First, the RV boondocking definition is off-grid, dry camping without hookups for water, sewer, or electricity. Usually out in natural surroundings on public lands.  Not having access to unlimited water or sewer is the biggest negative against boondocking for a healthy lifestyle. 

Food & Diet while at an RV Park

There are many good reasons for staying at an RV park when it comes to food and diet.

Staying at RV parks will provide you with unlimited water to use for food prep and washing dishes. This means you can focus on preparing healthy RV meals with no extra stress. Plus you’ll have trash on-site, which is a definite pro for preparing whole foods-based meals with lots of organic matter to dispose of. RV Parks are also often centrally located near city services, allowing you access to shopping for any healthy RV food you need to restock. So, you won’t need a fancy solar setup to power your RV cooking accessories and equipment. Lastly, many RV parks offer propane filling on-site, a pro if you cook with gas, like to grill, etc. 

There are only a few cons to consider, depending on how prone to temptation you are.
With close proximity to city services, comes close proximity to restaurants, happy hours, and other temptations you might find near many RV parks. Plus, if you make friends with your neighbors there are likely to be happy hour invitations many nights a week. 

Food & Diet while Boondocking

Boondocking definitely can’t compete against the unlimited water, electricity, and trash of RV parks. That makes these items the biggest cons against RV Boondocking for a healthy lifestyle.  Cooking and cleaning can be a challenge with limited resources, but many healthy RVers take pride in figuring out the ways to make easy healthy RV meals.  Try searching for ‘healthy RV camping recipes’ if you’re just starting out. This will get you some RV cooking tips before you hone your own RV cooking hacks.

The obvious pro of boondocking for your healthy diet is location.  You’re probably camped out in beautiful nature, miles from any town. Which of course makes driving to a restaurant or bar a lot less tempting. Even if you’re craving something, it’s a pretty big barrier to entry to pack up camp and drive a ways to the nearest town, where your options will likely be quite limited.  

Options for Fitness & Exercise for Boondocking or RV Parks

Whether you choose RV parks or boondocking, having your own RV fitness equipment and a plan for your travel workout is critical to maintaining fitness on the go.

The pros for fitness and exercise while boondocking are easy access to abundant outdoor activities from hiking to biking. Also, you can usually walk for miles right from your campsite.  You can be an extra savvy healthy RVer by carefully selecting your RV boondocking locations to support your fitness on the road. 

The exercise cons for boondocking are primarily about the weather conditions. If you’re planning a beautiful hike and it rains, it’s easy to skip that workout. It’s easy to fall into the goldilocks pattern, it’s too hot, too cold, too windy, and too rainy to complete your RV workout routine.  So if inside space in your RV is possible, a little RV fitness gym is a good way to protect your workout from the elements. Exercising while RVing can also be a challenge when you don’t have unlimited water or power for regular showers.  Many fit RVers swear by body wipes to stay fresh without sacrificing their workout routine.

The amenities at RV Parks can make exercising while RVing a bit easier and maybe even more exciting. Say, you pull into a new RV Park and it has an inviting outdoor pool or a renovated fitness center. That’s likely to peak your interest and you’ll want to go check it out.  Some RV parks even host yoga classes or walking groups. You may find pickleball courts, tennis courts, any number of amenities that support your fitness goals. Plus, there’s plenty of hot water for post-workout showers every day!

While it may appear easier to live a healthy lifestyle while at an RV Park, it is possible to live a healthy lifestyle with either RV camping setup.  Boondocking definitely takes a bit more planning and practice. But, for some, it just may be worth it for the natural surroundings and outdoor access. 

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To answer the question “are dates healthy?”, let’s take a closer look at them. Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree and the majority of them sold in the US today are dried (you can tell by the wrinkled skin if a date is dried). Since they’re typically dried, their calorie content is higher than most fresh fruit. So are dates good for you?
The flesh is low in fat and protein but rich in sugar, vitamins, and minerals, and high in dietary fiber.  Dates are also a good source of antioxidants. 

Sugar: dates contain fructose and glucose, both naturally occurring sugars

Minerals: dates contain potassium, magnesium, selenium, copper, manganese

Vitamins: dates contain vitamin B complex and vitamin C

Fiber: dates contain insoluble dietary fiber (which slows digestion and helps with blood
sugar control, dates are also a natural laxative)

Antioxidants: dates are a source of carotenoids and phenolics

A brief history of dates and Coachella Valley-

So how did this superfood become such a staple of Coachella Valley? In the late 1800s date seeds and offshoots were imported from Egypt, Algeria, and the Persian Gulf to the US. And in 1904 the USDA established an experimental agricultural station in Coachella Valley dedicated to cultivating dates.

In the decades that followed, Coachella Valley’s date crop production grew from 100,000 pounds in 1919 to 48 million pounds in 1955.  Today, 85% of the US date production comes from Coachella Valley. The arid climate and high heat of the Coachella Valley provided ideal conditions to produce high-quality dates.

Healthy date recipes

Dates are very sweet and taste a bit like caramel. Their most well-known recipe is the famous date shake- ‘The Palm Springs Date Shake’ even has its own recipe on Bon Appetit!

Traditional Date Shake Recipe:

• ¼ Cup Walnuts
• ½ Cup Dates
• 1 Cup Vanilla Ice Cream
• Ice

Healthy Date Shake Recipe:

• 2 Frozen Bananas
• 4 Dates
• 1 Cup Milk Alternative
• Dash Cinnamon

Here are some other healthy recipes using dates, and tips for cooking with dates instead of sugar:

Dates as a sugar substitute

The best way to substitute dates for white sugar is to make a date paste.  Mix dates with water (or milk/ alternative) in a blender, add sea salt and/or vanilla to taste.  Then replace sugar with date paste in a 1:1 ratio. 

This sugar substitute works well for cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and really any baked goods. 

Dates as a natural sweetener

You can also use whole pitted dates to make healthy snack bars, superfoods, or energy balls, or to add to smoothies.  Whole dates can be blended into sweetening sauces, salad dressings, or marinades, too. 

Peanut Butter Cup Energy Balls:

• Dates
• Peanut Butter (or other nut butter)
• Chia Seeds (sub flax or hemp if you prefer)
• Oats
• Dark Chocolate
  

Combine all ingredients, roll into raw dough balls, refrigerate and consume as-is. Easy!

Ways to Experience Dates in Palm Springs-

If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth a visit to the date-mecca of Coachella Valley.  Stop by Indio, Joshua Tree, Palm Desert, 29 Palms, or Palm Springs, they’ll all have date shakes for sale. The Coachella Valley has many date shake shops along Highway 111.

If you want to learn more about the history of dates in Coachella Valley, and how date farms operate, try a Palm Springs date farm tour. Sam Cobb Farms offers tours of the date farm in addition to tastings.  Established in 2002, they are a family farm that grows and sells fresh Medjool dates. Sam leads the tours himself and is a bit of a legend in dateland.

And finally, Windmill Market- a small mini-market in North Palm Springs- claims to have the “Best Date Shake in the Desert” along with other local treats.

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