Southern Europe so far: je marche, Je mange. That’s pretty much been the picture for the past five weeks. I don’t really do museums or galleries. I travel to eat. I hike to eat. I eat to hike.
At Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid: oysters and alborino
If you’ve been following me on Instagram and Twitter you might have noticed that I’ve been eating a lot. Like, more than ever. And I’ve done so on a paleo(ish), gluten-free, sugar-free regime with a healthful, robust, full-fat, fully passionate focus.
How, so many of you keep asking me? How am I staying healthy? How am I staying starch-free in the UK, Southern Spain, Provence, and now Greece when pretty much everything comes on top of, surrounded by and engorged with potatoes and bread? Or a croissant?
Well, how about I tell you in pictures.
(PS: If you want to follow the rest of my World Wanders, follow things on Instagram and check out #worldwanders. I’m posting some of the pics on Twitter and Facebook too).
First up:
- Being starch-free while travelling is a little bit of a challenge. Bread is everywhere in Europe and it’s good stuff. The best. So are the pastries. The locals all eat the stuff. Ditto potatoes and pulses.
- But, surprise, surprise, in Spain, in particular, everyone seems to be getting sick from the bread, at least. Celiac’s disease is rampant. So much so “sin gluten” (In Spanish, “without gluten”) is understood everywhere. The tiniest deli in the smallest town will have a “sin gluten” section of breads and biscuits.Why so? I think it’s because the Spanish have been eating too much bread for too long. Every. Single. Meal. Comes with bread, is placed on bread, is mixed with bread. It’s a tradition that stems from a history of being poor…and bread is poor man’s food. Good for fattening fast. (The situation in France, I think, is a little different and possibly the quality of their flour is different – higher quality, less gluten. In Greece, well, I’ve just arrived. But I’ll try find out.)
- I’m not a militant paleo adherent. I don’t eat bread, I avoid grains and potato and I minimise sugar. All for particular health reasons. But I’m not a fanatic (leaving aside gluten).
- If you’re traveling you might want to consider eating paleo anyway. First, when you cut the starch it makes room for the more densely nutritious food, which you need while moving about and is far more often the stuff you really want to experience. Second,
My Theory on Weight Gain While Traveling: it’s the bread.
When we travel we eat a lot more of the stuff because it’s cheap and is force-fed to us at restaurants. This, along with a lot of weight bearing exercise – carrying packs etc. sees us pack on the bulk like an old milk maiden. Also, if you tend to get a little bloated, grains and pulses are not your friends while en transit.
- BUT, bread aside, Europe is fanatically embracing of the value of good protein and fat. Good meat is revered. Cheese is a meal. Everyone is comfortable with oil and fat. I’ve found it all very easy to eat here, and to eat extraordinarily well.
So, some little paleo tricks for the road:
Breakfast
I mixed up some linseeds, nuts, chia seeds and coconut shreds in a bag before I left. I’ve been eating this in yoghurt. Buy Greek yoghurt, organic. It’s full fat (skim is full of sugar). Nerdy, but, hey, that’s me.
On my big hiking days (I’ve done ten days of hiking so far, for 4-7 hours each day), I eat scrambled eggs and jamon (a typical ham dish in Spain; in France much the same). Sometimes with asparagus. Often two serves. Or three. Or I’d have a plate of jamon and cheese. Or four. Waiters in small towns laughed at me. I do the same in hotels. At the continental buffets I eat yoghurt, ham and cheese.
A pretty breakfast of stuff from Provence at Les Rosees Hotel in Mougins
Meat and fat is never the problem. Veggies might be, especially in Spain. I’ve been dedicating a meal to just eating a bunch of whatever I can find. I tend to do it for breakfast or lunch, picking up stuff from a market. I buy nuts and sunflower seeds (these are sold like chips in Spain for 30c), cucumbers, beans, a peach, a tomato, witlof. I’ll plan this. I stock up the night before if I have to. Hunt down a small market.
How tomatoes should look!
