I have just been away from home for 4 days attending a conference, and it’s been quite difficult to keep track of my diet progress while away. There’s lots of factors I didn’t consider! I think conference venues don’t really understand healthy eating too, and that made it tricky.

Morning Tea

At morning tea there was a HUGE pile of biscuits (cookies in the USA) and a small plate of under ripe fruit.

The fruit was so under ripe it was unappetising, and picked over, and I wasn’t going to choose a biscuit just because it was the only other option. I decided that I didn’t usually have morning tea, so I wouldn’t eat anything.

I had a cup of tea, and felt happy with my choice.

Lunch

Buffets can always lead to over eating, so it’s tough to be portion correct in these circumstances. By the time I got to the buffet just about everyone else had eaten, and there wasn’t much left.

There was a salad, but all the chunky vege that usually sit on top had been taken, and it was just a bowl of salad greens. That’s ok for healthy eating, but not so great for fullness. So I piled up my plate with salad greens.

The real dilemma came with the dressing. I could see there was oil it in, but I had no idea what else was in it! This was really the primary issue – I didn’t know what was in the food. What I didn’t know, I couldn’t track.

Afternoon Tea

By the time this arrived, I was really starving. I’d eaten so little all day. It was party pies. Those little meat pies with a load of tomato sauce. I ate 4. I shouldn’t have had 1.

And so that’s the trouble isn’t it – when you don’t eat appropriately and you’re really hungry it’s much more difficult to eat well.

My Quick Tips

• Put some fruit in your handbag in case the food isn’t suitable
• Don’t let yourself get ravenously hungry
• Skip morning tea and afternoon tea
• Look for options where you can easily see the ingredients
• Watch out for dressings and sauces for loads of hidden calories and sugars
• Eat a good breakfast before you go