Eating out / restaurants

[3DStudent]

Thanks for all your experiences, it's nice to know I'm in the same boat regarding social gatherings.

Be advised that restaurants still use MSG, so it's best to clearly request it not be used in preparing your order.

Didn't know that, I'll keep this in mind when ordering. Now that I think about it, it does seem a little strange that restaurant food tastes better than homemade.

...but from the point of view of the restaurant staff this would probably seem pretty rude...

I never thought about it being inconsiderate to eat your own food at a restaurant, but it does seem like a slap in the face. I bring my own water as well.

 

[Gawan]

Thank you for opening this topic 3D Student,

cause of the holidays I'm in a similar situation, because it is a tradition to eat out at one day.
But as some others have said, I will eat beforehand and then stick to one or two salads.

Maybe there is one possibility left, to eat food with no additives, that means if possible only cooked blank rice, blank salad (no sauce), just roasted/cooked flesh or fish. But when it is a bigger kitchen maybe this can cause some problems already, for the reason of big pans, cooking food for many etc. Even so it is worth a try to talk to the waiter/waitress.

Nonetheless it is still impossible to know, unless I can see the package of the food myself, if it is really "eatable" or not.

I only think about something funny I read some weeks ago on a package:

Lentils contain naturally no gluten.

Could contain traces of gluten and soy.

;D

 

[bjorb]

- Hi everyone

Thanks for starting this topic, I am seeing my world considering food also becoming smaller. I may have some alternatives.

I know what to avoid now, mainly products which exist out of milk, gluten and sugar. I also try to eat a lot of food what is comprised with magnesium.

I guess that mainly you have to avoid restaurants who menu charts almost only have those foods, But what about Asian restaurants? Like Japanese. They mostly have on the chart all kinds of fish with rice.

Since my lack of knowledge at the moment, (I haven’t read Detoxify or die yet.) can those be considered a safe spot?

 

[3DStudent]

Lentils contain naturally no gluten.

Could contain traces of gluten and soy.

Yeah a lot of stuff you would think have no gluten naturally but then on the back it says it comes from a facility that also produces soy, wheat, nuts, milk, etc.

Since my lack of knowledge at the moment, (I haven’t read Detoxify or die yet.) can those be considered a safe spot?

I think Asian or Japanese would probably be better than Italian and Latin American. But the white rice isn't very nutritious and is starchy. So if you could get some fish and vegetables it would probably work. But it seems most Chinese restaurants here in America have a lot of (soybean) oil, gluten in the noodles, and white rice. FWIW

 

[abstract]

Yeah, most restaraunts use whatever is cheap to cook with. and as we all know, the cheap stuff is usually the nasty stuff.

 

[Lauranimal]

I have been eating gluten-free for 10 years. I don't go out to eat that often, but I can usually find at least a little something on most menus that I can nosh on.

I have learned to never go anywhere without food. I always keep some walnuts, almonds or filberts in my bag. I've always got GF crackers and fruit or protein bars in my car.

But usually, if I have the chance to plan ahead and I know what restaurant I am going to, I check out their menu on line, and pick out a few items to ask questions about. i call the restaurant well in advance and ask to speak to the chef, and if they are not available, to a manager. I ask what my best options are, and query about my preselected items and whether they can be altered. They are almost always happy to accommodate my needs and make suggestions. Sometimes, they ask my name and when I will be coming in and to let them know when I get there, so they can advise my server.

I also carry a very specific enzyme with me. It's called GlutenEase (by Enzymedica) It's a mix of proteases, amylases, glucoamylases and the unique and most important one is called DPP-IV. It is specific to breaking down an exorphin peptide known to be a contributing factor in gluten and casein intolerance. It is not permission to eat gluten, but this stuff really works!!! And if I am ever uncertain about what I am eating, I take the enzyme before and during the meal.

I also keep (at home), powdered L-glutamine (PURE. Pharmaceutical Grade) so that if I ever accidentally come in contact with gluten, this stuff will heal the damage fast. For me, if I eat even a little bit of gluten unaided, it's like getting kicked in the stomach. I mix the powder into room temp water, mix it to fully dissolved and drink it right down. It not only takes away the pain, but heals the tissue lining of the intestines, and knocks out the inflammation almost immediately. Sometimes, more than one dose is required.

Once a year, I load up on L-glutamine and enzymes and eat Tier-misu! YUMMMy!!!

 

[Nienna]

I think Asian or Japanese would probably be better than Italian and Latin American. But the white rice isn't very nutritious and is starchy. So if you could get some fish and vegetables it would probably work. But it seems most Chinese restaurants here in America have a lot of (soybean) oil, gluten in the noodles, and white rice. FWIW

You may want to watch out for Chinese restaurants. They tend to like the MSG. I'm not sure about other Asian restaurants, though. :/

When wading through the waters of nasty foodstuffs, 'tis best to stay away, as much as possible, from the restaurants. I should know, my first husband was an executive chef in a fairly large hotel chain in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.

He used MSG in a LOT of stuff. And used it to keep his salad greens bright and crisp looking. So even salads are not safe. But that was over 20 years ago so who knows now.....

fwiw

 

[Al Today]

... Yeah, most restaraunts use whatever is cheap to cook with. and as we all know, the cheap stuff is usually the nasty stuff. ...

Yeah, In public I gotta watch my mouth when shopping. Eating healthy is not cheap...

 

[bjorb]

Well considering Asian foods. There is at mine understanding a lot of difference between Chinese and Japanese food.

I found a list of Japanese dishes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_dishes

If you want to find out which ingredients are used in making those dishes, just press on those.