After a three-hour hike I came across these (Sierra Nevada)
My favourite thing has been to catch a train early, with a little picnic of things and a coffee (I’ve been drinking coffee over here, quite happily, a few a week). Very little makes me happier.
Stocked up: at the Arab markets in Marseille...on my way to Cannes
On the train through El Churro on the way to Ronda in Andalucia
A tip: when desperate for breakfast/lunch at a Spanish railway station etc ask for one of their super CHEAP rolls (about 2 Euro) without bread. You’ll get a stash of ham and cheese. It’s generally really good quality, too.
Lunch
On hiking days I don’t really eat lunch. I don’t want to carry it. Hence the egg, cheese, jamon overload I mentioned above. Sometimes I take a cucumber.
I'd walked five hours when I took this photo...between Zahara and Grazalema
But on “explore the town” days, well, lunch has been my entire raison d’etre for the day. I map out my destination and wander a route that gets me to lunch at about 2pm. Once there, I try the cleanest, most local protein. Eat what they do best….it will be local, freshly caught and they’ll take pride in the cooking and preparing.
In London, I rode two hours across town and spent three hours at The Borough Markets eating my way around the joint. I think it’s one of the best markets I’ve been to. Here I gave duck a crack. And Welsh cheeses. And the most amazing hot chocolate.
The Borough Markets
Cacao nib and chilli tea - blew my head off! At Rabot Estate at Borough Markets
Another day, I crossed town to eat at The Albion. I look up the website the night before, do my research (I also poured over a bunch of “slow food” guides in a bookshop for some great insights. Slow food directories – online as well – are a great way to find paleo-orientated eateries, as they profile places that showcase their local wares…which are often meat, cheese, vegetables).
Pork crackling!!!
In Bristol my brother and I drove an hour to eat at The Ethicurean where they grow many of their own veggies in a massive garden out front:
The Ethicurean: ham hock broth with a poachie...all local produce
Back in London, pubs – especially good pubs – are a boon for high quality meat, and often cuts and meats that are very ethical and environmental (ie: pasture-fed and nose-to-tail etc).
Berkshire wild roe deer with hispi cabbage at The Harwood Arms
In Malaga, I walked 6km to eat their famous sardines cooked in a boat. And then back again. That day I also bought some beans from a market, to balance things out.
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In Zahara, at Al Lago, these sardines were astonishing. And the calamari...
In Madrid, I ate at their “markets”: not so much produce markets, but places to buy little dishes and a glass of wine and then stand and chat.
You buy small protein things on sticks for a few euros
This place below has a restaurant on top where they’ll cook the seafood or meat you’ve just bought. Man! Clever! They serve it with vegetables (1 Euro).
Mercado de San Anton in Madrid
Dinner
Again, dinner as a destination is my main game (if I pass a museum along the way, fine).
Southern Spain is all about buying a drink and getting tapas for free. Which is rather….bready. And I can only drink one boozy drink. So I’d go for a little tapas first (with a glass of Tio Pepe – I love the dry saltiness, especially after a long walk….and usually it costs about 1 Euro) and then head somewhere else for a proper dinner that I pay for after.
A "Rueda" drunk in Ronda...I'd just hiked over those mountains that afternoon
And, of course, there’s always cheese. I came to Europe for the cheese. It’s a way of life, it’s the smell of the countryside, it’s art, it’s everything life should be about. I eat it without bread of course. Cut to the chase. Banons, thoms, St Nectaires…this stuff makes me happy!
At Columbe d'Or in St Paul de Vence, Provence
Some other things at dinner time:
- Ask for no potatoes. Chips or fried potatoes come with everything in much of Europe. Ask to replace them with something resembling a vegetable. Generally they’ll think you’re mad (because veggies are considered peasant food, traditionally, particularly in Spain and Greece), but are mostly happy to help.
- At tapas, tell the waiter/barperson upfront you’re “sin gluten” or “sans gluten” (easier than “I’m grain-free”) and they’ll bring just meat and cheese and olives. This will generally cut out the deep fried crap, too (since most fried things are covered in breadcrumbs).
