What challenges do you face when changing your eating habits?
Many chronically ill people take diets or make drastic changes in their eating habits. Things are simpler and under control when we are at home, but family gatherings, visiting friends, spending long hours outside, and going to restaurants create some challenges.
Personal Experience…
To avoid disrupting the diet, I usually prepare my meal and take it with me to the visit. I sit at the table, share the food, and talk with everyone. Sometimes the host insists to prepare a dish for me, in this case, I ask for an easy-to-prepare dish such as lentils and dill or parsley so that I guarantee that it will not take much of her time and that no disruption in my diet will occur during preparation.
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Sometimes I say briefly to the host, ‘No worries, I’ll mind myself with what’s in here’, I usually find a dish that fits my diet, and sometimes I am forced to finish my meal when I get home, just take it easy.
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Besides, spending long hours outside the house is a challenge, as the food usually available does not fit my diet, so I carry in my bag some raw nuts such as almonds or pistachios, a mixture of grape molasses and tahini or wheat germ paste or any other type that is fulfilling and easy to carry. For work, I cook food in a slow cooker and take it with me in a heat preserving container so that it will still fresh and I avoid fast food.
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When we want to change the mood and visit a restaurant, I usually find a lot of permitted dishes according to Avicenna diet, such as lamb kebab, grilled prawns, hummus and tabbouleh, lentils, and others. It is important to know the ingredients of each dish, so there is no shame in asking the waiter/service.
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I am lucky that my family understands how serious MC is, and how central food and lifestyle are, but this is not available to everyone. As per my experience, family and friends support serious and sustainable decisions. People who jump from one system to another quickly, starting a diet and not ending it, or making a lot of exceptions (cheating) usually have less support from those around them. This can be avoided with clarity of vision and taking deliberate and unflagging steps to the way of recovery.
Share your experience with us.
What challenges do you face or expect you will face if you change your diet or eating habits?
What solutions are right for you?
