Traveling gives me such joy – to be out exploring the world and it's many cultures, people, vistas- makes my heart sing. But as someone who has struggled for over a decade with food sensitivities, weight fluctuation due to a thyroid condition, and committed to eating a healthy, plant-based diet, traveling can indeed be a challenge.
Whether there is a language barrier or not, often what I'm looking for simply isn't on the menu – vine ripe, organic, plant-based food.
So if you're new to this way of life and type of eating, you may say "oh screw it," when you're on the road. But if you're wise to why you're eating this way – for mind, body and spirit – then you may notice that you're more tired, touchy, emotional, sore, restless, and overall just not yourself. Or you may even suffer from physical symptoms, which are perhaps the root of why you're eating this way (IBS, gas, bloating, pain, inflammation, etc.)
The day that I shifted my thinking from deprivation, ("I can't eat that because..." and feeling deprived of the joys of life) to optimization and the value of high vibration eating and living, things shifted for me. I was ok with asking a lot of questions – versus being embarrassed or feeling like I was putting people out, I was ok with educating the person in front of me – after all, they're in the service industry, and they want to serve (well, most of them), and I was ok with committing to what serves my body well.
Over the last ten years I've both succeeded and failed at eating healthy on the road, and here are some of my tricks to staying committed to my health while traveling:
1. Juice Plus
This may sound like a plug, but it's not. The day I committed to making this product part of my life forever is a groundbreaking decision for me. For a nearly decade I had struggled with food intolerances, auto-immune symptoms, and general malnutrition, and those have all but disappeared after 4 years on this product. Now when I travel, I take extra, and take comfort in knowing I'm getting the nutrients from the equivalent of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in my system every day. I don't get sick while I travel because my immune system is supported, and I don't worry if I don't get all of the fruits and vegetables I know I need each day. Also, if I do have a flare up of inflammation, the Juice Plus Complete powder and an extra dose of the Juice Plus capsules help reduce that almost immediately.
2. Healthy Snacks
Because a plant-based diet doesn't burns off quickly, I always have snacks for between meals. Whether that's nuts, a healthy bar, fruit, or Juice Plus Complete powder, I'm always prepared so I don't get too hungry, hypo-glycemic, fatigued or dizzy, or eat the wrong thing because I'm not focused as a result.
3. Ask questions
Don't be afraid to ask. I was truly shocked to find out that nearly everywhere we went in Ireland – small pubs and cafes included – had gluten free bread. I honestly wouldn't have even asked I don't think, but someone told us early on that it was a staple there now, I asked every time and was pleasantly surprised. As well as finding out what you need to know, I've found that the more you ask, the more the world changes a little for the better – supply and demand. If alternatives to dairy and gluten are needed for more and more people (IE nearly 20% of Italy is now gluten intolerant), the more they will be provided.
4. Stay committed
If you've made a decision to eat healthy, then honor that. You're doing so for your health, your longevity, or another really good reason, and compromising that for laziness or embarrassment isn't worth it.
a. Educate the people you're with right away. Let them know your dietary restrictions and needs and let them help you stay accountable to that. I know for me, when someone else is helping me stay on track, I have a much better success rate. So welcome the help. You deserve it.
b. Don't waiver. For me, when I start going down the road of cheating on my commitments, it's a slippery slope. I have a lot of dietary requirements – no gluten, no dairy, no alcohol, no sugar, no meat – and it can be overwhelming and frustrating at times to stick to all of that. But the pain I feel as a result isn't worth it, and shifting my mindset to "Food Heals," and "Feed the Body what it needs, not what the brain thinks it wants," helps me stay on track. So long as I don't feel like I'm depriving myself by not having soda and doughnuts (and yes, I used to feel that way), and I remind myself that those kinds of foods bring disease and discomfort, I don't crave them.
5. Come prepared
Know the region that you're traveling to in advance. Know what staples are there for you that you can ask for. Do the research ahead of time – whether it's just the next state over or half way around the world, prepare. We are so lucky that we have the technology to do this kind of pre-travel homework these days, and while we may not feel like we have the time to, make the time to. You'll thank yourself later. Read up on local blogs and reviews, research local chefs with the same healthy mindset, and ask the locals when you get there. We are currently in Trinidad and Tobago, and the locals are really friendly, the local food is really good! I'm pleasantly surprised to find that I am feeling so good and finding it really easy to eat healthy.
I hope this helps you stay on track! 👊 You've got this!
Stay well. You deserve to feel good, and eat better!
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