How to be social on this diet

[movebetter]

I'm planning a multi-week trip and will be visiting family and friends. Most commonly they want to share meals or going out to dinner for lunch. I find myself having to stay in my room or wait in the car while they meet and eat.

I'm wondering how others deal with this. I guess PUFAS is the biggest detriment. It seems to pop up everywhere. Is there any way to eat a little and take some antidote directly after? And then there's always salads and starchy foods, soy products, bean and nuts.

 

[sunny]

These would not be good choices - "salads and starchy foods, soy products, bean and nuts."

Most places you could get some beef, potato with butter, and something sweet to drink. And bring a vitamin e to handle the pufa.

 

[Pete Rey]

You have to account for your mental health too, not just physical. And avoiding friends and family, assuming they are relationships which you value, seems like a great detriment to that. Personally I don't think it's the end of the world to eat some starch occasionally. There are only two PUFA bombs that I tend to encounter regularly and avoid like the plague: pre-dressed salads and margarine. The salad is not a big deal, I'll just pass on it. If it's dry then I can eat around any nuts, no problem. The margarine is a bigger problem because it's still heavily used in the catering industry. They will often drench potatoes and vegetables in it. At such events I'm definitely limited, but I can still almost always find something to nibble on.

 

[summergirl]

I’m not perfect with eating everything the way others on this forum recommend but I can almost always find something suitable on any menu. As long as it is not fried, and not coated in dressing or mayo based sauces. If I really feel like I ate something that had a considerable amount of pufa /iron (pizza or whatever) I will sometimes take some vitamin E, or maybe an aspirin.

I don’t think it’s mentally healthy to sit in the car or wait at home while everyone else goes out to eat. Life is short, don’t miss out on precious time with your family/ friends. Also when traveling it’s good to try the food of that culture. When I go out to eat I can’t sit there worrying about what oil they might have grilled my steak with or whatever. It’s just too much. That’s my 2 cents. I have been somewhat orthorexic in the past though so I understand where you’re coming from.

 

[-Luke-]

I don't know where you guys eat, but with meat dishes, there's always the option of having something with boiled potatoes or rice as a side dish instead of fries or fried potatoes. Should I go out to eat with family, I eat something like pot roast with potatoes and drink some apple juice or something like.

Otherwise I agree with the other posters here. You can always take some Vitamin E and/or Aspirin, but sitting alone in a car while your family and friends are inside enjoying a meal, is more unhealthy than eating a few grams of PUFA.

 

[movebetter]

Thanks, -Luke-0, Pete Rey, summergirl,
What you are saying makes alot of sense. I do feel the negative mental health affects of avoiding socializing with food and Friends.

My girlfriend and I are going to Japan and will be meeting family and friends. Eating is always a big part of it.

My biggest concern is PUFAS.and Japan loves to cook nearly everything in sesame oil and many restaurants have courses so it's nearly impossible to avoid the oils.

Do you think vitamin E after. each meal will help? I cannot take Aspirin because of a platelet disorder.

 

[movebetter]

These would not be good choices - "salads and starchy foods, soy products, bean and nuts."

Most places you could get some beef, potato with butter, and something sweet to drink. And bring a vitamin e to handle the pufa.

Thanks sunny, yes here in the US that is more possible in restaurants but for eating at friends or relatives it's hard .
we are going to Japan and there they use sesame oil to cook most everything.

 

[Pete Rey]

I don't know much about Japanese cuisine (besides sushi which I love), but personally if I were in your shoes I would only avoid the most obviously bad choices. For example I'd probably still avoid any flour-based starch fried in sesame oil, like a dumpling or egg roll. Partly due to the PUFA content, but mostly because they simply upset my stomach. At least in the USA they do. Other than that, I'd just enjoy myself, try to keep my stress levels to a minimum, and not worry about PUFA too much for 3 weeks.

 

[sunny]

Thanks sunny, yes here in the US that is more possible in restaurants but for eating at friends or relatives it's hard .
we are going to Japan and there they use sesame oil to cook most everything.

Maybe the vitamin E then, and the least offending food you can get. Soups? Seafood? Fruit? And sometimes you eat some not optimal things, knowing it is temporary.

 

[movebetter]

Maybe the vitamin E then, and the least offending food you can get. Soups? Seafood? Fruit? And sometimes you eat some not optimal things, knowing it is temporary.

makes sense, thanks!

 

[sphenoid]

I really don't eat out anymore since there is really no escaping tainted foods here in the US. Even the "healthiest" of restaurants are going to cook everything in PUFAs and their ingredients likely aren't organic either, meaning you're getting a good dose of pesticides, herbicides, etcetera. Don't forget the residual dishwashing detergent left on the dish too

If for some reason I have no choice but to eat out I consume a stack of the following for PUFA/inflammation mitigation and endotoxin defense:

-Vitamin E
-Thiamine
-Riboflavin
-Niacinamide
-Cocoa butter
-Vitamin C
-Aspirin

I envy the people of the past who could just walk into an eating establishment and not have to be concerned about being actively poisoned by the food they were going to consume.