Jump to content

In tears at the grocery store.....


Recommended Posts

I have HORRIBLE food allergies. I'm on day 8 of 30....and I'm struggling so much. My biggest hurdle currently is finding quick, approved food for on the go. I'm allergic to nuts (except peanuts...as we all know they aren't actually a nut). I also have a type 4 allergy (think celiac disease) but to corn, which is why this diet has been so highly recommended. My most frustrating allergy is my Oral Allergy Syndrome which equals me to be allergic to ALL fresh produce (before it is cooked). As long as the produce has been streamed, cooked, baked, etc....you get the point.

So...the life of on the go has got me perplexed. I can't eat at work only 3-4hrs as I am in a intensive care unit. So...I'm not wanting to chomp on a porkchop that has been sitting in my car all day. I can't do any bars that I know of bc they ALL have nuts of some sort. I'm at a total loss. I could bring a pre-cooked veggie, but smooshy cool veggies is not going down very easily. Any thoughts on easy access go-to foods? Oh! I tried hard boiled eggs and my car STILL smells awesome. Never again. :-( This is why I was in tears this afternoon at the grocery store. I was dizzy, waaaaay past hungry, and I was literally standing their with tears. Totally frustrated.

But....to always find a hope....my GI issues/symptoms are completely gone! That's amazing...it really is. :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you have a good thermos type container to keep things hot?  With your food issues this will be useful forever. 

 

Can you eat sweet potato? white potatoes keep their heat well too when baked but usually call for some sort of fat. 

 

Do you have a good cold bag and freezer blocks to keep things cold?    Don't' know what your weather is like but leaving  unchilled food in the car is certainty a bad recipe.

 

Do you have to eat in the car or just have to leave your food there? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was intrigued by the topic label and read your post.What about tinned fish, in olive oil, salmon, sardines etc, olives, avocados

 

I too wonder if you have to eat in your car and leave your food there?

 

If you have a fridge available that would make thing easier and even a microwave. I make an egg bake with 12 eggs and fresh spinach, frozen mixed veg and cut it into four so have one section for breakfast, with extra cooked veg and some kumara. I think it would travel well and not sure if I would like it cold but you may have some place to heat it all?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for all your replies! I want to answer all your questions individually:

 

Yes, I have brought pureed soup in a to-go coffee cup. This stayed warm, maybe I need to make this a soup diet! 

 

Sweet potatoes are yummy, but packing on the carbs is something I could do...but trying for more protein/fat options.

 

The car issue is this. I am a mom on the go! Dropping kids off at school, going to the hospital (I am a bedside Breastfeeding Peer Counselor in the NICU) so no food at all. I literally go in, meet with my patients, and I'm out. I then am running errands, going to the gym (hasn't happened much as I feel so lethargic), or like today helping in all 3 classrooms of my kids. I was gone and on the move from 9:30am (I had breakfast before) to 4:30pm...and didn't eat! It was awful and I KNOW this can't happen. Things just ran long (VERY common at the hospital) and I found myself tearing up at the store. All this healthy eating takes prep. Work. Literally my life prior would be a loaf of bread in the seat next to me that I would munch on throughout the day. I know that is awful...but was my reality. 

 

Tuna, salmon, sardines all fall into the "Can you imagine eating those in your car?" smell category! ;) Thankfully I am from Alaska and my freezer is FULL of fresh salmon. I LOVE your olive idea though! This is exactly what I am looking for. Quick, easy, and holds well. THANK YOU for this!!!

 

I truly don't want to sound like I am complaining. I am just at such a loss. Maybe cold salmon cakes?!?! Im a fairly stubborn person, so I will not break this 30day commitment....but I HAVE to find things to eat quick and easily. Thank you again for your time and thoughts. I truly appreciate each and every one of them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This does take time and thought to prepare but once you have a few staple recipes you can just roll them over and over and it is a breeze. I stick to the same items most of the time because: a) I hate cooking B) I'm not that good at it c) can't cope with cleaning the kitchen all the time because I am so messy. I also have taken a day to cook and fill up the freezer so then I am okay for a week, makes a difference.

 

You were probably joking about the soup diet but they do prefer we eat our meals rather than drink them because of the digestion process and the brain trick of feeling like we have actually eaten. I use bone broth a lot and love it, it is nourishing and helpful, I also use soup but am not that great at making soup--you probably are.

 

There are some really good crockpot recipes, for example, meatloaf. You could make that and eat it cold, keep a few slices in a container and just add olive oil on it or use avocado dip that you make yourself: can be as easy as smashed avo with lemon juice. 

You can use almond flour to make things stick together like, salmon cakes (and do I ever wish we lived next door with that salmon in your freezer), you can add olives to anything and that gets you some good fats

 

I wonder if you might want to try posting questions in 'troubleshooting your W30' and the moderators could help you with lots of ideas. They are brilliant and very willing to help.

