Green Smoothies and Holiday Travelling – Part 1 of 3
~ by Stacey Terry
NEWS FLASH: Maintaining my lifestyle tends to get a bit dicey when I head home for the holidays. (Okay… so maybe it’s more like a 3:45 a.m. news flash versus a 6:00 p.m.’er.)
I discovered raw food about a year ago, and since then I’ve meandered my way from the SAD diet through various levels of vegetarian, vegan, and raw, but the one relatively consistent pleasure remains my green smoothie breakfasts. Thankfully, they’ve become a habit now, and that’s the way I like to keep it! So, if you’re like me and you’ll soon be out of your ordinary environment and exposed to coffee pots, shortbread, and gravy (beware the dreaded gravy radiation!), then you’ll need to know how to make healthy choices while you’re travelling.
Over the next few days, I’ll provide you with the tips and personal lessons that I’ve picked up along the way that roll around with my mind-marbles when I know I’m going to be homeward or vacation-bound. Starting with…
Holiday Travel Tip #1:
I decide beforehand what my attitude is going to be and what level of raw/vegan is going to be realistic. My goal: make choices that limit shame and guilt.
A few years ago, I tried to go on a week’s vacation with the intention that I’d stick to the diet I was on at the time. We travelled by car to a hotel, and I took two coolers with me of salads (I remember the big honkin’ bag of veggie coleslaw in particular), fruits, and healthy snacks. I knew the hotel we’d be staying at didn’t have any fridges in the rooms, so my plan was to keep buying ice and use my coolers as mini-fridges. I was all gung-ho to be committed and completely avoid eating out! Well… that lasted until the first large social opportunity came along and everyone wanted to go out for supper. I didn’t want to miss out, but I found that good intentions were not enough to keep me from digging into the deep-fried junk along with everyone else at the table. Afterwards, I felt *darned* guilty that I hadn’t stuck to my plan. Worse, I felt so bad that I kinda (as in totally) gave up. By the time we were ready to head back home, my room had the rather enchanting aroma of rotten uneaten cabbage. So… that didn’t work.
On the other hand, I’ve also made trips out to visit family with the intention that I would just set aside my lifestyle goals completely and “be free”. [tweet_dis]I believe, I’ll start again on New Year’s is one of my fonder Christmas delusions.[/tweet_dis] At least letting go was certainly one bargain I had no problem sticking to. But it was a deceptive choice; I still fell prey to the guilt and shame because I experienced all the negative consequences of consuming too much unhealthy food – feeling tired, unhappy, and very, very, “the-scale-says-WHAT?”, guilty. The result – same negative emotional outcome and a trip to the store for bigger jeans.
These days, I’m more about embracing what’s realistic for me. I try to balance having a plan, and giving myself some freedom. My plan is to maintain my smoothies. That gives me a LOT of freedom for the rest of the day. The most important thing I’ve learned is, that same philosophy I’ve seen The Green Smoothie Queen remind me of time and time again (and boy, I need that reinforcement daily!) – it’s not about being perfect; it’s about getting in more of what’s good for me. When I start the day knowing I’ve already consumed a half-tub or a whole bunch of greens, I recognize what an achievement that is for me – how much of an improvement it is compared to all the Christmases that came before. And instead of shame or guilt, there’s actually satisfaction.
And sometimes that satisfaction actually sprouts into pride, and then I find I’m reaching for the fruit bowl more often than the shortbread tin.
I’m sure you want to spend your holidays feeling good. Only you know what triggers your shame and guilt. Your first tip for travelling: know yourself, be pro-active and limit those triggers!
Once you have your brain on board, then you can move on to the nitty-gritty stuff! More to come on that tomorrow!