Out of My Usual Element

I'm enjoying a much needed holiday vacation to visit my brother, staying at his house, and enjoying the regional fare. Trouble is, it is not a vegan household and I am succumbing to temptations. I had planned to eat seafood because it is a sin not to do so when you are in the great Northwest! I'm fine with that because I am not morally bound to veganism. I am subscribing to a plant strong regimen, which looks very, very similar to veganism.

But the seafood is the least of my worries. Snack foods, cheese, and other foods that are now off my list of edibles are all over the place. I have limited myself to nuts and the crunchy veggie Japanese snack mix.

They have a great juicer (which was a gift from me 2 christmas's ago), but I haven't used it. I would rather eat snacks. Why would I do this? I attribute it to the emotional connection to food.

There are 2 connections to food - chemical, that produces good feelings, addictive reactions - especially to items such as sugar, and emotional, that produces comfort, release of anxiety, is a response to stress, and allows you relive childhood memories, etc.

I'm definitely having an emotional reaction to food because I am out of my usual element and dealing with the stress of travel, living out of a suitcase, and the vagaries of staying with family. I get along very well with the family, love their company, and enjoy being here - so it is not a dysfunctional visit. But living at anyone's home is always a little off-putting. Reminiscing with my brother about growing up floods you with lots of emotional memories that would not occur on a day-to-day basis, and though my family is supportive of my choices - there is that defense mechanism - justifying their own eating habits, bombarding me with the "what CAN you eat" questions, and feeling a bit awkward about it all. Although they did stock the house with veggies and fruits in consideration of my desires! All of these reactions are my inability to manage emotions. So I am taking full responsibility for my less than strict adherence to my usual fare. But as things go, this is not a bender or falling off the wagon - it is but a slight detour and I'll not beat myself up about it. I'll have to do some work when I get back home - get off the sugar (candy canes are a friend during the holidays when so many treats are put in front of you), get off the oil from fish, snacks, nuts, and, get back into a plantstrong approach. I anticipate this is quite doable!

Onward!