NO GRAINS, NO GAINS: A GROUP A OF PRIMAL/PALEO/GRAIN FREE WOMEN WHO BLOG ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES/LIFE/BENEFITS WITHOUT GRAINS. A GREAT WAY FOR OTHERS (WHO MAY BE WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT, REVERSE AN ACUTE/CHRONIC HEALTH TREND, AND/OR TRANSITION FROM COMMERCIAL WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAMS) TO READ ABOUT REAL LIFE WOMEN WHO ARE LIVING THE LIFE AND SUCCEEDING!
This month's topic for No Grains, No Gains is how one can eat primal/paleo while traveling or on vacation!
I've definitely traveled quite a bit since switching to a Paleo diet over two years ago: lots of small weekend trips (to places like Providence, various areas in the Adirondacks, Brooklyn, etc) and two big trips (one to British Columbia and one to Japan).
For smaller trips (over the weekend, for an overnight or two), I pre-pack food! I set myself up to make sure there is no reason I will ever be stuck somewhere lamenting there are no good grain-free options to eat. I will roast chicken and sweet potatoes, bring packets of tuna, portion out nuts, etc... throw it all in a small cooler and voila! I have options for snacks and even a meal if I so need it.
Also, if there is ANY PLACE to buy food, you CAN make a good decision.
Rest stop on a highway? I'll buy a banana and a packet of unsalted almonds.
Local grocery store? I'll do the salad bar or do a pre-packaged salad.
Restaurant? Well, we all know it is possible to make good choices in a restaurant - you just have to want to.
For bigger trips, one to two week long trips that require a plane trip, I don't really pack much food. I want to tell you I am a perfect paleo traveler and never go off plan no matter what.... but that's just plain not true :)
So, for my two big trips since going paleo, Chris and I went into it with a game plan. We would eat paleo MOST of the time (in normal life, we try to be 95% paleo, on a big vacation, we aim for over 75% paleo). We would save our "off plan" times for special dinners out, etc.
But I would use the same strategies the rest of the time - buy Lara bars and nuts and pre-cut veggies and apples and oranges and bananas at a local grocery store/convenience store. Make good decisions overall so that we could relax and enjoy the local food at dinner (because you would be hard pressed to go out to dinner in Japan and find a meal that doesn't include rice, noodles, and lots of gluten-y sauces!).
We also did NOT make food the focus of any of our trips. Sure, we tasted the local cuisine, drank local craft beers in Vancouver, did a sake tasting in Kyoto. We bought odd little treats in Tokyo just to see what people over there considered delicious! BUT - our trips were sight-seeing and adventure focused.
British Columbia: we went on several hikes, went whale watching, WALKED all around Vancouver to the different museums, did a three day camping trip, etc.
Japan: we went on a bike ride through the Kibi Plains, hiked a mountain, saw the Japanese macaques in Nagano, etc.
We focused on what we think is overall important in life - and it is not food. Food was fuel to us on our vacations, just like at home. Food was a way to get us up those mountains and through the cities. And when food is fuel, it is so much easier to buy that banana at the convenience store instead of a sugary treat. It's easy not to indulge, because food isn't the goal!
We went on vacation to see the world. And we packed almost every hour of the day FULL of seeing/doing things. We were really active (neither of us gained weight on our vacations).
So my advice?
So my advice?
Take your view on life in NORMAL life on vacation with you!!
If you've gotten to the point that food is fuel (and yes, you CAN enjoy that fuel - I think taste is a sense for humans for a reason and there is no point to eat things you hate... but make sure those things that taste good are also good for your body!)... then go on vacation with that mindset. Use food to help you enjoy the beautiful beaches or the majestic mountaintop. Use food to help you have enough energy to enjoy the sights and sounds of a new city.
If you've gotten to the point that food is fuel (and yes, you CAN enjoy that fuel - I think taste is a sense for humans for a reason and there is no point to eat things you hate... but make sure those things that taste good are also good for your body!)... then go on vacation with that mindset. Use food to help you enjoy the beautiful beaches or the majestic mountaintop. Use food to help you have enough energy to enjoy the sights and sounds of a new city.
But vacation is still life, and eating a lot of things that inflame and poison your body will affect you in the long run.
Other members of No Grains, No Gains:
Gwen http://againstthegrain.us/
Lynda http://achangeoflife.blogspot.com/
Leigh http://poonapalooza.blogspot.com/
Karen http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/
Go check out how their travelling works around a paleo or primal lifestyle!
Other members of No Grains, No Gains:
Gwen http://againstthegrain.us/
Lynda http://achangeoflife.blogspot.com/
Leigh http://poonapalooza.blogspot.com/
Karen http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/
Go check out how their travelling works around a paleo or primal lifestyle!
I eat Kind Bars now ...the Cashew Cherry Dark Choc has 22 Carbs. Sometimes I eat 1/2 bar with morning coffee then have the other 1/2 for dessert or wit an afternoon coffee.
ReplyDeleteThis flavor is perfection. I buy it by the box on Amazon where one seller has price of $15 for box of 12 :)
I agree that NORMAL eating (new normal) needs to come with one on vacation. That doesn't mean there won't be an indulgence or two, but you have to stick to what works. Otherwise, it IS a diet, not a LIFESTYLE.
ReplyDeleteYep!!! Food is fuel. I used to use the excuse " well I won't get to Vancouver again soon, at this special coffee shop so I should treat myself with ___ insert baked good here"
ReplyDeleteGetting onto the real foods cycle- using real food to fuel my walking and photography has expanded my trips. No deprivation from the local fare, just more clean forms (salmon in Alaska, lamb in New Zealand)
I've really enjoyed your hiking photos the last year. Great way to experience your city/state. :) Karen P