Car eating habit bad!

September 22, 2010 4:28 PM

Car nausea solutions? Once a month or so, I get motion sickness when starting to drive. It is cured by eating something, so I keep car chips (baked) in the car. Problem? I've formed a habit of car eating, without the nausea! How do I stop? When I need a cracker to stop driving and vomiting, I need it quickly. What is the most unappetizing thing to keep in the car that can be grabbed quickly to abort nausea? Points for low sodium.

I'm a 42 year old woman who has always been active, if not athletic. Maintaining weight is important to me. Current BMI about 24, more comfortable at 23, so this seems like a potential solution area.

posted by rainbaby to Food & Drink (19 answers total)

Plain rice cakes. The things are tasteless and have only 35 calories each.
posted by sonic meat machine at 4:32 PM on September 22, 2010

Plain bricks of ramen noodles. Won't bust your teeth, keep forever, cheap as hell, but NOT something you're going to spontaneously snack on.
posted by julthumbscrew at 4:36 PM on September 22, 2010

Unsalted crackers. The unsalted part is key.
posted by davejay at 4:40 PM on September 22, 2010

I have the same problem. Instead of eating something I usually keep a pack of strongly flavored gum in the car - cinnamon-flavored Altoids gum quells the nausea.
posted by macska at 4:40 PM on September 22, 2010

Candied ginger slices, if you don't like them enough to eat them like candy. You might also be able to find preserved orange peel in Asian grocery stores... they can help with nausea. Some people do like snacking on them, but me? *ugh*
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 4:59 PM on September 22, 2010

Response by poster: julthumbscrew, that sounds perfect, but I must add, I have bonded front teeth, so how hard is it on the teeth, really? Do you know? Do you happen to also have weak teeth? Or no?
posted by rainbaby at 5:09 PM on September 22, 2010

You can break it (ramen brick) up with your hands first before opening the bag and then chew the smaller pieces with your molars instead. I had a roommate in college who did this almost nightly.
posted by kthxbi at 5:10 PM on September 22, 2010

Water crackers. I hate those things, and they are low salt.
posted by bearwife at 5:17 PM on September 22, 2010

I keep a can of unsalted almonds in my car for the same exact reason. I suppose any type of nut would do, but I use almonds because they're easier to find unsalted and because I like almonds. I prefer this type of package: It's easy to open, grab a handful, and close with one hand; it's difficult to spill; and the nuts stay fresh for months.
posted by clorox at 5:38 PM on September 22, 2010

The lowest calorie edible ginger "thing" you can tolerate.
posted by rmhsinc at 5:44 PM on September 22, 2010

Matzah crackers. Without condiments they are TOTALLY unappetizing. But they should settle your stomach like saltines.
posted by MrsHarper at 5:57 PM on September 22, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'd be careful about using a brick of ramen; if you like crunchy things, they can be a bit addictive, and they're almost 400 calories a brick.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:58 PM on September 22, 2010

My sister has been using Melba Toast to combat pregnancy nausea. It is usually stocked with the diet foods, bread, or occasionally with the crackers. She gets the regular (that have about 25mg of sodium per round), but they do make a low sodium version which clocks in at 1mg of salt and 12 calories per round.
posted by aristan at 6:02 PM on September 22, 2010

Others have given what may be better answers, but my first thought was getting the hottest wasabi peas you can find. If you start eating too many in a row, the buildup of horseradish will very quickly wake you up and remind you to stash the bag.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 6:10 PM on September 22, 2010

Be careful - I'm a salt fiend but I also find matzo crackers and plain rice cakes difficult to resist while in a mindless snacking zone. Three Oreos and I'm done without having to think about it; it takes an entire package of matzo to reach the same point. It's like, they're so inoffensive, I don't notice I've eaten five of them. Then again, I'm weird.

Consider packaging whatever it is you pick in very small plastic bins, and putting just one in the car cabin. This could help remind you that it's emergency food.
posted by SMPA at 7:20 PM on September 22, 2010

rainbaby: they are pre-fried and therefore much, MUCH "fluffier" and crumblier than normal noodles. I have a mouth full of dental work (tons of old fillings, an implant and a front tooth which is more crown than tooth) and I'd feel way more comfortable recommending them than, say, peanut brittle or normal dry pasta. If you can handle a hard pretzel stick, you can handle ramen.
posted by julthumbscrew at 7:20 PM on September 22, 2010

Response by poster: Awesome answers, I'm gonna try some of these, starting with dry ramen, which sounds totally awful, and putting some in a small baggie sounds like a great idea, too. Thanks again!
posted by rainbaby at 7:30 PM on September 22, 2010

Ginger helps settle motion sickness. Keep either candied or dried ginger in the car.
posted by floweredfish at 9:07 AM on September 23, 2010

omg did nobody go to college, and were none of you broke? dry ramen noodles are fried before they're packaged. I can eat them straight out of the package. crunchy, oily, salty....and delicious. they're good PMS food ;-)
posted by ChefJoAnna at 10:15 AM on September 24, 2010