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.
29 Responses
Black tea seems like such a simple thing, it’s hard to imagine how it can be a problem, but I know it’s the caffeine. BAH HUMBUG! I’m glad you found a new brand of Earl Grey you can have at home once you’re finished with the diet. Do you have Peet’s there? They have coffee and tea, and I have heard their teas are good, but haven’t tried any.
I’m glad that you were able to cheat some and enjoy the food on your trip!
I’m pretty sure we do have Peet’s- at least I’ve heard of it. My husband (a coffee drinker) is always looking for new coffeeshops.
Yes, I’m not supposed to have too much caffeine (green tea does have some, thank God) but it’s also something about the way the tea leaves are steamed or fermented or SOMETHING. I can’t keep up with it all- I just do what my protocol says (while grumbling quietly to myself).
How great that Early Grey still tastes good to you- a long drive like that you need a boost!
I don’t drink alcohol ( or non-alcohol IPA), but that can design is amazing. Can you get Go in your hometown?
Great question- I’m guess we can get it somewhere around here. Maybe Whole Foods? I’ll start looking for it so I’m ready when the diet is over!
So glad you were able to find such a good balance on your trip Jenny!
I am with you that Earl Grey would be a terrible loss. I love my Earl Grey! I think I would have the most trouble giving up dairy or spice. I drink milk and eat yogurt daily and I loooooove cheese. But also I adore spicy food!
It’s funny how everone is different. I do like a little spice, but could give it up easily (I know there are some who would NOT agree!) When I went vegan ( a long, long time ago) it was hard to give up dairy at first- but now I don’t even think about it.
Oh, I’m thrilled that your reunion with Earl Grey was everything you dreamed of and more. I’m a total tea addict myself. Not even kidding – I drink about 30 cups of strong, black tea with a dash of milk every single day. I could never give it up. Never. You were very brave to try! (Funny enough, I don’t like Earl Grey… what’s wrong with me?!)
Also, kudos for making such balanced choices on your trip — enjoying the special stuff but staying mindful overall. Nicely done!
Wait. HOW many cups of tea a day??? I read your guest post on Elisabeth’s blog today- no wonder your tea kettle is a prized possession!!!
I’m glad you got to enjoy your tea, Jenny! I know if I had to give up coffee, well. Let’s just hope that never happens. If it does, do not be surprised to hear of a series of murders because I cannot be held responsible for my actions without coffee!
How are you feeling? How did you feel eating the non-diet foods? I hope that you are feeling okay these days!
Yeah, I didn’t talk about how my digestion was! Meh… it wasn’t great, not bad enough to ruin the trip though. Overall kind of normal for me. I’m really hoping to see some results in the next month though- otherwise I will be angry.
Ha- we’ll all hope and pray you never have to give up coffee. Something tells me it will never happen.
I have the same questions as Nicole! How did it feel to go off the diet, and how was reentry going back on???
Every bite of the food looks delicious.
There were some little changes, but overall my digestion is still… crappy. Not bad enough to have a negative effect on the trip though, and that’s what I was hoping for.
The vegan taco place sounds amazing, and I’m glad you got your Earl Grey fix!
The hardest thing for me to give up would be spicy food — I add hot sauce to lots of things and eat at least one spicy item daily. My mom recently had to give up spicy food due to gut issues and I’m so sad for her!
Oh no! Your poor mom. Well- I could give up spicy foods, but I know not everyone feels that way.
You really don’t live that far from Austin- you should take a trip there sometime! Lots and lots of vegan food.
Peanut butter. I would die a slow and painful taste-bud death without peanut butter. It’s my precioussssss (whispered a la Gollum from LOTR).
Count me in as another curious reader who wants to know how you felt!
Well- I tragically can’t have peanut butter on this diet! I can have some other nut butters though, and I’ve been eating almond butter. Sigh. I’ll give a gut update in my next post.
I am glad you cheated so you could enjoy some of your favorite things and make the trip less onerous for you. It’s really hard to follow a strict diet when traveling! It can be done but it’s such a hassle!
The NA IPA sounds great! I love NA drinks. They can be quite sweet when they aren’t beers (I don’t like beer at all so haven’t even looked into whether there is a NA GF beer). I had a great drink yesterday at lunch with a shrub. It was strawberry and basil and was so refreshing and not very sweet.
The hardest thing for me to give up would be coffee with creamer. I cannot drink black coffee. I am getting a colonoscopy next Tuesday so Monday will be my clear liquid diet day and since I can’t drink coffee black, I’ll go without coffee for a day. We will be picking up a giant coffee on the way home.
Oh no! Well- I’m pretty sure you can have green tea, right? I know- I don’t like it either. But at least it has SOME caffeine- it might be better than nothing.
NA drinks are getting more and more popular, so I think the quality is improving. Remember when the only NA beer was O’Douls??? Ha.
Great pictures, looks like it was so much fun! I fully support the variations from the diet and also keeping to the diet when possible. A Mexican place with sub-standard chips sounds so sad, what the heck, restaurant. I have had the same thing happen with fries – getting them after not having them for a long time, but if they’re bad I will not force myself to finish them. The whole food issue is really interesting, actually, while also unfortunately being so tangled up with societal issues and emotion that it seems impossible to me to separate them. This is why for me there is no one thing that would be hard to give up, but following any diet is extremely fraught. I’m impressed that you’re doing it so well!
!
Yes- the one thing a Mexican restaurant should excel at is chips!!!
Eating is so hard- why is it so hard??? I agree, it’s always tangled with societal issues and emotions.
I’m glad you indulged enough to enjoy yourself. When I found out I had celiac, I was relieved that I could still drink wine. If it had been the reverse allowed beer but no wine, I would’ve been BUMMED.
The thing I would miss most if I had to give it up (and I did give it up when I followed the low FODMAP diet) is Dannon Greek cherry yogurt. Fav!
Yes, celiac is hard BUT there are a lot of things, very delicious things, that you can still have. Like Earl Grey tea : )
I think the mindset is super important when we are ready to go off the track for a short period of time to avoid feeling guilty or anxious. It seems you enjoyed the food you’ve had as you were with the flow. I did the same during LA trip. I ate more chicken in salad than I wanted but it was fine after all. I don’t want my girls to stress about what mom would eat when choosing what to eat.
I can’t give up oatmeal. I missed it when we were in LA.
Coco, GREAT point I don’t want my daughter to see me having anxiety about food- I’ve always been super careful around her never to criticize my body, and to emphasize that there’s no “good” and “bad” foods and that treats are fine (in moderation). The last thing I want to do is wreck all that by being neurotic over what I’m eating.
I’m so glad you were reunited with your beloved earl grey tea and that is was so delicious still! YAYYYY! I think that’s the beauty of diets like these. When we get to have something we love so much after not having it for a long time, we really savor every sip/bite!
I could not give up Dr. Pepper. I KNOW I SHOULD. But I just love it so much! It makes me happy.
Hmmm I’d have a hard time giving up coffee and I dn’t drink alot but socially I’d want to… the same with pizza and ice cream. I don’t eat them often but I’d hate to not when the opportunity ere presented.
Tea seems like such a small thing… I’m glad you got to enjoy it all you wanted on the trip. And I hope you put all the little notes about the things you want to try in a safe place (I guess that’s here!!) for next month.
I am so glad you enjoyed your tea!
I have a lot of food habits but I’m not sure what I’d miss the most — probably my Starbucks but I manage without it when I have to.
That pizza looks amazing — is that fresh cucumbers and tomatoes on top?
That is a hard question. But not being able to have tea would be a bummer. I do drink my Earl grey with milk.Only then it’s perfect.