For those who don’t follow me on Instagram (you totally should, btw @journeytoloving.me), last week, I got back from a 2 week adventure through Scotland! As a military brat, I lived there when I was really young (we left when I was 3 years old), and this year there was a reunion for people who were stationed there, so my mom said “let’s do it!” We stayed in a cute little fishing town on the east coast of Scotland, not far from where we had lived before, and took day trips to see the sights we had done 20+ years ago. And the best part? We ate. A LOT.
For those who do follow my Instagram, you’ll know that I had an epiphany while eating some ice cream. Here’s what I came to realize while enjoying my afternoon snack:
Most of the time, I’m pretty good about my diet. I pay close attention to what I eat, and I take good care of my body. While on vacation, there were a couple of days that I spent too much time worrying about what I was eating, how much exercise I was getting, yadda yadda. However, that day, while enjoying amazing ice cream with a flake (chocolate cookie kinda thing) I realized that letting go a little of that control over food, I was taking care of my body in a different way. Letting myself relax and not worry about food was actually a relief. Now, I’m not saying I’ll have ice cream every day, but to have it while walking around, exploring an amazing historical city, without being so caught up in number of calories or steps taken and all made vacation all the more fun. Not to mention, I was enjoying a lot of foods I don’t usually get to have!! Might as well make the most of it!
I’m not sure if there are others of you out there reading who are like me. As far as I know, I don’t have celiac disease, but when I eat bread here in the U.S., I end up breaking out and stuck in the bathroom for a long time, very unhappy. But a friend of mine who suffers similar issues when eating gluten here, traveled to France last summer and ate all the bread her heart desired with no averse reactions. So day one in Scotland I gave it try – I had deep fried haggis!! And amazingly enough, I had no issues. So you can bet I ate bread or other wheat products EVERY DAY. I’ve come to realize I’m obsessed with scones and would love to have afternoon tea every day, please and thank you. Well, at least tea and scones.
Also as you may remember from my post about restrictive eating, I have a somewhat difficult relationship with food, and this trip definitely put that to the test. I’m still not perfect, far from it, but this trip definitely helped me appreciate food again – it helped me see food as more than just something that provides you energy to keep moving, but something to savor and enjoy, something that can bring you together with friends and family, and something that carries traditions. Sometimes I think we all forget that now and again, so it is really important to take time while you eat to really be aware of what you put in your mouth.
So, have any of you traveled to the UK? I know they aren’t particularly known for their cuisine… but what was your favorite?! Scones (which were available practically everywhere) top my list. Haggis was also quite good!! Tell me everything to try as my mom and I make plans for Ireland next year!!
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