast and lunch, the buffet bars offer an appealing array of wholesome foods; just check your options carefully to avoid buffet bingeing and conquer portion control by choosing a side plate instead of a larger one. It’s fine to occasionally indulge if you really want to, but try sitting with your back to the action to resist any return visits for that salted caramel ice cream.