Whole 30: Day 6 – Surviving Social Gatherings
I would argue to say that the hardest situations to eat and drink healthy are social gatherings with friends and family.
Whether you are going out to eat for dinner or having a potluck at someone’s house, there will most likely be some entree, side, or dessert that you are trying to stay away from. What’s even harder is if everyone else is eating non-compliant foods for your challenge or new way of eating and they 1) either make you feel bad that you aren’t also eating that or 2) make un-supportive comments about your the healthier choices you made. However, it is not right to judge others based on what they decide to eat and that just because they are eating it, doesn’t necessarily mean you should.
Social eating situations are at their best, a time where we can feel peer pressured to deviate from Whole 30 or deviate from our personal choices not to eat a certain food and instead, eat another type of food. Yet, these same social situations can also be an opportunity to share dishes that are delicious and nutritious to everyone’s body.
For example, my birthday was last weekend and because my treat nights typically consist of good, nutritious foods as a meal and maybe a little chocolaty treat as dessert, I asked everyone to bring a Paleo dish to the potluck. At first, some people didn’t know what to bring or struggled with ideas, but in the end, everyone enjoyed the meal and felt satisfied! One of these friends told me today that after coming to my party, she decided to be an assortment of fruits as the main snack at her daughters birthday party. She said that she could even see herself doing Paleo!
So here are a few tips for enjoying social situations without giving up on your goals:
- Bring your own dish: This will allow you to have at least one dish you know you can eat, as well as presents the opportunity for you to try a new recipe and share healthy dishes with friends and family!
- Drink club soda with lime: One of the hardest times for those who drink, is when the company they are with are drinking while they are on Whole 30, or trying not to. Grab a club soda with some lime instead! This way you can still participate in the event and drink something with others, without sacrificing your goals.
- Ask what is in that recipe/dish: When eating out and even at potlucks, there may be foods that you think are Whole 30 or Paleo compliant, but actually aren’t in the end. Feel no shame in asking the waiter or the person who prepared the food what went into it and if eating out, if they can substitute the non-compliant ingredient for something else.
- Enjoy the food, as well as the people: Make the event not just about enjoying the food, but also about getting to know the people you are with better. Meals are gathering and relationship building points for people. So use the meal to do just that – build your relationships with others.
- Eat before: In some cases, it may be better to just eat before you go to hang out. For example, my husband had a youth workers’ meeting this morning where they were going to serve breakfast. We were unsure if they would have food he could eat (he is also doing Whole 30), so I made him scrambled eggs with compliant sausage, veggies, coconut oil and serve it with an extra baked sweet potato we had in the fridge. The meeting actually ended up having eggs and fruit that he could eat, but it was better to be safe than sorry, or in his case, hungry.
If you are interested in some Whole 30 Potluck recipes, check out this link for some ideas!
So my friends, I pray you enjoy your weekend, you enjoy your company, and that you enjoy your food 🙂 I’m going to try and do the same, while bringing my veggie tray to my friends potluck tonight! BOOM – Whole 30, Day 6.
Have a great weekend!
