Tips for Restrictive Eating While Traveling

I’m slowly tackling the changes that have been needed in my diet. Until it became necessary for me to give up all things dairy that I really became aware of how many foods contain cheese and yogurt and sour cream and cream cheese. These ingredients make so many of the foods we easy so yummy! I’m a little lucky in that I don’t have to give up cakes, cookies and baked goods that contain milk, but sauces and icings are still a struggle.

In addition to eliminating the dairy, I have decided to significantly cut the amount of bread and fried foods that I eat. Yesterday, I had lunch at Cracker Barrel and everything tasted terrible and smelled just as bad. There was nothing wrong with the food so please don’t take this as anything against the CB. The problem is me. I have noticed that as I change how I eat, my appetite and food tolerance are changing as well. And No, I am not pregnant. That was the first thing my mother asked when I said everything tasted and smelled bad. ☺ My problem, and really it is not a problem but a revelation, is that I’ve been hanging around and eating dinner with my vegan friends and my body is craving more of a natural, if not completely vegan, diet.

I think if we are really going to tackle the weight and health issues, we have to look beyond the what the dairy, farming and weight loss industries are telling us. We have to stop listening to them and start listening to our own bodies.

These are the things that I know about me.

• When I drink more water, I want less sugar.
• I enjoy the thick, creamy sauces that are made with cashews rather than milk or heavy cream.
• I still enjoy and crave the yogurty goodness of a nice Indian curry sauce. I will just eat a few times of year and suffer through the headaches that comes.
• Cake is still a craving but I crave it less.
• The more vegetables I eat, the less meat I desire.
• I am loving the homemade version of some of my once favorite take-out items…like pizza.
• My midsection as decreased as I have decreased my intake of bread.
• My plantar fasciitis hasn’t bothered me in at least 2 months. I think this is a result of the increased water intake.
• My body loves eggs.

I’m sure there are many other things I will learn as I continue to modify how I eat, but since I have been prone to travel in the past for work, I wanted to make sure I concentrated on how to continue eating more healthy fare while on the road. I am currently on the road for a job interview. For 3 days, I have been trying to make the best decisions possible so as not to feel terrible while driving or while doing the interview. My solution was to rely on the grocery store. There is a Publix supermarket just a few blocks from my hotel and since I have a refrigerator in the room, I decided to go over and buy boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast and edamame salad to snack on. I thought I would eat out after my interview but I ended up going back to the grocery store for more fruit and a nice spinach, mushroom and carrot salad. I still found myself at Zaxby’s a little later, but considering how much fruit and veg I had consumed, I have no hard feelings about the chicken tenders and extra Zax’s sauce. This trip only took me 5 hours away from home, so I will need to do more planning for longer trips. In the past, I would try to drive straight through as much as possible only picking up things that I could eat while driving. I will have to change that habit if I am going to keep my travel time as healthy as possible.

This is a work in progress but as I make more changes, my momentum is growing and more changes are being prompted. I encourage you all to make a couple of small changes and see how your body reacts. There are many reasons to change how we eat, but if you are resistant to listen to anyone, open up to listening to your body.