Well it was bound to happen. For a girl who used to love going out to eat; not being able to eat Gluten and going out to eat do not mix! At home I can cook my meals with the knowledge of every ingredient that goes into them. Still who doesn't love going out to eat once in awhile?! My husband and I got together with good friends of ours and decided we would all go out to eat. My first task was to research. I got online and looked at a bunch of restaurants in the town we were going to meet. I stumbled upon one restaurant that looked pretty decent and had something for everyone.
When we got to the restaurant I opened up the menu and immediately found what I was going to eat. Pan seared Atlantic sea scallops over maple spaghetti squash and an arugula salad! It was amazing! and thankfully I could eat it and not feel threatened by what I could be digesting because there were no hidden ingredients, even the salad had only balsamic vinegar on it! YUM! Now unfortunately everybody else thought there meals were just OK and were drooling slightly over my delicious gluten free friendly meal.
I think my favorite part of this dinner though, was how I felt after. Which was amazing! I usually never leave a restaurant feeling that great. I was usually bloated so bad that I wouldn't want to go anywhere but home afterward. Also I usually never finished a meal because I would be hurting halfway through, not to mention the portions YIKES! This time around I practically ate the plate! Granted proportionally it was perfect but also it didn't hurt to eat it! I left the restaurant feeling light as air and as good as I did going in.
It is my suggestion that if you want a good restaurant experience and you are going or are gluten free then do your research ahead of time. A lot of restaurants even have gluten free menus if you ask, for instance Olive Garden has one if you ask your waiter for it. Also talk to your waiter, they are usually more than willing to find out for you if there might be hidden gluten in your food. Calling ahead to find out about gluten free options is always an option too.
Even though I had a great restaurant experience, I still advocate to just eat at home. Its cheaper and you know what is going in your body, without any hidden surprises. But for those special times that you meet with friends, family or have a hot date ;-) then it is possible to eat and enjoy, without eating and regretting.
P.S. I feel the need to tell you that I am writing this blog while indulging in a Liz Lovely gluten free oatmeal raisin cookie! SOO GOOD! Plus they were half off at the Portsmouth Health Food Store so that makes them taste a little bit sweeter!
me want cookie!Peace, Love, and Eat Well,
Ashley
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I read through your blog which was linked on The Kind Diet website by a commenter and I was struck by how similar our struggles are!
I have experienced bowel trouble since I was a little girl, at first being diagnosed with a "spastic colon" or "nervous stomach." At about 11 I became a vegetarian, which provided no relief though I felt very committed to my cause. In high school, I learned that I probably had IBS, but still would suffer from bowel trouble. As a child it had mostly resulted in nausea and constipation, but as an adult it became more of a loose stool, diarrhea, cramping issue along with nausea. In addition, ever since I was a child I have struggled with anxiety, which I believe to be related to my food issues. I stopped being a vegetarian about 2 years ago (at 25) because I felt like I needed to reset and get to the bottom of my health issues. I recently had allergy skin testing done and a celiac blood test. The blood test came out negative, but the skin test showed that apples, grapes, avocados, yogurt, coffee, oats and wheat all caused inflammation....so I know at the very least I'm intolerant of oats and wheat (gluten?).
Cut to the hormone problems...I got my period at 14, and have experienced irregular periods (the worst of which was during when I was a vegetarian). Sometimes as bad as 7 month intervals between them! Since the allergy testing and stopping eating those foods specifically, my periods have been more regular and my bowels have been much better. However, I do still bloat, have gas and loose stool from time to time so I feel like there may still be a missing part of the puzzle.
Most recently I have been researching fructose malabsorption as a possible root...Have you looked up any information about that? I feel like our problems are somehow tied together!
Anyways, if you'd like to maybe talk more about it and compare notes, please feel free to shoot me an email! It's nice to know I'm not alone!
--Linds
My email: Lindsey.morrone@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsey! It sure sounds like we share similar experiences with food! It is funny you mentioned the fructose malabsorption because I feel that I cannot properly digest sugar as well, which is why I make mostly raw deserts. I do not have an issues digesting things like honey, agave, or stevia. I would love to talk to you more! Our stomachs seem to have a lot in common! :-) Ashley
ReplyDeleteOh man, Fake sweeteners ravage my stomach! But I don't think that is as uncommon as some of our other shared problems! How does alcohol affect you?
ReplyDeleteobviously cannot drink beer due to the gluten. Wine is fine although it does go straight to my head haha. Wine is the extent of my alcohol consumption.
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