Is traveling Paleo?! |
A couple weeks ago, I returned from my annual trip back East
for the holidays, and this time (finally!), I’m falling right back into my Paleo
routine. That’s probably because I never
abandoned it while I was on the trip.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here.
You see normally, despite my best efforts, when I travel I find myself
going overboard, getting off track and falling off the Paleo wagon. That’s what happens to me when my daily
routine is disrupted, and I am continually tempted and wooed by one
brain-firework-inducing-gluten-filled treat after another. I end up caving in to the temptation, eating
all those foods demonized by the Paleo community. A vicious cycle begins. I get
bloated. My digestion is seriously
disrupted in ways I shall not detail here.
I get adolescent-like acne. It
sucks for the duration of my trip, and I return home feeling like I’ve taken
two steps backwards in my health journey.
But I love to travel. As a child, my family never vacationed. So, I lived out my travel fantasies by
calling chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus, asking them to send me free
information. Free maps and tour guides
adorned the walls of my room, not posters of Marky Mark. Visiting places old and new is just not
something I’m willing to give up.
So, I’ve been asking
myself if my love of Paleo and my love of travel are mutually exclusive? Is it possible to enjoy both at the same
time? In the same way that people ask
whether green beans or potatoes are Paleo—maybe we should be asking if
traveling Paleo. It’s not such a silly
question, really. After all, no one’s
going to argue that Paleolithic man jet set around the world.
Thus, without further ado, I present to you a tale of two trips to explore this question: Is traveling Paleo?
Thus, without further ado, I present to you a tale of two trips to explore this question: Is traveling Paleo?
PALEO TRAVEL STORY #1
– TRIP TO LOS ANGELES FOR THANKSGIVING
You'll need a little bit of background to understand Paleo Travel Story #1. My boyfriend and I often spend Thanksgiving in Los
Angeles. You see, David, my boyfriend, is
half Persian, and that side of his family resides in Los Angeles. I love visiting. It’s fun being
introduced to a new culture. The vibe is
always positive. But for reasons I’ll
detail below, it’s nearly impossible to stay Paleo when I visit.
This year before we left for LA, I resolved to keep as Paleo
as I possibly could. I had been in a
clean eating groove before we left, and I vowed not to be derailed. Feeling great and determined to keep on track,
we set off for LA.
But Iranians are known for their hospitality. Much of this hospitality is demonstrated
through FOOD. Whenever we visit, it goes
something like this-- a feast is cooked and set out for our arrival—rice, kabob,
pita bread, mast-o-musir, salad, tea, and of course, dessert. There is always enough to feed ten times the
number of people there. As a guest, since the host has gone to such great lengths to not only ensure my nourishment
and comfort, but has indeed, celebrated my arrival in such a grand fashion—I
want to express my gratitude and appreciation.
Now typically, there are two ways to demonstrate thankfulness
for a meal that is prepared for you. One
way is to express it verbally: Say, “Thank you,” or in this case, “Merci.” That’s easy enough, right?
But words are not enough.
Anyone who has been the recipient of Persian hospitality will tell you
that a guest is expected to demonstrate gratitude by eating. As in, consuming way more than you really
should--eating well beyond the point of satisfied or satiated. Even though I pile my plate full of these culinary
delights—it is impossible to satisfy the host. Proud, I finish eating the heaping plate, to
which host remarks, ”You are such a good guest, you eat like a bird. Please, eat more.” I’m thinking—wait, what?! Did you see the plate I ate?
And this is the double-edged sword
of food-driven hospitality.
of food-driven hospitality.
And this is the double-edged sword of food-driven hospitality. As a guest, I want to please the host who has gone to such great effort. But this type of hospitality dictates that you feed your guest—A LOT. And when they are thanked, the host tells you it’s nothing and offers you more food.
To sum it up, I ended my trip to LA feeling gross and
bloated, and I broke out with acne that I could not control. I felt frustrated because I was worried that I could
not explain my dietary choices in a way that his family would understand, especially since I had visited many times before and happily eaten
what was offered.
Even though things didn’t work out as I had planned in LA, I
returned to the Bay Area with new resolve.
PALEO TRAVEL STORY #2—TWO
WEEKS ON THE EAST COAST
For Paleo Travel Story #2, David and I planned to fly to the
East Coast for the holidays. The trip
was supposed to go as follows: I’d be
spending about a week in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my family and then I’d
join him and his family in Washington, DC until we left. Following the Thanksgiving LA travel debacle,
I had gotten myself back on track and was feeling great. But I was terrified of losing my balance once
again on this next trip.
So, being the analytical-lawyer type that I am, I spent a
lot of time thinking about what it was exactly that I feared. Do I fear food? Seriously.