- At tapas, if they bring chips, ask for nuts.
- Watch out for gazpacho and other soups….they’re often bulked out with breadcrumbs.
- Ditto some sausages.
A paleo confirmation
As I say above, getting enough greenery into your diet when traveling is possibly the biggest challenge. I struggle with the idea of not eating as many vegetables as I normally would. Back home I can get really cranky if I don’t get enough greenery into my gullet in a day.
But I’ve given in a little. Because, honestly, my health has not suffered from eating a lot less green stuff than I normally do. A cheese and meat and fat diet has worked for me. My health is great and I feel as though I’m brimful with vitamins and nutrition.
Also, I’ve not put on weight…and I’VE BEEN EATING MORE PIG FAT THAN YOU’D CARE TO KNOW ABOUT.
It reminds me of the experience of Canadian scientist Dr. Vilhjalmur Stefansson who lived for almost a decade eating meat and fat alone. He was an ethnologist studying the Inuit and had no choice…but it turned into an interesting experiment for him. His health didn’t suffer at all. In fact, it thrived. (You can read about his experiences here.)
Whatever. Fact is, it’s been good just to go with the flow and eat good, local, honest food that is prepared with love and tradition. Just without the bread.
Funnily, as you read this, I’ve left for Icaria, a small Greek island to join a National Geographic team who are looking into why so many of the inhabitants live over a hundred years. Icaria is one of Dan Buettner’s Blue Zones. And he’s returning to investigate the food their eating. I can’t wait to find out the secret…
Stay tuned!
Now I’m back online I’d be only too glad to answer any questions you have…on my travels…on the food…fire away!
I love to hear about how people eat healthily when they travel, it’s something I really struggle with. You seem to have an awesome balance of eating what makes you happy and giving your body what makes *it* happy.
I’m planning a trip to Europe next year, and have been seriously considering buying a portable-personal-smoothie-blender-thing to take with me. I get a bit panicky/stressed when I don’t have my green smoothie everyday, so the thought of going three months without has just seemed Not. Possible. (To the point where it’s been stressing me out a little.) (Ok, a lot!)
However, your post gives me food for thought (uggh, unintentional bad pun!)… I think I could learn to be a bit gentler with myself when it comes to food…
Such a great post, would love to hear more about travel + looking after yourself!!! xo
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July 18th, 2012 at 11:37 am
I totally get what you mean, Jess! I was recently on a road trip and I brought along my blender – because I can’t live without my green smoothie. I need heaps of greens in my day if not I may get cranky!
Love this post Sarah – good to put out the message that it IS possible (and so easy) to eat healthy while travelling!
Jia Ni
xoxo
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July 19th, 2012 at 3:13 am
that made me laugh!
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July 20th, 2012 at 1:29 pm
Sarah your post is great. I like to carry a tub of raw cacao powder in my bag with me so whenever I buy a latte so I can sprinkle my own chocolatey goodness on top to make my own little cappuccino
Looks like you had a wonderful time overseas – I have lately discovered a french cheese called Rachlett which I buy from some Sydney farmers markets. I love to make egg omelettes with it, so delicious! SO glad my body agrees with dairy!
Eating paleo is easy – I hear people make so many excuses about eating bread and margarine just ‘because it’s available’.
They don’t know what meaty fun they’re missing out on
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July 20th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
Hi Jess
I travel for work to the middle of nowhere on a regular basis for 2 weeks at a time and all my food is provided for me. There are no shops to buy anything. It is not the type of food I am used to eating and my body suffers from it. As a result I have become quite creative in how I can bring my healthy eating with me. I bring the top part of a stick mixer that attaches to a chopper container to make my smoothies for breakfast. I am limited by weight in what I can carry and cannot take vegetables with me. Before I go I measure out how many nuts I will use and blend these the night before (not ideal but space saving). I keep them in a zip lock bag in the fridge when I arrive. I also pre-mix spirulina powder, maca powder, raw cacao poweder, mesquite powder, lucuma powder and maqui powder and have this in a zip lock bag. I bring my own almond milk (casein intollerant) in my carry-on and chia seeds. When I arrive I grab some banana’s from the eating hall. Then every morning i measure out my mixed powders and nuts, add half a banana, a tbls of chia and milk and blend. I only really add the banana for taste – I’d rather not add it (normally I’ll have frozen raspberries when at home but I can’t really take these with me). I also bring a jar of coconut oil to snack on. I make my own “muslie bars” filled with loads of goodness but this is probably going over the top for a trip to Europe.
