After yesterdays post it probably seems like the only thing I’ve been doing in the Maldives is…EAT. haha

I promise I’ve been doing other stuff!

I’ve been doing a lot of snorkeling in – I guess you might call it – my backyard?

All I have to do is hop off the deck and I can swim with the tropical fishies!

There’re a couple reefs about 100 yards out that are home to hundreds of small and medium sized fish, lobster, and sometimes wandering sea turtles. See those darker patches out there? That’s where I go to see gil, nemo, and dory from the movie ‘Finding Nemo‘. And LOTS of them. I also saw puffer fish and a whole bunch of others which I have no idea what they are named.

Yesterday I did some skindiving around the house reef in the main area of the resort.

That was the extent of my underwater photos. Somehow my waterproof camera became not so waterproof after I hosed it off with fresh water. When I took the battery out some water dripped out with it and it no longer turns on. oops.

Anyways, remember how I got my diving certification back in June? That was for this particular trip! And hopefully some future ones.

I went scuba diving yesterday afternoon and had so much fun looking at all the different kinds of fish and coral. I wish my camera worked so I could’ve taken some more photos. Maybe next time.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Moving on…

Lets talk vacation and nutrition.

I feel like I often have a hard time keeping with my normal diet whenever I go on vacation. Particularly green foods.

I know it depends on where I go and what time of the year, but from my experience, I have a much harder time eating fruits and veggies in Europe than in more tropical places like…say, Hawaii.

I know its because I mostly eat out whenever I travel, but I have come to find a couple ways to incorporate more colors into my diet as I travel.

(1) I always bring a couple of my favorite packable foods with me. I love to bring my favorite bars (NuGo bars), regular or instant oatmeal, nut butter packets or peanut flour, and other snacks.

(2) I locate the nearest grocery store or farmers market (even better!) and pick up a couple staples like apples, bananas, or whatever fruits are in season. Sometimes hotels have apples or pears in their lobby for guest to munch on. If I have a fridge I’ll even pick up some parisables like almond milk and/or yogurt.

(3) Restaurants always have some sort of veggies on hand. Ordering a plate to share with the table is also a great way to try some local veggies that I don’t always get to eat or may be new to me.

(4) I try to eat various colors throughout the day by making fruits the star of one meal, veggies the star of another, and whatever I want (local fare) for the third meal.

(5) When all else fails, I’ll just enjoy myself and eat whatever pleases ME. After all, I am on vacation

Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and balance.

Since I’m eating so much at the breakfast buffets and 3 course dinners here, I don’t really need much for lunch so I’ll just eat a smaller, more snack-like, lunch.

Faux-Hot Dog, anyone?

Yesterday’s:

 Whole wheat bread, a baby banana, and some maple almond butter I brought from home.

Today’s:

Whole wheat toast, baby banana, berry jam, and the remainder of my Justin’s maple almond butter.

You can get whole grain bread just about anywhere nowadays and I just grabbed those bananas from breakfast.

Perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

I’ve been lucky here in the at this particular resort and getting plenty of veggies at dinner and lots of fruits and fresh squeezed juices in the morning.

Pomogranate

Dragonfruit, passionfruit, rambutan, mangosteen, and a bean shaped fruit

Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and spirulina

Hummus and Organic Veggies

Detoxifying Elixir – Made from plant extracts

That last one (the elixir) I didn’t enjoy so much. It’s supposed to be taken like a shot, but one taste of it and I decided to pass. It tasted like echinacea, which I despise.

Tonight is my last night here

Next stop…

Singapore.

How do YOU usually eat on vacation? – It really varies for me. I always try to eat well, but sometimes I do better than other times. Sometimes I just can’t help it…like the week I spent in Italy in March, where all I ate was pasta, pizza, and gelato. By the end of the week, all i wanted (craving has never been so strong!) was a massive salad.  So I guess, in the end, my body knows what it needs.