Food for thought....Indian Style.....

Hello wonderful people....

So.. I have just returned from India!! Hence the lack of posts in the last few months. It was the most incredible experience I've ever had and it made me so grateful to be recovered. Could I have travelled with my eating disorder... probably not... or at least it would have been very hard. I was able to try new exciting foods and wasn't scared about whether or not I could exercise, or weigh myself, or fast etc etc.
But what if you're planning to go travelling and do still have an eating disorder. Here's some tips/facts for travelling India with an eating disorder:

1. Before travelling anywhere it's probably best to look up the traditional food of that country. In India, it is very carb based. If you're a vegetarian then don't worry because a lot of people there don't eat meat for religious reasons so there are A LOT of vegetarian restaurants. The good thing about carbs like rice and roti (kind of like a wrap) is that they are low in fat and very filling. I would feel so full I didn't feel the need to snack between meals. Avoiding carbs in India is not easy. The best way to cope is to ask for small portions and have more vegetables.

2. Spices speed up the metabolism... so Indian food will actually help with this if you can handle the heat!

3. If you purge then perhaps avoid the spicier food!

4. Unless you go shopping for binge food it is usually less available. You have to be very careful with where you buy food because you don't want delhi belly! So this limits your sources for food which will hopefully help to prevent binges.

5. Know your limits. Indian people, especially the mums like to feed you, A LOT. But it is ok to say you've had enough. I had to do that a lot. I knew eating too much may make me feel uncomfortable so I had to learn to stop when I felt I'd had enough.

6. If there are very specific foods you eat then perhaps check before you go that you are able to buy it there or take it with you. There are quite a few places that serve western food... but be careful of salads in some restaurants!

7. Something I struggled with was sometimes feeling hungry. The shops don't exactly have 'healthy snacks'. There were healthy meals or junk food. So I would buy boxes of cereal bars so that if I really needed something I had them near by.

8.In India they seem to like to eat very late at night. If you feel uncomfortable with this then perhaps tell people you would like to eat earlier. If I couldn't get out of eating late I would just eat smaller portions so I didn't go to bed with such a full stomach.

9. Most of the food is very healthy and low in fat... so don't panic! I was there for 2 months, ate whatever I wanted... and my weight remained the same!

10. Let it motivate you to recover so you can let go and enjoy the food!

I'm sure I'll think of more things you should know so I'll let you know if I think of them.

Hope you're all well...

Lots of Love
Jasmin xx