Eating on the Road
The burning question is: did I follow my diet while traveling? NO I DIDN’T. I didn’t go entirely off the rails- I did follow it when possible, but I strayed when it seemed necessary… and I have no regrets! (Just as w reminder- I’ve been following an anti-candida diet for the past seven weeks to try and fix some digestive issues). It all started with my flight to Texas. I arrived at the airport, marched straight to the Starbucks, and ordered an EARL GREY TEA. I was a little afraid it wouldn’t be as good as I remembered. But that was foolish- it actually tasted even better than ever. Even the aroma of the bergamot was heavenly. I thoroughly enjoyed this tea, down to the last sip. The first day in Texas, I had dinner with my son and his girlfriend. We went to a Mexican place that seemed to accommodate everyone’s needs. Isabel has been doing Whole 30, but she said “I’m just going to cheat and have some chips tonight.” OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, GIVE ME A CHIP RIGHT NOW. I mean, if she’s cheating, I’M cheating. The funny thing is, the chips weren’t that great. So I did have some, but wasn’t tempted to eat too many of them. Next day- driving day #1 and we stopped at Vegan Nom in Austin. No regrets! Vegan Nom is an iconic taco place that we’ve eaten at several times. It’s very possible I’ll never be back in Texas again, so I wasn’t going to miss this fun experience. Next stop- Waco! My son had some loose ends to tie up, and while he did that I went to a coffeeshop to get us caffeine for the drive ahead. We were there in May for graduation, and they had one of the best Earl Greys I’ve ever had. Not only did I get one, but I asked what kind it was, and they let me take a photo. When this diet is over, I will be ordering Rishi tea! I’ll just condense this by saying, I had Earl Grey every single day of the trip. Knowing that I would be going back on the diet soon, I savored every single sip. I had several more from Starbucks, and one from a coffeeshop in Evanston. Other than that, I had a veggie burger when we ate at a restaurant. It had a bun, which is not on the diet, but oh well. I will say that everyone else ordered drinks- my sister and brother in law got an IPA that they said is their absolute favorite. I did not get one! I had a moment of sadness, but you know what- after that I forgot all about it, even when they were drinking. I was focused on the food and conversation and didn’t miss the beer. BUT! At my sister’s house I did have this: A non-alcoholic IPA and it was SO GOOD. When I’m done with this diet, I’m definitely getting this to drink at home. Here you can see I had pizza and my Go beer on the last night: So now I’m home and back on the diet, armed with some new supplements: I’ll do it for another month, and reassess the situation again. But here’s what I learned from the trip: I was happy to go off the diet, food-wise, but only because it was the most convenient and fun option. If there had been diet-friendly foods available and it was just as convenient, I would have eaten those and been equally happy. The one thing that did make a huge difference was the tea. I just love Earl Grey, and not having it for seven weeks made it even more enjoyable. Now I’m back to drinking green tea, and… bleh. Unfortunately an anti-candida diet is all or nothing- you can’t do it successfully and make little exceptions. I’m okay with it for now, knowing it’s temporary. But the very first thing I’ll add back when I can is the Earl Grey. Sigh. What is the ONE THING you would be most sad to give up? – It’s officially Earl Grey tea for me. Ever tried Go beer? – They have all different kinds and I can vouch for the IPA.