Like I said before I am no expert at what can be especially considered poison and not. So I am not advising anything. But because most western dishes are already boycotted

- let's see if Asian varieties can be any good. :D

 

[Oxajil]

Well considering Asian foods. There is at mine understanding a lot of difference between Chinese and Japanese food.

I found a list of Japanese dishes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_dishes

If you want to find out which ingredients are used in making those dishes, just press on those.

Like I said before I am no expert at what can be especially considered poison and not. So I am not advising anything. But because most western dishes are already boycotted

- let's see if Asian varieties can be any good. :D

I once went to a Chinese or Japanese restaurant and some hours after the dinner had a headache :(
I remember wondering where this headache came from.

Now, if I'm going to any restaurant, I would pick a restaurant where only organic food is made with no evil sauces! You should check out this site: _http://www.puuruiteten.nl/

 

[pete02]

I too had this trouble when I went to work. I stay with my brother and his family during my work week and they normally eat out for dinner. For the meantime I've been bringing my own food but I did find a website dedicated to Gluten-free and Celiac disease. (http://www.celiac.com/) I'm not really knowledgeable enough to know if everything they say is legit but for the most part, they seem to know their stuff. They have listings of what foods are Gluten-free and what foods contain Glutens. There are also a couple of links off this website that can connect you to a directory of Gluten-free restaurants, hopefully in your area. I have found some (Chinese) restaurants that have whole Gluten-free menus of their own and some restaurants (ex..O.tb..k Steakhouse) that also have a Gluten-free menu which really just tells you what foods to avoid off their menu in order to remain Gluten-free.

Only thing is, I have also questioned these restaurants myself because of issues brought up already. For instance Chinese. They have their own Gluten-free menu but are they still using MSG? And as far as the steakhouse example, they tell you what foods to avoid but are they still making your Gluten-free meals on the same kitchen table as the regular meals? It seems to me that to bring your own food is really the only way to guarantee you eating healthy.

 

[Mountain Crown]

The only way to avoid MSG consumption is to prepare your own food intelligently.

Unfortunately, socializing in metropolitan areas like NYC, time restraints and limited living spaces make restaurants convenient. Due to enormous overhead costs, restaurants need to take in large revenues to remain viable. Generally, this only happens with a solid come back and a menu that appeals also to a broader market.

Consumers come to the table with assumptions about diet that result from media exploitation, particularly the low-fat, low-cholesterol fiasco. Restaurants are faced with the problem of catering to them and making their dishes tasty, and tastier than the restaurant next door. They "enhance" the food.

[QUOTE author=becomehealthynow.com]The MSG Problem

MSG is a food additive that enhances flavors in food. It virtually has no flavor of its own, but neurologically causes people to experience a more intense flavor from the foods that they eat containing the substance. To millions of consumers, it means experiencing an adverse effect from the additive and possible adverse health effects in the future. To the food industry, it means increased profits, a simple way to balance taste in a product line and mask unwanted tastes, and to make otherwise unpalatable foods acceptable. In particular, MSG helps replace flavor lost by elimination of fat in many low-fat and no-fat foods.

The FDA requires that the ingredient “monosodium glutamate be listed on the labels of foods in which it is used. Technically speaking, that ingredient is approximately 78% free glutamic acid, approximately 21% sodium, and up to 1% contaminants. However, free glutamic acid is also found, in varying amounts, in over 40 other labeled ingredients whose names give no clue to the fact that free glutamic acid is present as a component of the ingredients. (See Table 1) In some foods, glutamic acid is not specifically added, but is formed during processing. That is why the TLC lawsuit called for post-production testing and labeling of free glutamic acid. [/QUOTE]

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that MSG can be hidden - either due to ignorance of amino acid isolates, or the willful concealment of it by unscrupulous profiteering. It's not just a matter of whether the chef is sprinkling Accent in the gravy. We need to know what may be enhanced and how, and use precision when phrasing any questions if needed.

The following may be of interest:

HIDDEN SOURCES OF PROCESSED FREE GLUTAMIC ACID (MSG)

Misleading & deceptive use of "No MSG" to hide MSG

BRAIN CELL DAMAGE FROM AMINO ACID ISOLATES

 

[bjorb]

[quote author=Oxajil]I once went to a Chinese or Japanese restaurant and some hours after the dinner had a headache :(
I remember wondering where this headache came from.

Now, if I'm going to any restaurant, I would pick a restaurant where only organic food is made with no evil sauces! You should check out this site: _http://www.puuruiteten.nl/[/quote]

I actually don’t feel all that energized when I eat Chinese, I actually feel tired.

As for Japanese I only went once, to an all you can eat kind of restaurant. But after some time it turned in more of a competition from who can eat the most.

I actually felt sick the day after. It could be the food itself, or I just overdid myself.


BTW that website really comes in handy.

The downside is that there aren’t many restaurant of that kind in general. I guess it also would be pretty hard to convince others to choose those ones.

Oh well.

- Thanks for the website.

 

[abstract]

I think it's safe to say that it's a difficult issue. For those of you with food allergies, I know, it's one wrong move and you're going nutz or whatever, right? I have yet to figure out if I have food allergies or not. I think based on the inputs so far, people with allergic reactions should maybe eat before or stick with what they know is ok to eat for them.

If you don't have the allergies, but still wanting to avoid the bad stuff, my take here is, to be externally considerate to others, but also protect one's self, I would say that a brief polite explanation with strategic enclosure could help out. For instance, you could say:

"Sorry I won't be eating, my diet as of now is quite strict, and I have to be consistent or it will not work as well."

Or whatever I suppose might be applicable to the situation. Just a thought.

 

[Odysseus]

Regarding japanese food: Sashimi (selection or assortment of raw fish in slices/pieces, make sure to avoid tuna though) should be a rather safe dish, osit...