Eating Out

I have an appointment with my dietitian tomorrow and she'll be releasing me on to full foods. I'm excited to have more variety in my diet, but a little nervous about making the right food choices. So...on to my question. I'll be doing quite a bit of traveling in the next few weeks and need some ideas for eating out. I usually stick with chicken or fish, but would love to hear some suggestions. When you eat out, what do you order? Nicole

Nicole, congratulations on getting to full foods - I imagine it was a LOOONG wait! When I travel and don't know where I'm going to end up around meal times I pack some things with me for in the car in a little cooler.  I usually bring cheese cubes, wheat crackers, pepperoni and beef jerky and of course a big old water bottle. At restaurants I do a lot of steaks (always med-rare, meat that is over-cooked can be hard on my pouch), omlettes (made with egg beaters), fajitas (they have wonderful chicken fajitas at places like Applebee's where you get all the fixin's and you make it yourself - I usually only eat a bit of the tortilla) - salads are also a good choice if raw veggies don't give you trouble, just make sure to get some good protien in the toppings(like ham, cheese and chicken).  I would stay away from anything that has a lot of sauce or gravy (like Chinese and Italian dishes) because there is a lot of hidden sugar and fat that can cause dumping (and there is almost nothing worse than dumping in public - trust me).  If you go to a place where these things are not an option, try for any broth based soup (like veggie beef and tortilla soups), sandwiches that you can eat the insides of but leave most of the bread (avoid fried anything) and some restaurants have lighter options and can make subsitutions if you ask.  Don't be afraid to ask your server very specifically what exactly is used to make dishes so you know if it is a good choice or not. I hope this helps you - I hope your travels are enjoyable and you find plenty of good, healthy "road food" along the way!

Hey Amy. Thank you so much for all the great suggestions! For some reason beef jerky sounds like it would be hard to digest - I take it you haven't had any trouble! I may give it a trial run before I start my whirlwind of travels just to be sure. It's a great food that "keeps" under just about any cir****tance. Thanks again! Nicole

Hey Nicole - sorry it has taken me a few days to get back to you.  Yeah, it seems like beef jerky would be hard but it hasn't give me any trouble and I got the suggestion from some folks on the main message board here at OH.  As with anything make sure you chew, chew, chew and you're right - it is probably a good idea to try some before you start traveling with it.  Something else I take with me that I didn't list is a little canister of mixed nuts.  Nuts have protien so of course they are good for WLS post-ops but they also have fats that are good for your skin as long as they are enjoyed, like everything else, in moderation.  I'm glad I could help and I hope some of my suggestions come in handy!

Y'know, I bought some jerky the other day - I opted for one marked "tender cuts" and lo and behold, they were soft and not stringy at all. It went down fine! I have a major weakness for cashews, so keeping my intake in check is vital, but yeah! Nuts rule! Thanks again for the info! Nicole

don't be afraid to order a la carte! just because it's not on the menu, doesn't mean you can order a plain piece of meat and a veggie. i found fish to be my safest bet. works beautifully with my pouch. i also order hamburgers and just eat the ground beef mostly. i avoid heavy starches like a roasted/baked potato because i can't waste much space on them. steamed or fresh veggies work fine but i watch the rich, buttery sauces. sometimes it backfires on me.  but whatever meat i eat, i need to have a lot of sauce. less so with fish but i still like to have some sort of liquid to help the meat go down. quesadillas and nachos are something that works well for me too. of course, meaty and protein-rich soups like chili or clam chowder are good choices. beef jerky (while it gets stuck in my teeth) does go down well because there's lots of chewing with a smaller amount of actual meat, oddly enough. good luck and happy adventures in eating!

Hey Kari, My first trip is to FL, so I hope to enjoy some great seafood while I'm there! Thank you so much for the tips :) Nicole