I Know how it Feels
You’ve just committed to a low-carb diet and experienced the first benefits; you’re enthusiastically spreading the message to your friends and colleagues when you realise that your next business travel is scheduled next week. After all your hard work to get rid of your sugar cravings, you’re now fearing that your effort might have been in vain.
Don’t Panic!
Here’re some strategies that will help you stay on track when travelling.
- Stock up on nuts and seeds. Make sure you have enough to snack on throughout your journey. To improve digestibility and nutrient absorption, don’t forget to soak them overnight and to either dehydrate them, or bake them at a low temperature prior to packing them (here’s a recipe idea). Once you’ve prepared your nuts and seeds, pack them into individual portions to keep in your bag or pocket: this will prevent you from overeating and will ensure that you’ve got enough for your whole journey.
- Make sure you’ve got plenty of water. I know this tip sounds trivial, but sometimes it’s not so easy to have access to bottled water during a business trip. Keeping yourself hydrated is vital because not only does it ensure all of your electrolytes are being constantly replenished, but it also prevents you from feeling hungry when in fact you just need fluids. Dehydration is one of the most common triggers for snacking. And, guess what, when your body feels that hungry, the first thing it will go after are carbs!
- Always start your lunch from protein. When you’re at the restaurant, make sure you consume your high-fat, protein-rich main (fatty steak, chicken or fish) before your side dish. This will prevent you from overeating carbs.
- Go for low-carb side dishes. Try to choose spinach, green beans, carrots or mixed salad over potatoes, when possible, and avoid ordering rice or pasta. However, if you’re still hungry after your main and side dish, prefer potatoes over rice or pasta: even though they have a higher GL, they’re simpler for your body to break down and digest and are less inflammatory. ‘Lower carbs’ doesn’t always equal to ‘better choice’.
- Choose fruit over cake. If everyone else is ordering a dessert and you can’t escape it (I’ve been there myself many, many times), then try to go for a fruit platter. It’s getting more and more common for restaurants to have fruit platter options — sometimes they even sell plain pineapple or strawberry bowls (you can add sugar free whipped cream too!). If the restaurant doesn’t have that option, however, always go for sorbet, ice cream or mousse over cakes: due to their ice and air content, they tend to contain less calories per volume of food and, in many cases, less sugar.
- Avoid or restrict alcohol. I know a business trip can be regarded as a social event, however, alcohol consumption will undermine your weeks or months of progress. Can’t avoid alcohol at all? Well, go for a glass of red wine over white: red wine is slightly less toxic — especially Pinot Noir seems to contain the least tannins — ; it contains resveratrol, notably an antioxidant (although the way such antioxidant works is still stressful for the body and more research is needed to establish whether polyphenols can be really considered health friendly); white wines tend to have more added sugars. If you really want to have a glass of wine without feeling guilty, you can skip your dessert or potato side dish and have wine instead, or have half a serving of each.
To conlcude
If you’ve got enough nuts to snack on and enough water to feel hydrated, you won’t feel too hungry when you arrive at the restaurant. When you start your meal from a high fat, protein rich main, you’ll be less likely to crave high-carb side dishes. If you can’t give up your dessert, just choose fruit over cakes, and should you want to have a glass of wine, try to go for red over white. If you want to do this guilt-free, you can either skip dessert for wine, or maybe have half a serving of each. With these simple strategies, you should be able to go on your business trip, while staying on track with your low-carb nutrition plan, totally stress free. Enjoy your trip and make nice memories! You can have your carbs, and eat them too! 😉