Traveling while eating according to the autoimmune protocol can be tricky. Last week, my family and I flew to Maui for vacation for the week. I choose to stick to the autoimmune protocol while traveling so I can feel well and enjoy vacation. With that said, I always wonder what others who are on the autoimmune protocol do while traveling. I always love to see what others eat while on vacation! With that in mind, I decided to take pictures of my meals and snacks, and share how I ate according to the autoimmune protocol (AIP) in Maui.
Preparation
A few days before leaving for Maui, my husband and I sat down and planned most of our meals for the week, and made accompanying grocery lists. The place we stay in Maui has a kitchen so we planned accordingly. We stuck to planning meals that are our favorite go-to easy meals at home. Meals that we can make in our sleep, and that we love to eat. We made two different grocery lists – one for Costco and one for Whole Foods. Both the Costco and the Whole Foods is within a few minutes of the airport, but our hotel is a 45 minute drive from both so we planned on shopping right after landing, before heading to our hotel.
Traveling
Another factor when traveling that we keep in mind is conserving as much of my energy as possible on the day of travel. To save time and energy, we planned on splitting up when arriving in Maui. My husband dropped my daughter and I off at the Whole Foods for some of our groceries, while he and my son shopped at the nearby Costco for the items on their list. This saved us at least an hour of time, and stress.
Arriving
After arriving in Hawaii, it was also time for a meal. Instead of adding extra time and expense by finding a restaurant, we picked up nutritious lunch items at Whole Foods since we were already going there anyway.
My husband, and kids chose burrito bowls from their burrito counter, and I went with an organic rotisserie chicken seasoned with just salt and pepper (I have reintroduced pepper) and fresh jicama. I also had some fresh fruit on hand. Bonus: I saved the extra chicken for another meal.
Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) in Maui
My husband and I planned meals that we could mix and match. We also chose a few meals where the leftovers would reheat well for me. I packed a few items in our luggage that I either did not want to purchase there, or was not sure if they would have. These items include spices, EPIC bars, and my favorite cassava flour.
As far as breakfasts and lunches, my husband and kids had more traditional foods like eggs, bacon, pancakes, granola, sandwiches, organic grass-fed beef hot dogs, and so on.
Below are pictures of meals and snacks I ate for the week, including dinners we ate as a family. I made some meals multiple times (once at the beginning of our trip and once towards the end). Also, I would eat leftovers for a meal the following day.
We ate out for dinner two times while in Maui. Both times we ate at the beachfront restaurant, Umali, in Kaanapali Beach. I am very sensitive to cross contamination and am wary to eat out. I explained to our waitress, Michelle, my food intolerances. She went above and beyond to communicate my needs to the chef, mixed and matched protein and veggie options, and made me feel 100% confident in eating there. The food was wonderful, so we decided to go back later in the week. We were able to request Michelle again, she treated us like family, and even gave us hugs when we left. I had tears in my eyes as I thanked her for taking care of my nutrition needs. If you are in Maui, I highly recommend Umali, and be sure to ask for Michelle!
Traveling Home
I carried a little soft cooler with me, to keep items fresh. Airport security in Hawaii let me through with the Ziploc of ice in the cooler. On the way to Hawaii, I waited until I got through security, then requested a cup of ice from a restaurant in the airport. Hawaii does an agricultural inspection on all luggage and carry on items. They let me through with the cucumbers and carrots, but not the banana. I was not hungry yet, so I tossed the banana, and ended up purchasing cantaloupe at the airport to take on the plane.
Resources
To read more about how I travel while on the autoimmune protocol, click here. I include more travel tips, and my favorite AIP travel snacks!
I love this Guide to AIP Travel: Flying.
Do you have any travel tips that you love?? I would love to hear! Also, let me know if you have any questions, or would like any of the above recipes. Aloha!
