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Hi whole30 family,

My grandmother is very ill and in the hospital - I've been back at medical school and started whole30 round 3 today as I'd planned to do months ago before she got so ill - now I'm going home this weekend to help take care of her - no one in my family is following whole30 (or anything close to it, we're indian/pakistani so lots of rice/naan/yogurt) and I'm all but positive I'll just be living off of hospital food/whatever fast food places are nearby/whatever takeout my family gets like we did the last time she was this sick. Any recommendations for staying compliant in a situation like this? Working in a hospital now I know just about nothing in our cafeteria is compliant except maybe the fruit cups and veggie sticks (without the ranch or hummus), but I can't live on that for 48 hours. I imagine I'll be spending the night in the hospital to give my mom a break so anything I pack has to be able to last without a fridge overnight and might not have access to reheat anything in the hospital so has to be eaten cold/room temp probably. 

Thanks! 

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I'm sorry your grandmother is ill, that has to be stressful for you and your whole family. 

Epic bars, jerky, cans or pouches of tuna or salmon or other fish or maybe even chicken would be easy, shelf-stable proteins. Pouches of olives or nuts for fat. Some vegetables would probably be okay for several hours even cut -- like carrots, or cherry tomatoes or snap peas that don't need to be cut. Or if you're comfortable taking some whole fresh vegetables, a knife, and a small cutting board, whole vegetables will definitely last at room temperature for a couple of days, and you could do avocado too. 

If you have a thermos, you could pack soup, stew, or chili for something warm. If you have a cooler or insulated lunch box, that would give you more options for taking leftovers and keeping them cold. 

This is also the kind of situation where you may find that you cannot stick to the rules 100% and that is also okay. If you find yourself at the hospital longer than you expected, or for some other reason need to eat food that isn't 100% Whole30, that is okay. Life happens. Make the best choices you can from what is available to you and don't worry about it. 

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I work in a hospital, so completely understand the lack of W30 options, but a few suggestions if you are willing to ask a few questions.

- There may not be a fridge in the room, but find a nice nurse and ask if there is any way you can use there's temporarily for a few items.

- The cafeteria should have a microwave you can use, you just may need to ask.

- Cafeteria's are also catering to specific nutritional needs for patients, so they may be able to make you something special the same way they do for patients who are on strict restrictions; like plain eggs.

- Are you able to order food in from the outside? If so, it may be worth a quick google search and a phone call or two to see what's around. 

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