Surviving my First Potluck as a Paleo

Yesterday we had a huge potluck for end of Marching Band camp for my daughter. Even MY contribution wasn't paleo (Meatballs...but the sauce has added sugar) so I wasn't really planning on being able to eat. I had a Larabar in my bag...and knew I was going to go have BBQ and watch the UFC fights with some fellow paleo eaters later that night - so I figured I'd be good. There were hundreds of people, and three separate serving areas and you were only supposed to go to one. So I eeny-meeny-miny-moe'd and started down a line...absolutely nothing that wasn't fried, breaded, covered in goopy sugary sauces or globs of congealed melted cheese. Even the salads were pre-dressed, wilty, sad little piles of once-proud vegetable. Then there in the back was a little bowl of food that pre-paleo I would have passed over as boring and not worthy of being eaten. But right then the plain little strips of beef, cauliflower and carrots, though overcooked and under spiced, was at least something I could eat. So I took a little bit. A very little bit. I still have some standards! But at least I would have something to gnaw on with everyone else. It's never fun being the only one not eating at events like these...and even if I just sat there eating my Larabar, I still wouldn't have felt like I was 'part' of the festivities. I know you guys know what I mean!

I then proceeded to sneak into the second line. SCORE! Someone had brought the mixed greens from Costco and just plunked the bag down with a bottle of dressing next to it. I proceeded to say 'Yes!' very loudly and start piling it on my plate. Of course, I had to open the bag first - apparently no one else had wanted any?! And when I say piled, I meant my whole paper plate was covered in a generous pile of leafy green goodness. And I was getting some strange looks from my fellow buffet goers. Then I notice someone putting the last of a huge platter of enchiladas on their plate...and leaving all the beautiful, fresh cut pico de gallo behind. Tomatoes and onions and cilantro, OH MY! It hadn't even been touched! I so don't understand what people where thinking when they left that beautiful pile of deliciousness there, but I was grateful! So, before anyone could re-consider, I scooped all that pico de gallo up lickety-split and covered my lettuce with it.

Time to have a go at the third line - harder to do this time, because I now had a plate full of food, albeit lettuce and tomatoes, but it was obviously I'd already sampled the fares of the other heaving tables and was being unfaithful ~ but it was worth it! ~ A half of a grilled chicken breast - El Pollo Loco, I believe! Removed the skin and we were in business! And then the coup de resistance (please mentally insert the accent aigu's and read with appropriate 'Frenchness' and feel all cosmopalitian and sophisticated!) ~ some amazing person had brought a homemade salad of cucumbers and tomatoes and cilantro that wasn't oily looking at all. It did have vinegar, which I adore but isn't Paleo, but all things considered, I was extremely happy with my haul. Yeah, it took a bit of work to scavenge, but still a heck of a lot less then the cavemen I'm emulating, who spent the majority of their days hunting and gathering and foraging. So really can't complain. It actually made me enjoy the meal more than warranted, having had to put some thought and energy into procurring it!

I even had a handful of people comment on how refreshing and healthy my plate looked, while loading up on junk that even a healthy non-paleo eater should steer clear off except for special occasions. And, for the record, a Marching Band potluck DOES NOT qualify as a special event worthy of eating poorly! Nor does your co-worker's birthday! Or the kindergarten picnic! Or any of the million's of other 'special events' that crowd our calendars! I think we'd all be well-served to re-prioritize what events are worth eating a spectacularly decadent meal without any guilt or second-thoughts. There really shouldn't be more than a handful, should there? It would seem that the more there are, the more you are devalueing the ones that are truly special!

So, back to the potluck. I sat down and I ate my meal, while everyone around me scarfed down theirs. I watched as they went back for seconds, and thirds, and first desserts, and second desserts. And I remembered how not so long ago, that was me. And I felt proud of myself for all these changes I've made over the last seven years. And I'm so grateful that my children will benefit from all that they see me doing. Most mornings I come back from the gym and Ian and Reilly have been 'working out' in the loft or the backyard. They love finding exercise videos on the computer and hefting the one- and two-pound weights to bust them out. I love that Ian has been making salads with meat for lunch. And this morning he asked me if he could try eating paleo like me ~ which I will let him do, but not as strict. I think dairy and beans are just fine for his growing body! And it allowed a discussion about how even though it's called a 'Paleo Diet', it's referring to diet as 'habitual nourishment' not a restrictive, short term program designed for weight loss, which he obviously doesn't need.

So I finished off my first potluck adventure quite comfortably sitting in the sun watching the nascent 2009/2010 Marching Band perform their first pieces publically. And listening to some people next to me complain about how much they'd eaten and how stuffed and uncomfortable they were. At first I chided myself for my fleeting feelings of superiority and self-righteousness. But then I forgave myself because I think it's exactly what I need to be doing right now to really cement in my mind how necessary this is for me. Not to just see and feel the positive...but to have some concrete reminders of the negatives. Especially helpful since I'm smack dab in the middle of my 30 day strict challenge and may be needing to buff my shiny new Paleo toy just a bit! Everything losses it's dazzling newness after a while ~ but the way I'm feeling after just a couple weeks is monumental! I think I'm going to have this toy for a very long time!