Before you can fix the world, you have to fix yourself. Year for a Planet is a personal challenge to be a better human for the planet for a whole year. This year, 2017, is where I deal with my food choices.

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This week, I’m done with my Barcelona gig (I finished in second place!), and I’m halfway through my Uganda exhibition. There is nothing like being thrown into circumstances and places for the first time to see how your game plan truly fares. Last week, I wrote about the meal prep I ended up doing plus the extra food and supplies I packed. And truly, being prepared gives one so many benefits. Here are some of them:

1. I dealt with stress better.

Competitions stress the crap out of me. This, coupled with Barcelona being an amazing food destination, will likely lead me to scarfing half a dozen croissants (as I had in the past!) to cope. But because I had healthy food with me, this was not even an option. Also, when I was in Dubai and Turkey for layovers, I was happily fed without needing to exchange currency.

2. I likely saved myself from infection.

While installing my work in Uganda, I was wrestling with a cutter and the cutter won. I accidentally slit a finger and bled for a good hour. The closest thing on hand was my bottle of apple cider vinegar so I made sure to wash the wound with it to prevent bacterial infection. The posh hotel I’m in took an hour to give me their first aid kit and so I’m thankful for DIY emergency procedures. Hurray for ACV: clears your skin, gives you great hair, prevents you from overeating, and saves you from having to potentially amputate your limbs! May this be the first and last time I will ever exhibit with my own blood on the floor.

3. My lips never touched a styrofoam cup.

Guess what? I’m exhibiting in a climate change conference and they serve water in styrofoam cups. Oh the humanity. But hurray for my trusty reusable water bottle! Not only was I drinking more water because I didn’t have to refill as often, I also never had to use any of their ugly cups. I was explaining to another delegate that I like going to airports with a full bottle so that I have to drink it all before security. This means I get on flights with almost a liter of water in me, which may explain why I don’t feel as dehydrated and grumpy on flights as before.

I’m still in Uganda with no more energy balls left but with half a jar of peanut butter left. I have three conference days, a safari, and a bunch of reunions to get through. Wish me luck!