The Challenge of Travel

The Quantum Wellness Cleanse Diet and travel don't mix well.  For this reason, David and I committed to the 21-day cleanse during a month that we didn't have any travel plans. Preparing your own food is essential to successfully completing this cleanse.

Even though we still had a wedding, baby shower, birthday party and evenings out with friends scheduled during our cleanse, we were able to plan our diet around these fun activities that are typically food-oriented. We prepared ourselves by eating prior to attending events. With satiated stomachs, we were able to enjoy our company while at the same time deny the culinary temptations that surrounded us.

Traveling, on the other hand, is much more difficult when trying to eliminate the "big five" outlined in the cleanse. Even though we completed the cleanse, I decided to keep our new, healthy eating habits as the norm in our diets.  David and I took our son for a stay at Callaway Gardens during spring break. This was my first time to visit the Southern resort located in the heart of Georgia; and I enjoyed the gardens, exhibits and nature trails.  All the activities available at Callaway make for an exercise-oriented vacation.  However, sugar, gluten and animal products were impossible to avoid. Had we visited a resort in California or Arizona, I may have been able to easily stay within my dietary guidelines.  But in the Deep South, cooking with fatback is still the criterion for achieving the unmistakable taste of Southern cuisine. To the resort's credit, a veggie burger and veggie hot dog are offered on its lunch cafe's menu.

I packed several snacks, but I was in need of a decent meal after the long walks through the gardens. I compromised on my dietary guidelines while on vacation; otherwise, I would have done without meals altogether. My compromise included the addition of dairy, gluten and hidden sugars into my diet until we left the resort. Even with all the exercise of seeing the sites, I left the resort feeling heavier than I did upon arriving.  I don't mean heavier in weight, but a heavier inner feeling.  This feeling is hard to describe, but I have to wonder if this is how addicts feel when they fall off the wagon. I enjoyed visiting the beautiful Southern gardens, but I was definitely happy to get back to my kitchen where I feel safe and armed with the necessities of a healthy diet and, ultimately, a healthy lifestyle.

I'm curious about all the other visitors to the gardens. The morning of our departure, I watched most of them stack their plates full of unheatlhy items at the breakfast buffet. I wondered if they thought about the foods going onto their plates: bacon, biscuits, waffles, etc. Was this morning a break from the norm for them, or was it the norm?  Would they be returning to kitchens stocked with leafy greens or to kitchens stocked with processed foods and toxins?  I would love to give these folks the benefit of the doubt, but it's hard to do so when over two-thirds of the adults in our country are overweight or obese.

My advice is to make the healthiest choices available to you in every situation.