Should I be “that” person?
Traveling for work? Here are a few tips on how to avoid foods that might not support you.
This week I travelled to Melbourne, Australia for a conference.
I find work trips quite hard from a healthy food choice perspective. Many choices are made for you and the temptations are high!
You are at the mercy of the airplane food, the pre-conference networking event with all its canapés and alcohol. The breakfast buffet with the most incredible looking pastries freshly baked and then there is the conference itself. Morning tea, lunch and when you thought you couldn’t fit any more in, afternoon tea roles in. Only to start eating all over again at the farewell dinner event!
Why would I partake in all of this when I knew better?
Because I didn’t want to be ‘that’ person. The person who asks for gluten and dairy free and risk the eye roles. The person who was different. I don’t have a real physical issue with certain ingredients (like those with coeliac disease), it’s more of a choice for me. When I ask myself why, the simple answer was, I wanted to belong.
So yes, I took whatever was on offer even though I never eat that much normally. I accepted dessert knowing the sugar would keep me up half the night. I was out of my normal routine; I didn’t want to put anyone out. So why be ‘that’ person?
Because my body, mind and mood needed me to. Just because I didn’t have a violent reaction to certain ingredients didn’t mean that they didn’t impact me. Rather than being ‘on’ for the conference. I would be struggling to stay awake. I’d drift off during speeches that I crossed oceans to listen to. I networked half-heartedly. All because I didn’t want to be seen as ‘that’ person.
Guess what? No one cares…read that again No. One. Cares!
On this trip, I was ‘that’ person. I was also the person who remained fully awake the entire conference. I met some amazing people doing amazing things for the horticulture industry across Australia and New Zealand. I learnt a great deal, brain fog did not roll in and I felt like I completely belonged too!
Here are some tips I use now for trips and conferences (even local ones) when I want to eat food that I know works for me. I hope they help you when you find yourself with food choices you normally don’t want to make:
Belief – You need to believe you are worth it. Your body is a magnificent ancient bio computer – look after it and it will look after you. Again No. One. Cares.
Pre-loading – No not the alcohol type of pre-loading…meals! I ate a really lovely salad of my choice before jumping on this latest flight, rather than playing Russian roulette with the meal on board. I won!
Lean into the good – I avoided the bakery section of the breakfast buffet and went to the hot section where I enjoyed an omelet, fresh fruit and some smashed avocado. There is always a lot of good on buffets, you just need to be open to them and not fixate on what you shouldn’t have.
BYO – I always bring a handful of nuts and my water bottle wherever I go. So, if I am actually hungry or thirsty (because the jug in the middle of the table is empty), I bring out my water or my nuts and …no issue.
The entrée plate – Pace yourself. Conferences are full of food. You won’t go hungry! If plates are given to you and you don’t have control of your portions remember, you don’t need to finish everything on your plate like your mother said. If you do have control, try using the entrée plate for your main meal. Again No. One. Cares!
Put the mask on yourself first, make great food choices when away from home and thrive again!