I thought: Am I literally scared
of a croissant? The notion is kind of ridiculous really. But
it certainly is a question worth “chewing” on (yes, pun intended!). I mean—being
offered a piece of chocolate cake isn’t a life or death situation. In fact, being offered a piece of chocolate
cake really is a pleasant circumstance in which to find oneself. No. No. It isn't the food I'm fearing. It's my reaction.
No. No. It isn’t the
food I’m fearing.
It’s my reaction.
Yep. Plain and
simple. I’m afraid of myself. I’m afraid of what I will do when I see that
chocolate cake or croissant or whatever non-Paleo food item I may be offered.
Realizing I was afraid of my reaction, not the food itself,
was an empowering moment for me. That
epiphany set the tone for the trip. I realized
I was in control of what was to come to pass. I realized that I could decide to have a
successful, healthy trip. And so I
did.
Before leaving, I promised myself that I would remain gluten
free. I knew that staying gluten free
would allow me to indulge without going overboard. I knew that if I stuck to my guns on one Paleo
tenet, it would be so much easier to get back into the routine when I
returned. And the results were amazing
once I experienced this mind-shift.
Concerned that I would not be able to find Paleo-friendly foods
in Pennsylvania, before I even left, I shipped a box of Paleo-friendly snack
food to my parents’ house. In that box, I
included sardines, gluten-free crackers and cookies, epic bars, and plantain
chips.
For the flight, I also packed plenty of food. In a freezable lunch tote, I brought a Pete’s
Paleo meal, sardines, epic bars, hard boiled eggs, avocado, and other snacks
(like a Paleo Mustang Bar, which was amazingly satisfying). I also made sure that I had my supplements
with me for the whole trip. For me, the
most important is Prescript Assist Probiotic.
When I arrived, things just fell into place. I would explain to my friends and family that
I was watching what I was eating, and eliminating grains, dairy, and legumes. In disbelief, they would ask, “What CAN you
eat?” My response (always in a
nonchalant tone): “Meat and veggies
works.” After a second of processing,
people seemed to get it.
Downplaying the difficulty of following Paleo, even to
myself, made it fun. I found myself
enjoying the challenge of staying Paleo, especially in weird places like
shopping mall food courts. Admittedly,
in those instances, I was not dogmatic. So,
I probably consumed small amounts of seed oils I would not otherwise eat and some non-organic meats and
veggies. I also had some dairy here and
there. But I did not eat gluten, and when I stuck to that one rule, a whole host of healthy choices followed.
I was so pleased to find that I had a lot of support. The local grocery store, Giant, had a
glorious Paleo-friendly aisle, that actually rivaled some of the selection (and
most certainly the prices) of places I shop in the Bay Area. They also had a beautiful salad bar with healthy protein options.
I relied on that salad bar for most of my lunches. Even one day when I found myself in an
Italian restaurant with my boyfriend’s family, and I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably be consuming a bland meal due to lack of options, we discovered that they had a gluten free pasta option. While it isn’t Paleo, and it isn’t something I’d
normally eat at home, I was pleased to have an option that made ordering with
the rest of the family seamless, instead of a hassle.
The best day of my trip was the day I cooked a Paleo dinner
for my family. You see, my dad has
colitis and I’ve been urging him to try the Paleo way. I also wanted to show them that eating Paleo
could taste great and didn’t have to be too complicated either.
I made my family a nourishing and delicious meal. As an appetizer, I made my fresh guacamole
with plantain chips. It was a huge
hit! For dinner, I made cod (at my dad’s
request) with a lemon, caper, grassfed-butter sauce, sautéed spinach, and
cauliflower puree. There weren’t any
leftovers. For dessert, I made cupcakes
from Against All Grain's Chocolate Layer Cake recipe, and I used her Chocolate Swiss
Meringue Buttercream frosting to top the cupcakes. They were the superstar of the meal. Everyone helped and pitched in. It was a team effort in both the preparation and
in the eating! I now wish I had taken
some photos, but I was just too busy in the kitchen. What a blessing to share this way of life with my family.
Throughout my trip, I continued to make healthy choice after
choice. And when I returned, my skin was
clear. That’s huge for me, because that’s
usually my first indication that something’s not right. Transitioning back to Paleo was effortless,
probably because I didn’t need to “transition back.” I was already there.
I would say that without a doubt, making the choice to own
my food decisions and retain Paleo as best I could, enriched my trip, instead of detracted from it. I had the opportunity to share this way of
life with people I love. I talked health
and nutrition friends and family who were curious about what I was doing. And, it was fun to challenge myself.
All in all, I know not all circumstances are the
same. But after reflecting on both trips, I have concluded that
it is possible for me to stay Paleo while traveling-- that is, if I choose to. Happy Paleo travels to you all!
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