Lisa Ling's Healthy Must-Haves

With a schedule like celebrity journalist Lisa Ling's, travel is just part of the everyday routine. On her hit series, OWN's Our America with Lisa Ling, Ling travels far and wide to take an in-depth look at some of the most controversial and thought-provoking issues in the United States today. 

So how does the star — who is constantly on the go — stay true to her health and beauty routine to stay fit and gorgeous? As it turns out, she has quite a few secrets up her sleeve.

Here are a few of Ling's insider secrets:

Always, Always Eat Breakfast: No matter where she might be or which time zone she's in, Ling makes it a point to eat breakfast every day. She's a big fan of plain Greek yogurt, which she sweetens with Nectresse Sweetener — a new all-natural sweetener derived from the monk fruit. The protein in the Greek yogurt helps Ling kick-start her mornings and Nectresse gives her the all-natural sweet taste she loves, without all the calories of sugar. Due to a family history of type 2 diabetes, Ling is hypersensitive about her sugar intake and is extra cautious to avoid too much sugar.

Spice It Up: Take one look in Ling's fridge or purse and you might be surprised to find... hot sauce! A big fan of spicy foods, Ling carries hot sauce with her everywhere, no matter where she goes. She likes to spice things up because not only has eating spicy shown to speed up your metabolism, it also helps her eat more slowly, so she's able to tell when she's truly full. Her favorite hot sauce is from Jamaica and has Scotch bonnet peppers in it, which she describes as "viciously hot" — a nine out of 10 on the Scoville scale!

Plan Ahead, Eat Natural: Ling knows as well as any of us how hard it can be to find healthy, natural snacks at the airport or anytime you're on the go. But rather than choosing energy bars or other packaged snacks to bring along with her when she travels, Ling throws a piece of fruit, such as an apple, peach, or a baggie of cherries, or nuts for a healthy boost of protein, in her purse to take with her when she's on the road.

Go Greek for a Glowing Complexion: Ling has dry skin to begin with so with all that traveling, it can really do a number on it if she's not careful. To help combat dryness after a long flight, Ling takes that same plain Greek yogurt she enjoys for breakfast and uses it as a mask on her face to soothe and hydrate dry skin. She leaves it on for 15 minutes and then rinses with warm water.

Reap the Benefits of the Coconut: Coconut oil is another skin-moisturizing secret that Ling takes with her on-the-go. Not only does she love the scent, she loves what it does to her dry skin. She first picked up this beauty secret while in the Caribbean — where it has been used for decades — and has used it ever since. 

Ling is also a huge fan of coconut water and drinks it to stay hydrated when she's traveling or after a rigorous Bikram yoga session (Ling is an avid fan of Bikram yoga and practices at studios around the country and world no matter where she may be). Ling chooses this hydrating all-natural liquid due to the fact that it's high in electrolytes.

As for what she does when she's home, Ling says "I have to say, I don't really know how to cook! I'm lucky to have a husband that loves doing it! He can cook almost anything and loves experimenting. I love his meatloaf and Korean Kimchi Jjigae."