If you’re eating clean and especially if you have a special diet like gluten-free, vegan or Paleo, meal time can present some unique challenges. Especially when things don’t go as planned or if you weren’t able to prepare. I refer to these scenarios as a “Food Crisis.” Crisis might seem like a strong word but if you’ve ever been in one, you know that is exactly the right word to use.
Recently, Daniel and I went to snag some dinner after work and we decided on Aladdin’s Eatery. It’s a great place for special diets because they cater specifically to them and make a lot of items in-house so you can easily customize your meal. Anyway, we got our food to-go and went home. When we opened our boxes, to my dismay, this is what I saw:
Notice the feta all over that salad? You can see the pile of feta in the lid that I tried, unsuccessfully, to pick out. I forgot to tell them that I’m dairy-free. And they gave me lamb instead of beef … I don’t like lamb. Did I mention I was also way past the point of hungry?
The problem with a food crisis is that you’re very vulnerable because you’re usually way too hungry, potentially quite tired and often emotional. Needless to say I proceeded to cry. Frustrated, I sniffed up my tears and closed the stupid lid. This whole time Daniel was being sweet and offering me his dinner, which I couldn’t eat anyway but it was nice of him.
I forced myself into my kitchen to find an alternative. After a few deep breaths, here’s what I came up with:
Food crisis averted.
The good news is that it IS possible to get through a food crisis and stick to your diet. You will have to be creative. You have to harness your emotions and push through. When you’re in a food crisis, it’s easy to feel that all your healthy options are boring. The truth is that after you’ve eaten, you most likely aren’t thinking, “Man that was some boring food I just ate.” Instead, you feel satisfied and proud of yourself for not breaking your diet.
~ Kate
P.S. Stay tuned for a video where I’ll share tips on how to prepare for and successfully weather a food crisis.