Monday 27 June 2011

The Blood Type Diet for Travellers

Hello everyone!

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting as regularly lately. This is because I have been away on vacation in Las Vegas with my friends for a birthday celebration. I love the hot, dry weather, the nightlife,  the shopping, and how Vegas is so unapologetically over the top.

While there, I tried my best to stick to the blood type diet as much as possible. For an AB who can't eat wheat or corn, that proved to be somewhat problematic, especially when grabbing food on the go. I'm of the opinion that in a city like Vegas, someone somewhere will have what you want, so we didn't do so badly. Sometimes too much choice and temptation can be problematic, of course ("It all looks so good! Can I have one of each?!").

In less diverse places, sticking to the diet can prove much more challenging due to lack of options. I did come up with some tips that I think would be helpful, and I hope you find them useful as well:
  • When eating out at a restaurant, go vegetarian. Most vegetables are acceptable to all types, and you will feel pretty light after your meal.
  • Bring some food with you. My friends and I flew out of Bellingham rather than YVR, so once we drove across the US border, we bought some snacks at a grocery store and brought them with us. This was a less expensive option than going out each time we wanted a snack, and helped me stay compliant. We didn't buy much: almonds, cranberries, oatmeal, banana chips (not for me) and carrots. The hotel gave us a fridge to keep everything fresh. I put them in my checked luggage, but they will also go into carry-on without a problem. 
  • Allow yourself one cheat day. I did this the day we ate at Thomas Keller's Bouchon for brunch, and it was awesome. It will also save your sanity.
Pastries at Bouchon? Yes, please!
  • If you find standard portion sizes too large, order an appetizer or two instead. This gives you some nice variety and won't make you feel over-stuffed. 
  • For breakfast, find a place that does omelets and get a custom one. You really can't go wrong with that, and it will fuel you up for the rest of the day. 
  • Cocktails are tempting, but just say no and order wine instead. The mixes and juices used in cocktails are usually packed with sugar or HFCS and other stuff you probably shouldn't be consuming. AB's can't touch hard liquor, but wine is A-OK, so just stick with a glass of wine or two and enjoy your meal. 
  • Drink lots of water!
  • Have at least a little discipline. If you're with a group of people who aren't familiar with the diet, just explain that you're on a restrictive diet and you need to be selective in your food choices. Most people will respect this.
I hope you find these tips helpful and useful in your upcoming travels!

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