Wednesday, September 9, 2015

AIP/ Paleo in Vegas

My hot yoga balcony studio

I am finally sitting down to finish off my Vegas travel post after listening to Phoenix Helix's podcast on Paleo Travels. If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend you do even if you don't have a trip planned in the near future.

I was a bit apprehensive about this trip to Las Vegas mid August. Firstly, it was the first flight travel since my diagnosis; packing my kitchen in the van for a road trip is easier than condense packing that involved security checks and liquid limitations. Secondly, I wasn't sure how I would take to the extreme hot desert temperature. Thirdly, we were there for work ( tradeshow time ) so it was easier and cheaper to stay on the strip and not rent a car. I was unsure where I would buy fresh produce. However,  my excitement to be traveling sans children for the first time - EVER overcame all my distresses. 

What I packed: the million dollar questions for AIPers



Beside the usual canned and dried goods ( canned smoked oysters, plantain chips, coconut apple bars ), I cooked up this seared ahi tuna, broccoli and purple yam meal and packed it in a cooler bag to eat on the plane. Luckily, I wasn't hungry on the flight so I ate part of this as my late dinner at the hotel. Note the children utensils for airport security purpose?

I haven't been to Vegas for probably 7 years so when my husband said that he would books a nice hotel because I was coming, I didn't know what to expect. To my delight, we stayed at the Cosmopolitan which were originally built as apartments so the rooms had a fridge, dishwasher and microwave. The fridge part was already filled with overpriced beverages but there was room in the freezer to put my food. The tuna lasted well in the freezer as I snacked on it over the course of my stay. To prevent temptation I covered the tray "moment of weakness" candies and snacks on the counter with a towel. I also pre-made and froze some of Kaiku lifestyle's plantain pancake as another source of AIP carbs. 

Testing the heat


I start my day with hot yoga on the balcony. The reason why people pay more money for hot yoga classes is because the heat makes you more flexible and bendy. 20 minutes later and I was sweating.

Then I went to the pool for a dip, I was the only person in the oddly shaped pool trying to do some form of laps.

After I cleaned up,  I made my way to the trade shows to meet my husband. If you have been to Vegas, you will know how every hotel looks so much closer than the seem.  You can usually see the hotel you are heading to but because they are so big, you still have be walk at least 15 mins. I was sure glad I packed my snacks for the tradeshow because their prices for fruits was crazy - a banana or apple was $5US. In the evening, I was pleased to find a little market place where I bought some fresh produce at decent prices for the rest of our stay.

Here are a couple dinners I had on the Strip.
Taro chips mushroom avocado ceviche appetizer at Carson Kitchen. I gave the cherry tomatoes to my husband.
BBP ( Bobby' Burger Palace ) - burger on salad greens, again hubs got the tomato 

For lunch on our last day in Vegas, we tried the buffet at the Wicked Spoon. Here is the true test how I fare with all the food.  - selective, not quantity but quality. Meats, Roast beef, house cured bacon, crispy pork, smoked salmon, carrot mango ginger lime juice, gluten free dessert


Grilled salmon
Being very cautious with my selection
smoke salmon
Carrot, ginger, mango juice
My Five finger shoes stood up to the test

So how did I do with all my initial concerns about this trip?

On the Strip with no car? No problem as I was prepared with compliant food, I was not bothered with walking as long as I stayed hydrated and look for shade if I am out in the sun. I think the extra Vitamin really powered my body.

Food? The heat actually decreased my appetite, with the extra activities like pool time, tradeshow and  just plain experiencing this surreal city, I ate less. And I did find some normal priced produces while we were off the strip. The buffet wasn't as scary an experience as I imagined. Just because it was there, doesn't mean I had to eat it. I really enjoyed the foods I chose and went back for seconds. 

How did this trip improve my health? My body really benefitted from the sunlight and heat, I am unsure whether my body reacts to heat differently comparing to before but the extreme heat seems to be what my body loves. I joked that I will become a leather faced retiree living in Palm Spring. This was such a great little recharge getaway. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids but being able to just focus on myself and my husband is a real treat for any parent once in a while. All I focused on was getting enough water and how to get to my next destination - the simple joy on wonder!

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