Have you ever endured a business lunch? Oh the joy of sandwiches in the conference room again, or worse, rubber chicken at a local hotel.

But have you ever endured a business lunch when you are in the midst of revamping your diet to lose weight or control an illness?  Egads. That is why one of the most common questions I get is "how do I eat for my health during work meetings?”

One of the things I help people do is to change their diet and lifestyle to give them more energy, lose weight, and support their body’s innate ability to heal. These changes can sometimes be difficult to bring into the work world, especially if your co-workers and boss don’t know about your illness and aren’t supportive.

So what do you do?  How do you honor your healing journey without losing your sanity, starving, or drawing attention to yourself?

Well I can relate.  Before becoming a holistic health and wellness coach, I spent 15 years in law firms and corporate conference rooms eating the same old sandwiches and vending machine supplied lunches. But when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I discovered that adopting an alkaline, gluten free and dairy free diet would help me feel better, I was all over it.  I would bring my salads, vegetables, fruit, avocado, and quinoa to the office every day.  But then came the first post-diagnosis “working lunch.”  Uh-oh, no more hiding my new lifestyle.  How would I navigate this?

I knew I couldn’t eat the sandwiches, and frankly, I didn’t want to suffer the consequence of doing so. So I brought my own lunch. I sat there, an oasis in the midst of the Standard American Diet of cheese, processed meat, bread, pasta, and cookies. I got some funny looks and lots of questions. But I felt better for having kept my boundaries and doing what was right for me, even if I didn’t like the attention. And no one ridiculed me or made fun of me; even those that didn’t know why I was bringing my own lunch.

The tougher one, however, was the business lunch at the Italian restaurant. Oh joy. There was NOTHING I could eat. So I ordered a salad with no dressing and a side of lemon. I felt awful and high maintenance. I never was Sally from “When Harry Met Sally”, but I was feeling like it.

If any of this sounds familiar?  If you have been wondering how you honor your body and healing process, while still rockin’ your career, then check out these quick tips.

Take Charge

Offer to oversee meal ordering and reservations. Or at least make friends with whoever makes the food arrangements. Let them know you have some restrictions (your choice as to whether you want to go into details or not). See if they can order something special for you or steer the lunch location to something more healthy. If you’re the boss, even better.

Be a Detective

Wherever you are going, check out the menu ahead of time. Know exactly what you are going to order before you walk in the door. That way you won’t have to reveal your disappointment that the only thing you can eat is the side of steamed broccoli.

If there is truly nothing you can have on the menu, call the restaurant and talk to them about what they could make that fits your diet. Some steamed or sautéed vegetables and grilled fish is always a possibility at most restaurants.

Don’t be caught off guard; have your elevator speech ready

It’s funny how some people don’t respect boundaries. But eat out of the mainstream, and people want to know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, especially if you have been losing weight and are looking great. There are a few ways you can handle the nosy co-worker or boss. You can evade and change the subject back to the pending merger. You can lie. Or you can tell the truth.

Whatever your chosen path, be prepared. Know what you are going to say. Are you going to lay it all out there that you have chronic lyme and that eating a gluten-free vegan diet reduces your inflammation and keeps you energetic and productive. If so, make sure to leave any bitterness at the door. Or do you simply want to fudge the truth and say, “yea, I found out I’m allergic to gluten, so I have to be really careful.”

Whatever way you choose to go, keep it simple and be prepared. You don’t want to find yourself unwittingly crossing your comfort zone boundary on how much or what you are sharing.

Hold a Wake

When you make a dramatic shift in your diet, no matter how great it makes you feel, expect to go through a grieving process. Maybe you lived off of Pop Tarts before. Now you’re living off brown rice and green smoothies. As much as you may now abhor the Pop Tart, it’s ok to covet them on occasion. They represent an old life, a different time. A time when you weren’t ill (or if you were, you hadn’t yet discovered the power you have to be well). That life is gone now. You are creating a new one.

Honor the grieving process. But don’t play a dirge. Instead, hold a celebratory wake for that part of your life that has passed on. Revel in the fact that the green juice doesn’t leave you crashing like your old morning donut. Or that the broccoli no longer leaves you bloated now that you are passing on the cheese sauce. Celebrate the fact that you are finally losing the weight that came with the steroids and you can fit into your skinny jeans.

When you fully embrace your new, healthier life, business lunches will cease to matter. Sure they are important, but they are just fuel for your life. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Comment below and share your story of how you made it through a business lunch with your dignity and health still in tact.

With love and peace,