Eating away from home

In the real world you are likely to travel to a big city and need to manage your diet while eating out with relations or friends. Try to plan accommodation that includes a microwave oven. The hardest part is managing the restaurant meals. You have to stress no herbs or spice in your main meal, and plan to avoid, or decide to test any dish with a creamy sauce, as it may contain a little wine. Then you have to remember to ask for vegetable side dishes without dressing, as Balsamic vinegar and olive oil are the usual dressings. Beautiful roast potatoes may arrive covered in paprika! You already have some idea of what you have tolerated at home so you can easily pack some well wrapped foods such as dry breakfast cereal, snack sweet or dry biscuits, small tins of fish and chicken, a very small pot of peanut butter, and even a carefully wrapped celery heart. Don’t forget your decaf coffee and tolerated lollies as you may need the energy away from usual food, and pack any meds you may need if you have a mild or bothersome symptom. Before leaving make a shopping list of foods to buy at some nearby city convenience store: tolerated milk, bananas, instant rice, and other tolerated fruit and lettuce. Then you buy any meals you may manage such as Irish stew diluted with mixed frozen vegetables. Add plain frozen hash browns and make another meal with the canned fish, chicken or cheese if tolerated. If eating at a pub or club you can order plain fish, chicken, lamb or steak that has not been marinaded. Be careful of hot chips as they usually have a gluten and beer flavoured batter. Mashed potato is a better option, even with a little garlic, with plain vegetables. Regard this as a trial of away-from-home food and note your symptom level so you can be confident and not too scared to travel in future.