Do you BYO Gluten-free to a Party?
Over the weekend we spent time in Brisbane celebrating a close friends 40th Birthday.
Turns out, my gluten-free dairy-free double layer Coconut Chocolate Cake was a delicious lifesaver for a Celiac guest at the party.
She had brought her own container of fruit salad and drank several mugs of tea while others drank alcohol.
She politely thanked and refused every single tray of food (mostly fried pastry assortments) that came around in front of her. She smiled with patience every time, never getting annoyed or frustrated, even after the dozenth time she was offered a serving of gluten.
I totally admired this lady’s priority in preparing her own meals in expectation and caution of the food being served at a party. Countless times I have been in the same predicament, and not always as well prepared as this smart woman was. (More on that shortly…)
If I hadn’t have made this delicious allergen friendly cake of mine, she would have felt just that little bit more excluded from being able to join in for a slice of “Birthday Cake”, especially as the real birthday cake was a large slab of chocolate mud cake, topped with Profiteroles, chocolate curls and creamy dark chocolate ganache!
The only resemblance of real food were the four strawberries in each corner! Very different from my offering.
It made my heart warm at how happy and appreciative this woman was at being able to share in the celebrations; so grateful for this moist, chocolate cake that she could enjoy guilt-free and gluten-free, (also symptom and reaction free afterwards).
But I also felt a touch sad at knowing how many people struggle with frustration and fear at having to monitor their food intake so diligently when they’re out at celebrations: lest they go without and suffer hunger, low blood sugar and dejection as well.
As soon as Beloved and I realised that all the food was processed, packaged, deep fried or saturated with harmful fats, lots of sugar and devoid of nutrients, we realised I was going to get hungry soon enough, and would risk the consequences of eating food that my body doesn’t like (hardly clean eating or whole food!).
In our rush to support the children’s sports games that morning, make the cake and icing, whip up a brownie slice, feed the animals, remind the kids what to pack, plus pack our own overnight bags, I wasn’t very organised in putting aside my own nutritional requirements in case there wasn’t any food there that my body needs to thrive and be comfortable.
All Beloved could say was, Oh Darling. Why didn’t we put some food together for you?!
He reminded me that I was too busy preparing something to contribute, and ran out of time to make sure I had what I needed for me.
And he was right.
I was simply focused on what had to be done without considering to include myself on the list.
You would think after all this time that I would do that automatically. But even I get caught up in “stuff” and forget to make my needs a priority!
I had a very mild panic and ate a few squares of my nutrient dense brownie before taking them around to guests, and drank as much water as I could without bursting. (I of course made room for a red wine or two!)
When I met that lady and offered her some fried “food” from the tray, she calmly explained that she was a celiac and I immediately understood what that meant being at a party surrounded by such harmful ingredients.
A little while later, as my tummy was getting hungry, I saw her whip out a large container of beautifully coloured sliced fruit – and my body craved it all.
If I had only prepared my own appropriate meal, I wouldn’t have worried about what was on offer.
Thank GOD for my own gluten-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened Coconut Chocolate Cake!
(It makes awesome cupcakes too, see pic!)
In the end I did try a few party items – a rice and cheese ball, a piece of battered fish, some chicken popcorn. I even tried a bite of a curry puff but the pastry was too thick and my Beloved ate the rest for me.
The piece of Coconut Chocolate cake, I ate all by myself!
The actual Birthday Cake? That monstrosity of a dark sweet and pretty blood sugar disaster?
I was asked to cut the big slab but it never passed my lips 🙂
Rather than feel frustrated at my lack of preparation, I trusted my body to cope. Rarely do we eat crumbed, battered or fried pastries. In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t want to waste my evening worrying about the small amount I was choosing to put into my body in such a predicament, when it was more enjoyable to spend quality time with my friends who I don’t often get to see.
The whole experience made me resolve that in future, I really do owe it to myself to make life a lot easier when out for parties and gatherings.
I need to incorporate the ACT OF PREPARATION into my SELF-CARE PLAN.
Just as I always pack a freshly blended green juice, fruit, nuts, raw slices or chocolate whenever we travel in the car on outings, I need to start adopting that habit even more so when we travel overnight and are away from the comforts of home.
Especially when even the children were saying they couldn’t wait to get home for some “real food”!!
- How do you cope?
- What do you prepare?
- What’s your check-list of must-haves, when you’re eating at other people’s places?
I’d love for you to share them with me.
Until next post,
Viki xo
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Holistic Counsellor, Wellness Coach, Meditation Teacher, Stress Therapist, and Eating Disorder and Wellbeing Specialist. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food challenges and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki now provides holistic personalised programs and retreats to inspire self-love, healing, body confidence and wellbeing. Viki’s passion is to help you balance your mindset, body and life to become happy, healthy, confident and free!
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