I recently went to a conference for work in Sacramento, CA. The conference was for the California Water and Environment Association (CWEA), an organization of wastewater treatment professionals. My goal was to balance the consequences of deviating from my diet with the benefits of socializing and doing business on the road. The socializing and business - accomplished. Striking a balance - failed.
The first morning, I had milk, orange juice, and a banana - very nearly the only gluten- and egg-free choices at the continental breakfast at my hotel. So far so good, but not nearly enough calories to get me through a morning of listening to speakers. Lunch - pasta, meatballs, and salad - was provided by the conference. I skipped the pasta, but the meatballs surely had gluten (and probably eggs). For the rest of the day I walked around in a daze, trying to pay attention at talks and be polite and attentive to those I stopped to chat with. I'm sure I faked feeling well pretty good, but I paid for it later that night with nearly five hours of stomach pains and an inability to sleep. The next day was not much better. Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at an awards luncheon, and then a beer with my boss before the flight home took my body into a tailspin. My neck started to ache on the flight home, and I became anxious - barely able to sit still. I wanted to sleep but couldn't. In the middle of the night, I woke up feverish. The night remained difficult.
The question of how I can integrate traveling, business, and socialization with my dietary needs remains...
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