Hope you can find something helpful in that
Amy
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August 7th, 2012 at 8:13 pm
Hi Sarah, I am loving reading your travel stories. I am just home after my own European holiday. My Spanish and French itineraries sound very similar to yours in fact! We went to so many of the places you have photographed and described. It has been so nice to re-live my trip through your blog. If not a little sad that it’s all over. And you are correct- all that walking, bike riding and delicious food is so good for the soul… and the body. I have never felt healthier or happier.
Thanks for the lovely read.
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Eating and walking are two of my favourite things as well. It looks like you are having such a lovely holiday. I would be giddy at trying all the different cheeses. Have a wonderful trip!
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Hey Sarah!
Hope your traveling has been just lovely! I had a few questions as I just found your blog and purchased both of your books this past week and have loved everything, but I did have a few questions! I’ve been eating paleo for the past couple months now where dairy wasn’t allowed and I also was able to eat a little bit more fruit.. My question is with cutting out more sugar and adding in more dairy will my weight most likely stay the same or will I gain weight because of the dairy? I also haven’t eating red meat or pork for five years now would you suggest adding them back into my diet? I cut them out of my diet 5 years ago because of severe digestive problems and I thought that was the problem I’m thinking now though it might have been wheat and sugar all along! I would love to hear what you think!
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Ahh..living vicariously through your travels. I traversed similar areas of Spain, France and Greece as you and I too ate in a Paleo manner (and this was 5 years ago!) …Unlike most of my 20 something year old companions, I lost weight.
I attribute this to LOTS of walking and my preoccupation with quality food as opposed to ‘backpacker’ food (tinned tuna, baguette and cheese).
On the Gluten free front, I do believe that Paris opened its first Gluten Free Bakery this year, Helmut Newcake. I would be curious to see if anyone has been there?
Macaroons were my saviour in France. Although loaded with sugar they were the perfect treat to quash my croissant desires.
Travel Safe,
Holly
x
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Sarah, I am so inspired by you. I am yearning for travel more than ever now.
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Hi Sarah,
Great post and pictures! I generally eat a paleo diet and when I’m travelling I always have the best intentions of sticking with it, but it always seems to fall by the wayside and I give in to the free bread or chips that come with everything and end up putting on about 5kg. I’m going to have to try and remember this post before my next trip in October and really try hard to stick to my normal way of eating even when I am overseas.
Thanks
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The food and you both look amazing. I can’t wait to go travelling again, it seems like such a blast!
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I LOVE Borough markets, I always head there for a foraging and eating mission when I’m in London. Great write up Sarah, love hearing about the travels (and of course the food!). x
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“Bread is poor man’s food. Good for fattening fast.” Exactly how I see it.
I actually found it really easy to avoid breads and such travelling Europe. Probably because it was cold in Germany, Austria and Prague and when given the choice between a delicious hot pork knee with inch-thick fat (!!!) and some boring bread, there is no way I’d choose the bread. I essentially lived on goulash, cheese and various roasted meats the entire time and my digestion felt amazing for it.
I do love to hear of your travels, Sarah! The food all looks marvelous, and you seem to be having a magic time. Enjoy Greece, my sister was just there a few weeks ago and she loved it.
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This Instagram safari of your trip makes me giddy with jealousy/excitement/inspiration to finally go forth & frolick! With a foodie bent, of course. Glorious! Keep reppin’ Aussie cheese-fancying cavewomen!
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Sounds like my kind of trip. Food, broken up with walking/exploring/hiking. Would love to especially visit Spain and France – both heaven for paleo/primal foodies.