 

Glad you found some helpful comments here. I am interested to know how you get on, you sound determined and I am sure several of your issues will disappear once you have been on programme for some time. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks! I am allergic to almonds (like scary allergic) so thats a no go. I LOVE your crock pot idea, bc then I would be coming home to a meal ready to go! I didn't know about the TroubleShooting your W30 but I WILL be finding it and posting there in a couple of days if it doesn't get better for sure! I think I need to learn how to prep for the long haul. Im attempting to make each meal from scratch each time. SO.MUCH.WORK. and yes! mess! ugh. So many changes for me. Good changes I do believe, but HARD. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you thought about coming at this from the other side and prioritising yourself a bit more so you have time to feed yourself properly and not have to eat in your car? Obviously I have no idea about the distance from your home to work to the school etc but from what you have written you seem to be the bottom of your priority list, maybe you could make yourself more important to you? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

For the salmon cakes, just know that we make them with fresh salmon that has been diced up (raw).  About 2# salmon and 1.5 cups of the sweet potato is what my ratio is.

 

If you are regularly helping in three classrooms in the school, perhaps the staff wouldn't be opposed to you using the teacher's lounge to heat up your food and eat it?

 

I'm with Spunky, I think instead of trying to work around your allergies AND your schedule, you may want to sit down and re-prioritize. There are a couple good articles on Whole9 that I've linked about making time for yourself.  They don't match your situation exactly but there are some good takeaway points.

 

http://whole9life.com/2011/03/tuesday/

http://whole9life.com/2011/04/build-your-own-tuesday/

 

As for things that are decent to be eaten room temperature or cold:

 

baked boneless skinless chicken thighs

meatballs

salmon cakes

Basically anything once you get used to it.  What I mean is that I eat leftovers from dinner for lunch every day. It comes out of the fridge at 630am and sits in my bag until noon.  I almost never reheat because I dislike what the microwave does to the food.  If it's warm in your area, throw an ice pack in with the container of leftovers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

I don't want to take credit for the reprioritizing -- that was Loulabelle.  But I do want to second cold boneless/skinless chicken thighs . . . so good!

Oh, haha, woops, that'll teach me for not scrolling up!  ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I work in a large cancer hospital and also can not eat anywhere that could be considered a patient treatment area but you can make this work. Roast a whole chicken or turkey. I did one this week in the crockpot, takes 4 hrs on low comes out juicy and delicious. Cut sturdy slices that you can pick up and eat while driving and pair with your olives or nuts for fat. Veggies are harder but maybe take some time one night to make kale chips since you need your greens cooked (chips maybe considered SWYPO if this is a no breaks food for you) or "fries" think parsnip, carrots, potato, and sweet potato as your veggies all portable and easy to bake on a Sunday or after the kids go to bed. I also like to roast a big spaghetti squash and that makes a good side for multiple meals and I think pretty odorless. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any meat/protein is good cold (in my opinion) especially smoked salmon but maybe pick those that are relatively odorless. Fats: avocado, olives.... even mayo if you have a lunch bag with an ice pack. Put a blended veg soup in a good quality thermos, or just steam veg sticks & eat 'em cold. Or stuff veg sticks in your thermos (get one designed with a wide mouth), pour in boiling water, and by lunch time they should be just about right. My mom-in-law, who had 8 kids, used to say she hadn't had a hot meal in 15 years, but if it's a good meal, it's still a good meal cold.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Once a week I have to eat in my car while driving from one worksite to another. Luckily I have no allergies and will eat almost anything! But- my typical take alongs are cubed cooked chicken, cold roasted sweet potato cubes, an assortment of raw veggies, and a container of olives. In lieu of raw veggies, could you par cook the veggies, so they are still crunchy but cooked enough to address your needs? I did this recently with cauliflower and it was actually pretty good! I steamed it for 2-3 minutes, dropped on some salt, and into the fridge it went until lunch the next day. I pack everything in an insulated lunch bag with cold packs. It's all finger food, all stays cold, and although it may not be the most creative thing I eat in a week, it's healthy, filling, compliant, and leaves me feeling ready for the rest of my day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You definitely need a proper thermos container that is made for soup, not a to-go coffee mug. I also have one that keeps things cold so I can take cottage cheese and fruit. They even have a to-go crockpot thing now that keeps stuff hot and doesn't need to be plugged in. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another suggestion along the lines of some of the above posters. I've worked in hospital labs for 37 years and "get" the hospital scene as well as the "Parent on the Run" syndrome.

 

Could you find either the hospital cafeteria or the teachers lounge and sit down and microwave something you've made to eat? Maybe just the act of sitting down for just 15 minutes and doing just the one thing-eating lunch-could help with stress levels and also with digestion?

 

Keep tinkering with it and you'll find a groove!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

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

×
×
  • Create New...