I’m Still Reintroducing New Foods: How I Travel Without Stressing
Recently, bae and I took a last minute trip to California to see his family. Still in the middle of reintroducing foods, I quickly ordered some of my go-to travel snacks (and new found travel coffee) and mentally prepared myself to RELAX when it came to food.
After being on an elimination diet for 3 months, I’m now in the reintroduction phase to figure out what foods work best for my body and which ones don’t. Although it is exciting to be in this part of the elimination diet, it is difficult to maintain if you, like me, have a history of orthorexia and binge eating. I’m sticking to reintroducing new foods slowly because I’ve so far in figuring out what causes my digestive problems and there’s no turning back now; however, I’ve found that letting go of the rigidness every once in a while is good for my mental health.
During the 9+ months I’ve been working with my functional medicine doctor, I’ve been giving the food and supplement protocols 110%, meaning I’ve been following everything almost perfectly (not only because I’m Type A but also, hello, I’ve invested in this so I’m going to do my best to follow the plan as closely as possible). I’ve been following the food protocol so closely that my team had to tell me to relax and remind me it’s okay to veer off course a little bit to simply enjoy life (i.e. if I’m in California and see a cute coffee shop, grab a cup and don’t stress about it).
Thankfully, I’m in the part of the reintroduction phase where coffee is back in my life every day! However, because I have high amounts of mold in my body, I have to drink coffee that has been tested for mycotoxins (these things develop in your body when there is a mold presence). I’ve started drinking Bulletproof coffee and bring Purity coffee sachets when I travel. More on the mold issues I’m having in a later post but I’m on a plan to detox this stuff out of my body.
I’m holding off on reintroducing new foods until my body clears out this mold but so far, I’ve reintroduced raw vegetables, all fruit, FODMAPs, coffee, gluten-free flours (almond, coconut, cassava, tiger nut, arrowroot), and natural sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar). This means I’ve been able to enjoy pancakes on the weekends and am able to eat out more easily. While this is all well and good, I’ve found it difficult to not binge or go overboard on these types of foods.
I’m a big believer in having “food freedom” and not feeling guilty around what you eat. As I go through this experience of healing my body through functional medicine, this phrase is slowly starting to sound more like “food peace”. Food freedom makes me think: eat whatever I want, whenever I want, no food rules, no consequences. While I still somewhat feel like I do have the freedom to make food choices, I now know that what I do eat will have consequences. My body has symptoms or what I call “flare ups” if I do eat certain FODMAPs (so far, the culprits are cauliflower, mango, artichokes, mushrooms). If I eat gluten, my gut lining will not be as strong, allowing for foods, bacteria, and toxins to enter my bloodstream. Having more than one cup of coffee upsets my stomach leaves me feeling on edge all day.
This is why I’m starting to accept and learn how to live with food peace. I used to have no food rules, now my only food rule is: eat what makes you FEEL good. And what makes me feel good is probably going to be different from what makes the people around me feel good.
In order to avoid going down the binge eating path, I’ve been writing the following phrase in my affirmation journal every morning: “I make choices that help my body heal”. When I write this phrase and say it aloud, it empowers me to make choices that I know will help my body. When I run into a food choice or a choice to skip my daily sweat session (to help detox the mold), I am reminded of this affirmation and more often, I make the choice that will help my body. It is not easy everyday to make these choices but if I take it one day at a time, it makes things less overwhelming.
When I went on that trip to California, I packed my favorite, protocol-compliant snacks but I also reminded myself to relax, enjoy the moment, and not stress about food. Yes, I stuck to my food protocol as best as I could but I also allowed myself to enjoy a cup of coffee at a local cafe, cacao nibs on my favorite smoothie bowl from Thrive Juice Lab, and gluten-free avocado toast. This made my trip more enjoyable and less stressful when it came to food choices.
If you are following a specific food protocol or are trying to stick to any sort of routine, don’t stress if you aren’t perfect. Do your best, take it one day at a time, and maybe remind yourself of why you are doing this so the choices you are faced with are easier to make. If you need support, check out my coaching programs here.