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I found it pretty difficult being vego overseas. Without meat, if there isn’t much in the way of vegies, a lot of the time I was stuck with bread and pasta
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Great post, and I’ve loved watching your trip via instagram! Very inspiring, definitely something I would like to do one day. Did you plan to meet up with the Blue Zone people, or did that come about fortuitously? Look forward to reading all about what you discover!!
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Hi Sarah,
It is my understanding that French wheat does have a different nutritional profile (as you have suggested) and I know gluten intolerant people who can manage quite well with it (i.e. their symptoms disappear when in France). If you are a diagnosed coeliac then obviously avoid gluten but if you are “gluten intolerant” it could be worth trying different brands (flour, pasta etc) sourced from different regions to see if there is one that you can tolerate.
cheers, Kaye
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Most people with an AI-disease actually thrive by going near keto,hence cutting out veggies. It gives your gut a chance to heal. You should really look into Jack kruse a bit more, he has pointed out these things for a while. I’m not surprised you felt pretty good without veggies, I only eat a lot of them 2 or 3 days a week… the rest I focus on good fats and fish + meats.
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July 18th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Hmmm, Jack Kruse is… controversial. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t onto something with this particular idea. I’ve heard some hypothyroid people do very well zero-low carb, and others not so much. I’ve read a lot on the benefits of a lower fibre diet being beneficial for gut healing and I’m very intrigued.
I’d be interested to know what you eat in a day, and how you avoid boredom eating only meat & fat.
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July 18th, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Hey Mia Bluegirl,
I don’t have an AI disorder, just a very – and I mean very – sensitive gut. Through years of process i finally did the RPAH Elimination Diet – I was no/low carb and as I was restricted on the veggie and fruit front, I also looked to eat the lower fibre f & vs on the list to see if that made any difference. It was great – did just as I needed it to do. My gut was calm – for the first time ever. I would love to go full paleo, but I do like yoghurt and I eat oats (I’m an endurance sport nut – lots of running!), so already being so restricted, it is hard to really trial paleo as I have limitations on f & vs. But by what it was that Sarah seemed to thrive on – meat and cheese – although not strictly paleo, it was low fibre – perhaps there is something in that. With the Elimination diet to control salycilate and amine loads, all of those beautifully coloured fruits and veggies and fats in coconuts and avocados, all off limits. in terms of meat I only eat fish, and have recently added chicken to my diet – and I have to tell you, chicken, fish and eggs makes for a very boring diet if I was to only eat f & v every so often!
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July 19th, 2012 at 11:26 am
Thank you for that! Fascinating!
I shall look into the RPAH elimination diet, it’s not the first positive review I have heard. Thank you! And my sympathies on the sensitive gut – I know all too well about those!
July 19th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
I’m the same as you Miranda, I would like to go full paleo but intollerances get in the way. I have to be super careful with veggies, fruit, meat and spices because of salicilate/amines/etc. I am quitting sugar and trying semi-paleo after coming out from the other side of the RPAH diet, which completely changed my life.
I’ve just come back from London and went to Borough Markets after seeing your Instagram pics. It was amazing! That cacoa tea – wow! Thanks for this great article.
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I find the paelo diet very interesting however I have never been a big meat eater and do in fact think I feel much better when I limit my meat intake. I would be interested to see a post on your take of a meat free paelo diet.
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July 19th, 2012 at 11:56 am
“Meat free” and “paleo” just don’t go together, in my opinion.
It’s definitely a good idea to adopt a diet that best suits you and how you process food.
But paleo is generally much more than just eating a certain way. It’s a set of beliefs that doesn’t really translate to not eating meat – paleo-eating-minus-meat just isn’t really paleo. I think it goes against what so much of the movement is about.
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Do what I do (and what Sarah does) and adapt it to suit you. I had been meat free for quite a long time when I started paleo. I still haven’t eaten any red meat, but I did introduce fish back into my diet. It was my compromise. In terms of protein, I do rely on dairy, fish and beans a fair bit. So not strictly paleo, but the difference it’s made to my health (and weight) is significant. Do what’s right for you, your body and your circumstances. Experiment.
