Man, it’s so hard to stick to the plan sometimes!

Following a strict nutrition plan can be tough on a daily basis, but it’s even more challenging when you’re out of town.

Last week, I was out of town for business (I’m pretending it was vacation!) and we stayed in a lovely house with 20 women and only 3 bathrooms. Outside of the Great Toilet Paper shortage of 2017, it actually went really well.

Our food was ordered ahead of time from these delicious places, or prepared and planned in advance. While everyone tried to accommodate the dietary concerns of all of us, it was still a challenge to stick to the plan.

As some of you may know, I’ve been following the AIP diet to heal leaky gut related to some unknown autoimmune disease. Basically, it’s pretty darn strict and I’m limited on a lot of things I can eat. Mainly, gluten, dairy, grains, and nightshades. So that leaves me with meat and veggies and I’m not a big fan of meat. So what’s a girl to do?

The hosts of our conference graciously provided lots of staples, like mixed greens, and veggie trays, and fruit, so I made creative salads all weekend.

Here’s some ideas:

• If you can eat meat, make a basic mixed green salad and throw on any veggies you can find, then top with the meat that is available. You’ll feel lighter eating lots of veggies, but still get a decent amount of protein.
• Boiled eggs. If you can have eggs, they are a great and versatile addition to most meals and salads.
• Nuts. Adding nuts to your mixed greens will give you lots of healthy fat and help keep you feeling full.
• Crackers are a great addition when you need something crunchy, but if there are no gluten free options, add crunchy veggies like celery and carrots. They’ll help you feel satisfied with the extra crunch.
• Add flavorful crunch with things you may not normally think of like red onions, green onions, and radishes.
• Use salsa, hummus or guacamole for dressing instead of the normal dressings.
• Add rinsed black beans and corn and top with salsa for a Mexican style salad that’s packed with protein.
• Consider adding chickpeas or even toasting them with spices before hand for another crunchy addition.
• Add various fruits. Apples, pears, berries, grapes….even pineapple make great additions to salad and give them a sweet taste.
• Make your own dressing. Some olive oil and basil leaves, random nuts (whatever’s on hand) and other herbs, plus some garlic powder, salt and pepper can make a pretty yummy pesto-inspired dressing!
• Make them LARGE!  Your body doesn’t work as hard to digest clean nutrition from salads, so make them big!

Think outside the box and try something different!

Whichever ingredients you have on hand, experiment with combinations you haven’t thought of before. This adds variety and depth, not only in the flavor department, but in the nutritional department as well. You’ll get a wide assortment of nutrients that will help you feel satisfied.

Thanks for reading my blog about how to eat healthy on vacation. Feel free to share!