Thursday and Friday of last week, I was able to put some of my food knowledge and philosophy to the test. I had an all-day workshop to attend on both days because of my new position, as it was for New Senior Leaders within the organization. They provided breakfast in the form of coffee, tea, juices, bagels and full fat cream cheese, as well as afternoon snacks of cookies and candy. Lunch was on your own, which could have consisted of a number of restaurants in the area or food from the small convenience store style café in the building. I opted for none of these selections and brought my own food. Most importantly, I actually ate the food I brought and left the other food alone (expect the one grape Now & Later I had Thursday and a Tootsie Roll Midgee I had Friday, sort of an afternoon dessert). 

I checked in advance to see if they had a refrigerator and/or microwave I could use while in the building, and they did. Most people assume you’re diabetic or have some other health problems and are more than eager to accommodate special requests. While I don’t have any health related issues that require the foods I eat, my health is important to me, so I don’t mind going the extra mile and asking these questions. As a result, I was able to eat as I normally would on those days. 

Thursday, I had cottage cheese with a Fiber One Brownie as my breakfast, with a banana and some almonds as my mid-morning snack. Lunch was a package of Lance Whole Grain Peanut Butter crackers and a yogurt. My afternoon snack was a Honey Nut Cheerios Bar. 

Friday, I had cottage cheese with a Fiber One Brownie as my breakfast, with a banana and oatmeal as my mid-morning snack. The oatmeal was already in a bowl, just add water, stir, microwave for 1 minute and enjoy. Lunch was my usual Campbell’s Southwestern soup (also in a microwave ready container) with Special K Whole grain crackers and my afternoon snack was yogurt. 

As a person that believes in “no excuses,” those two days really helped me put things into perspective. I could have chosen to eat bagels, cookies, candy and something not so healthy for lunch, but I decided not to. I took that extra step to pack my food carefully, think of everything I wanted to eat and used the resources available. I made sure to bring extra food like a couple of Nature Valley Fruit and Nut bars, just in case I got hungry, thus not leaving my only options to chance. I’ll admit, this experience being so positive makes me not dread all day meetings or workshops so much anymore. With the availability of many shelf stable healthy foods and the usage of other resources at the location of the meeting, I can continue to eat with confidence. This experience not only made me understand being a new leader within my organization, but also reminded me that I am the leader in my life; it is up to me to take charge of what food I eat and my health.