Vacation Elimination

If you’re planning a trip this summer, may I suggest my favorite vacation diet. Guaranteed to get you in just the shape you need!

It's fast, easy, effective, and not at all what you think.

I was first introduced to this method when our pediatrician suggested an elimination diet to identify my daughter’s allergies. We were advised to remove several categories of food from her plate, then reintroduce them one by one and monitor how she reacted. 

A few years later I heard the term elimination diet again when Whole 30 became popular. I had a friend who was trying it, and seemed to be eating nothing but seafood and something called ghee. “But I can eat potatoes!” she would tell me, as though this was a flavor of Ben & Jerry’s. “Just not nightshades,” which I pretended to understand before nervously Googling “nightshades.” 

All this led me to devise my own diet, which I like to call "Vacation Elimination."

Here’s how it works. 

A vacation, by definition, is a break from the normal, daily grind - school, employment, housework, stress, schedules, etc.  

Eliminating these things for a period of time presents a golden opportunity to gain a fresh perspective on our lives.

As we step away from our familiar surroundings and schedules, we have a chance to question what’s truly important, and reevaluate our priorities.

Then, when we return back to our regular routines, we can decide intentionally what to reintroduce, and what to eliminate.

Here are four suggestions for implementing the Vacation Elimination Diet. 

1. Unplug

Vacations provide the perfect opportunity to break from social media, news feeds and other digital distractions. Clearing this constant buzz creates space for reflection. Notice how that makes you feel, then decide accordingly how you might want to readjust your relationship with your phone when we return home.

2. Connect

Paradoxically, it's the unplugging that allows connect. There is nothing more important than family, and nothing like a vacation to connect us with them. Use this time to pay special attention to what your family members need, and to reflect on how your routines and habits at home can encourage them. 

3. Play

What's something you love to do, but don't always make the time for? There’s no excuse on vacation! Read, craft, color, create, play games, collect seashells, arrange flowers. Indulging in the unique talents and hobbies that make you happy can reignite your commitment to create space for them in your daily life. 

4. Reflect

Before you return home, take time to recalibrate and set goals. What are you most excited to return to, and how can you create more of it? Are there things you dread about going home, and what can you do about them? Reflect on your vacation, and look for indicators of specific changes you want to make going forward.