Eating Out

Americans use food to celebrate.  Depriving ourselves of that can be depressing, not to mention anti-social.  We can still celebrate by eating out with friends as long as we are careful with what we order.  Most nicer restaurants are willing to take special requests to accommodate those with special medical situations.  I have a friend with a gluten allergy and have learned from her that most restaurants even have a special menu for her.  In fact, as it turns out, much of what is on that menu is good for my GERD situation as well.  Just watch out for the garlic and onions!

The key to eating out is avoiding high fat foods.  This leaves out most fast food.  But, who wants to celebrate at a fast food place, anyway?  So, learning what kinds of foods are available at which restaurants is an important strategy.  Otherwise, you end up sitting at the table and realizing there is nothing there you can eat without being miserable all night long.  So let’s look at the main categories of celebration food and the restaurants that serve them.

Mexican.  My favorite.  Well, it used to be.  I have yet to discover what I can safely eat at a Mexican place.  Most of my favorite dishes include full fat cheese, onions, tomatoes and peppers.  Then there are the chips and salsa.  That doesn’t work wither.  I hope its different for you.  For me its adiós to Mexican food.

Chinese.  There’s some good news here.  If you choose carefully you can find some great dishes to eat at a Chinese restaurant.   The key is to understand the sauces and whether or not onion is used.  Of course those fierce hot peppers are to be avoided at all costs.  Watch the quantity of food you eat.  Most places give you enough for 3 meals.  Save some for lunch the next day!  Here are terms to look for:

Steamed, Light Sauce, Lobster Sauce

Combine these with brown rice, if offered, and you’ve got a pretty safe meal.  Watch out for broccoli and nuts in some dishes if these don’t sit well with you.  Skip the fried noodles and if you want soup, choose Won Ton Soup and leave the Hot and Sour Soup for someone else.

Steak Houses. Go for the leanest cut of meat here.  Your best bet is London Broil or Flank Steak.  Stay away from sour cream and butter on the baked potato and take advantage of any steamed veggies available. 

Seafood.  If you are lucky enough to like seafood, you’ll do well at most high end seafood restaurants.  Watch out for the way the dish is prepared.  Ask for broiled or baked, not sauteed or fried.  Remember sauteed = butter.  Also make sure you ask about the spices used in preparation since garlic is used liberally in a lot of dishes.  Broiled fish or shellfish, steamed veggies and a baked potato are a great choice.  Watch the butter on the potato!

Sushi.  If you cringe at the thought, check into California Rolls.  There’s no raw fish involved and now GERD triggers.  Stay away from the wasabi, it will burn a hole in hour stomach.  Some places make sushi using brown rice.  The extra fiber is even a better choice.

What about Fast Food?  I’m still experimenting in the hopes that I can find something I can eat on the run.  First problem?  Too much white bread.  Did you know that simple carbs aggravates GERD?  Yep.  This makes burger joints off limits unless they have some sort of salad with protein you can get.  But, then you have to consider the vinegar in salad dressing.  I think it bothers some.  I find that low fat ranch bothers me more than regular ranch.  I think its the added sugar in the low fat version.  Salad bars are good especially if they have hard boiled eggs as part of the ‘fixins.’  At least at theses places you can choose your own ingredients.  However, eating a salad in a car?  Hmmm, not good.  My doc told me to buy one of those refrigerators that plug into the cigarette lighter and carry my food with me.  What a killjoy.

Here is a good link that dives more deeply into what you could eat when eating out.