Update: Eating Paleo/AIP in China

Is it possible to follow the Paleo/AIP diet in China?

Congee (rice porridge), tea, bacon, pumpkin, and veggies

I was extremely worried about being able to find food that I could eat (and digest) in China, but it was much easier than imagined.  Thank goodness I packed a suitcase full of food.  Read more about what I packed to save bouts of hunger here.  Many of the meals in China are based around meat, fish, and vegetables, or real food, which is what I eat anyways!  You can choose to not eat rice, but I ended up having to eat small amounts because of the hot spicy food that the Sichuan Province is famous for. I had not eaten rice in quite a long time, but my body responded in a very good way.  I am now thinking that I may add some rice back in to my regular diet.

What could I not avoid eating in China?

It was impossible to avoid soy sauce, nightshade spices, or "bad" oils because it's in all of their food. Due to thyroid issues, I have avoided soy in the last several years but luckily I did not seem to react negatively to all the soy I most likely ingested while in China.  Even though I had a translator with me the majority of times, it's still very difficult to explain the Paleo/AIP way of eating and trust that your food is safe from "all evils."  

What was easy to avoid eating in China?

Dairy was extremely easy to abstain from because this is not a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine.  I was very happy about this since I have a mild allergy to whey.  Wheat also was easy to avoid where I was staying, since there was little noodle dishes or desserts.  (Northern China is known for their wheat products and noodle dishes, but I was visiting the more central/southern part.)  Nothing seemed extremely sweet in China, so I imagine that there was not too much processed sugar unless it was snuck into sauces and such.

How would you follow the AIP diet in China?
I was primarily following this way of eating prior to leaving for China.  I knew that once I was there I would have a very difficult time due to the nightshades such as peppers in their famously hot food.  Luckily in the end, the spicy food did not bother me.  It was pretty easy to avoid tomatoes and potatoes.

What about the quality of food in China?
There was no way of knowing if any of the food was organic or non-GMO or pesticide free. Typically in the U.S.A, I avoid all non- organic food but this was not something I could insure in China.  My naturopath had recommended to avoid the fish and chicken because these hold a lot of toxins, but I found this difficult to follow, since I do not feel like eating beef, pork, or duck for every meal.

What's the take home message?

Paleo in China? This is pretty easy.  

AIP diet in China? This is near impossible, unless you speak fluent Mandarin or Cantonese (even then I think you'd starve.)