Paleoista Holiday Tip of the Day: Keeping Paleo While Staying with Not So Paleo Friends and Family

Staying with friend or family during the holidays who are slightly less than understanding about your ‘crazy’ Paleo diet?

It can be tricky, to say the least, to stand your Paleo ground when you’re in someone else’s house, especially if that house tends to be stocked with chips, cakes, cookies and candy and completely void of anything green or fresh.

Don’t worry, you’re not destined to doom!   Following are a few ideas to help you stick to your True Paleo lifestyle without stepping on toes or risking offending anyone.

• Offer well in advance to help shop and cook Paleo friendly side dishes so as not to appear as though you’re trying to ‘take over’ the whole meal or be a burden at all in terms of changing what the host is planning on serving for a family dinner.
• You may find it better to not even mention the word “Paleo”; half the time people don’t even know what it really is and as such, it may be best to skip classifying the way you eat as anything in particular
• Spin any conversation about food positively.  Sure, if someone asks why you’re not eating gluten, you can tell them, but it may not be a great idea to tell everyone who’s eating bread that they’re causing inflammation and leaky gut in their bodies as a dinner conversation topic.  Rather, when offered a slice of pie, simply decline politely and finish with a comment about how lovely the dessert smells or something along that vein.

Ultimately, do your own thing, welcome others to join you and don’t feel the need to give unsolicited advice about what everyone else is eating.  Don’t be surprised if one or two unexpected people ask about what you’re doing to have lost that weight or have increased your energy level; and then, feel free to tell them all your Paleo ‘secrets’!