Jump to content

Whole 30 in Germany day 16.


Kungfu_kitty

Recommended Posts

Hello all  :)

 

I am from the UK but recently moved to Germany. I was eating basically paleo/whole 30 before, but decided to do the Whole 30 after I had gorged myself on German bread at easter and felt awful for it! I'm currently on day 16, feeling fine, not much different to how I felt before gorging on bread although I think I have lost some weight (have also taken up exercise too).

 

I don't know if anyone else has had the same experience as me but the Whole 30 in Germany is so much harder than in the UK! For a start the price of sweet potatoes and our limited budget means I can only afford to eat them once or maybe twice a week maximum. Usually my boyfriend and I share one and have it roasted or mashed. I'm fairly sure that in the UK you can get a bag that could last a week for about £1 :(. I used to eat a lot of butternut squash back in the UK, now I have to go to the asian supermarket to find one! Most of my German friends have never heard of a butternut squash! 

Finally managed to find some 100% coconut milk without any emulsifiers but I doubt I'll see any coconut aminos (although, I hadn't seen these in the UK either to be fair). I think Americans definitely have an easier ride when it comes to Whole 30 approved alternatives! Luckily because my boyfriend is German he helps me read the ingredients of literally everything at the supermarket, usually we end up putting everything back and just getting fresh fruit/veg and meat.

 

The Germans don't really 'get' not eating pasta/bread/wheat. You order a salad at a restaurant and it comes with a bread roll - easy enough to leave. However, before I started my whole 30 I unwittingly ordered a salad that had pasta in (my German is quite bad and they didn't call them nüdeln but something different). For this reason, and due to a limited budget, we are avoiding going out at all. We might have a coffee and mineral water at a cafe but that's about it. It's a bit depressing looking at a menu and knowing that there isn't anything you can have. I also don't want to be "that person" who not only can't speak the language but has a thousand requests about leaving things off the order!

 

We're visiting my boyfriends family in a couple of weekends time and I'm really worried about what I'll eat. I'm lucky that my boyfriend is very supportive and his family speak pretty good English so I can try and explain to them, but how do I turn down foods or ask exactly what is in foods without seeming rude? Also this will be at the very end of my whole 30, I don't want to ruin it and have to start all over again because I unwittingly ate something that was thickened with flour.

 

How has everyone else found these things? Does anyone have any particular coping strategies?

 

Hoping to find some other Europeans that are experiencing the same frustrations as me?

 

xxx

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi KungFu_Kitty,

 

I'm south of you in Switzerland and face many of the same issues. Food prices are even higher again here in the land of chocolate so I have learned to keep costs down by cooking the cheaper cuts of meat, if you do them long and slow then they are incredibly tasty. Eating out is definitely a challenge, the food is invariably disappointing anyway so I usually don't bother. I can't get coconut aminos here either so ordered them from iHerb who deliver to Europe quickly but they were not cheap so I use them sparingly :-).  

 

Have you tried shopping at farm shops & markets? I find them cheaper than supermarkets with a much better quality of product too. 

 

All the best with your Whole30!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Loulabelle!

 

Yes I think you're right about eating out! I've always loved cooking, I've never used ready sauces etc even before the whole 30 and actually, I think if we went out now we'd be disappointed as I could probably cook better at home!

 

Thanks for the tip of iHerb - I've not heard of this one so I'll have a look. I'm going to have to do some research about farm shops and markets in my area, both me and my boyfriend are new to this city so we're still a bit lost but I bet we could get some more interesting vegetables than the ones we're currently eating!

 

I think for me currently everything is an adjustment - I'm changing my diet whilst getting used to a new country with a different outlook on health and food and where everything is a bit more expensive! But I mostly love whole 30 eating so I'm not going to give up just because this country loves grains!!  :D

 

My boyfriend's parents live on the Swiss border, I'm sure if you live anywhere near a border that's in the Euro you'll already know this tip; but with the exchange rate at the moment you could get your shopping much cheaper in Germany/France/Italy (especially because you can get your tax back!)

 

Thanks for your reply. It's nice to know that some people in Europe are doing it and managing and therefore I can do it too!  ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...