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I’ve loved following you instagram while you’ve been away Sarah. Just one question though when you set off on this long hikes what do you take with you and how often do you stop to take a break. I can imagine that walking for that amount of time would be a killer!
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I have travelled quite a bit in the last year since going sugar, and then grain free. It can be challenging. Last week my husband and I took our vitamix to the snow, couldn’t ski all day without green smoothie power! We also resorted to taking our lunch to the slopes each day, as there was little we could eat. We used iceberg lettuce leaves as wraps, and took bags of leftover roast chook and cheese plus fruit and nuts for after. We got some funny looks! I would really love to know how that chilli/cacao tea is made…it looks intriguing!
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[...] I love this post by Sarah Wilson about eating well whilst traveling. I love hearing about how people look after themselves whilst traveling, as it’s something [...]
Hello Sarah, I love your blog and have both your ebooks – as an aside: recipes are really good although some of them didn’t work when I converted to metric
but they have really helped me implement the sugarfree lifstyle.
I wanted to ask you about your “train” breakfast: do you eat things like green beans raw??? have never tried that before!
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I leave today for the Greek Islands, France, Spain and the UK so I’ve kind of felt your blog has been written for me personally lately!
I know potatoes and bread are my downfall and the bread over there is quite different but probably not different enough. After losing 8kgs this year I don’t want to undo all my good work but more importantly I don’t want the horrible cramps I get if I indulge in carbs and sugar these days. Especially while on a boat or bus or neverending plane trip.
Anyway I’m prepared – your what to pack post helped so much and this one is perfect timing. Now it’s holiday time!! Thanks to you and Jo for everything!
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Hi Sarah,
Just a qu re the ancient Greeks cooking with olive oil. My husband is Greek and we usually agree to disagree over certain food matters. These days we’re told that heated olive oil is dangerous, but hubby always comes back with “the Greeks have always cooked with it”. Is that true? Did the ancient Greeks actually cook (heat) it?
Also on our last trip to Greece in 2006, we couldn’t believe how many overweight children we saw! Belly fat and all. So much for the “Meditteranean Diet”. Years ago it was just local food – people living closer to the ocean ate more seafood and people in the mountains ate more goat, lamb etc. All supplemented with homemade dairy food, fruit, veg, grains etc. What do you think?
Keep enjoying yourself,
Andrea
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I’m actually going to Spain in a couple of months and was concerned about the bread as I eat gluten free and my husband is celiac, but I LOVE braed in europe. Good to know sin gluten is common. Coeliac is actually greek for ‘sore stomach’ and in italy the allergy is so common that almost every child is tested for it at a very young age. My mother in law is celiac and went to italy lately and had the phrase written in italian and she had no problem at all. She ate LOADS of fresh gluten free pasta. If only we could be so lucky in Australia
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First off, and most importantly Sarah – I love your glasses SO much, I’m in the market for some new ones, who are they by??
Secondly… I’m about to go to the US for a holiday. There will be lots of hiking etc so weight gain shouldn’t (touch wood) be an issue but I am a bit concerned about the food! When travelling I often do what you do and live off ham, cheese and boiled eggs but does anyone have any US-specific tips? Everything over there seems to be giant-sized and sugary!
PS How good are the Borough Markets?! I lived near there for a couple of years, they were my favourite place to spend a Saturday morning!
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July 20th, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Hi Jules,
I’m living in the US currently and yes the major problem here is High Fructose Corn Syrup/Corn Syrup it is literally everywhere! Which is why I mostly shop at Whole Foods for groceries so I can avoid it! Serving sizes are very big!
What parts of the US will you be visiting? I know some places like San Francisco have great food trucks with decent food and are more health conscious in terms of food compared to other places.
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Talk about food porn Sarah! Well done on keeping to a mainly paleo lifestyle most of the way. We travelled South America a few months back and it was a similar challenge with bread everywhere especially for breakfast. I Love how you’re picking lots of fresh local produce and really in most places if they cook traditionally’ there’s not much processed foods or gluten in the diet (unless you’re in the land of pasta!)
Wouldn’t it be great to have a website of all the GF places around the world that people can search when they’re travelling. Maybe there’s something like it out there already that I don’t know of – anyone willing to share?
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Great post Sarah. I’ve been wondering about how to travel on a mostly paleo diet and gluten-free. Your tips for travelling in Europe have been most enlightening. We’re planning a family trip to China next year and how to eat there with all that devine food with sauces laden with gluten is now exercising my mind. And it’s the sauces that make the food so yummy! Have you any experience eating gluten-free in Asia? If so, I would love to know more about how to cope.
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Hi Sarah,
Longtime fan, firsttime poster here…all the way from Ottawa, Canada!
Love your blog, your voice, and what you’ve been sharing. This particular post reminded me of my backpacking honeymoon four years ago. Oh! The markets! The food! Thanks for that.
For whatever reason, I always felt slightly sheepish about food being my main target when travelling. Yeah, I can appreciate a church, but what I really want to experience is a country’s food. Have a few transcendental meals (eg: prosciutto and wine in Cinque Terre). It was refreshing to hear you say it loud n proud.
Finally, I LOVE your glasses in the Mercado de San Miguel photo. Can you tell me what the brand is?
Thanks for the fab blog!
Erika.
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Sadly I am gluten and dairy free. Also not good with coconut, pulses (which i love), pork, ham and bacon (which I also love). Seems that the blood group o diet is the one that suits my body – so very little cheese, no avocadoes, and some of the other yummy things you recommend… This is so frustrating, makes it difficult to travel, but reading about your culinary and other adventures helps a little. Great blog, I do enjoy reading it, keep up the good work!
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I’ve been dairy free most of my life (mostly me naturally avoiding it, but now properly dairy free), gluten free for 2 years and salicilate and sugar free for a month or so. I’m hoping to get salicilates back (especially tomatos).
I travelled to europe before I was gluten free and will be going to europe again at the end of the year. I’m not sure how i’m going to go with it as I’d love to have the ability to just grab and go.
For me, I think it will just be a matter of being really well prepared – I’m probably going to be in the UK for a few weeks before catching up with family in France and going on a tour. I’m going to try and stock up on things I can have in that time so I don’t have to worry about finding things on my tour. That said, after reading this I’m much less worried!
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Great stuff Sarah! Really enjoying reading about your travels as always.
Just wondering how your Thyroid/AI is holding up with all the exercise, change of routine, socialising etc. I
Im trying a new regime for Adrenal fatigue and feeling very thryoidy and crappy with terrible anxiety and other physical symptoms. Can you just explain how you cope with people, noise, activities, stress etc while youre travelling.
Im really envious and not quite sure how you manage it all,….or are you feeling alot better these days ?
take care of you
Lauren x
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Hi Sarah
I read this post before heading off to Hawaii on holidays; was perfect advice for the 2 weeks I was there. Held back on the starch /sugar foods most of the time, kept active (am anyway) and found that this is the secret to hols. Holiday’s usually render me about 2-3 kg’s heavier however on this one I maintained normal weight. Plus I still enjoyed good wines as well. Thanks for the tip; I’m superstoked with this little bit of advice.
Cheers
Brooke
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[...] – OK, you only have lettuce? – some lettuce. And an olive. I outlined in a previous post how I get my greens when travelling – it’s a challenge, but there are ways. Anyway, as an ode to this challenge, and [...]
Hi sarah,
Thanks so much for this post….
Since leaving school 9 years ago this week my dream of booking a 1 way ticket to Chile, South America with the aim to travel the world for 12 months came true!!
As excited as I am …. I’m also slightly terrified at the thought of gaining my 5kg lost since going sugar free.
This post came at a fantastic time for me & I hope to incorporate the paleo way of eating whilst on the move.
The most challenging part will be watching my partner indulge in starchy foods & not gain a kilo!!
Any tips from people on how to travel without gaining inches would be great!!
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