One of the most fun parts of being a blogger is interacting with readers on a daily basis. I get a lot of emails with certain questions about health and fitness in general, and I love sharing my two cents. The best part about writing is that while my readers can talk back to me (and please do!), I get to talk A LOT first before anyone else gets a chance. What can I say? I’m opinionated. Recently, reader Elizabeth emailed me with the following concern:
“I’m emailing you because I have been a vegetarian for the last three years, and I also recently found out I am corn intolerant. I don’t know about you, but cutting out corn was probably more difficult for me than cutting out meat. In an attempt to make eating with me easier, I started eating fish and poultry again, but I’ve found I don’t really like the taste of it anymore, and it interferes so much with my beliefs, so it’s back to no meat for me. I was just wondering how you deal with being a vegetarian and having various food intolerances. I feel so bad when I go out to eat with people because there are just some places that are completely out of the question and I feel like it makes things awkward or I’m being too high maintenance. If you have any tips at all, I would really appreciate anything you have to offer on the subject.”
All I can say is I am SO glad Elizabeth emailed me about this. I could probably talk about this subject all the live long day.
On Vegetarianism and Food Intolerances:
Four months after I was told I had a gluten intolerance, I still wasn’t feeling all that hot. Turned out, I had a corn intolerance as well. I am not going to sugar coat it: It. Was. Hard. I had to adjust a lot in those first few months. In case you’re not aware, corn is in everything. This includes high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, corn oil, and maltodextrin (from corn sources) as well as other sneaky ingredients I can’t remember at the moment.
I actually went vegetarian a year AFTER I was diagnosed with all my intolerances, so it wasn’t that difficult for me. The thing that I have to remember is my protein sources before being diagnosed with a corn intolerance have no corn in them – and neither do vegetarian sources. All of my sources of protein: nuts, beans, protein powders, tofu, etc are corn free, which is a sigh of relief. In my humble opinion, corn is not necessary for a healthy diet, and what people tend to forget is that corn is a grain, not a vegetable.
( source )
On Dining With Others:
This is something that’s actually still really hard for me to deal with. Many times I find that it is just so much easier to eat at home in the confines of my own kitchen. I don’t have to worry about others worrying about my eating habits. However, that’s not realistic. I know I will have to go out to eat with others and just deal with it. Most people I eat with know of my food intolerances (after a good long two years). Many times if I go somewhere else (for a family party or something) I will bring along a gluten/corn free vegan dish for everyone to enjoy and eat that for my main dish. I always have snacks in my purse in these instances just in case! Many times if I have to dine with others, I go to the dining experience far from hungry if there is nothing there I can eat. Instead of being starving and crabby, I eat before hand so I can fully enjoy my company. Going out for dinner is a whole other ball park, though!
On Dining in Restaurants:
Going out to eat use to cause a lot of anxiety on my part for a long time. Would they really listen to me about my diet? Would there be cross contamination? Would I get sick? I came up with a solution: Tell the restaurant you have an ALLERGY. Now, it is a little bit of a lie since intolerances will not make you go into anaphylactic shock, but will leave me pretty debilitated for a few days (headaches, GI symptoms, body aches, etc.). If you tell the restaurant you have an allergy, they will treat it way more seriously than if you say you have an intolerance.
( source )
I always scope out the restaurants online to see if a menu is posted online. From there, I can plan out a meal. More than likely, restaurants are more accommodating than you think if you explain your situation. I’ve made meals out of sides (salads, veggies, potatoes), which isn’t the best thing ever, but it will do. I have also had waiters go out of their way for me to modify a dish on the menu to meet my dietary needs. The bottom line: You never know if you don’t ask!
If I go to a Mexican restaurant, I know I can’t have the chips (bummmerrrr!), so I improvise and bring my own crackers from home. That way I can still enjoy chips and salsa – my way.
Whenever we go out to eat, the Husband is my biggest advocate. If I order something without telling them about my intolerances, he speaks up right away (mainly because he knows just how cranky I will be if I get sick).
On Planning Ahead:
Whenever I travel or am gone for a long period of time, I always have a back up plan. I always say I can never truly be an intuitive eater because of my food intolerances – and that’s okay. I always bring a stash of bars, my own gluten free oatmeal, nut butter packets, and other snacks to keep me satisfied in an emergency! Planning is key.
( source )
On Acceptance:
I spent a lot of time being angry at first about my dietary restrictions. Why me? Why can’t I just be normal? Why do I have to spend so much time planning about food? The answers… unknown. By accepting the fact that I can’t really ever go out and “grab” something to eat and truly be satisfying was hard, but totally necessary. If you accept it and are open about your struggles about eating with others and dining out, I’m sure that others will be more accommodating. Unless you tell them your struggles, they will never know! (Unless they’re psychic like me.)
My biggest piece of advice? Say “c’est la vie” (that’s life!) and move forward – there’s not sense on dwelling on the past when you should be focusing on the future!
For more information about food intolerances/sensitivities, these are great resources:
Food Intolerance Info
Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance
The Food Intolerant Consumer
Question: Do you have any dietary restrictions? Is it hard for you to go out to eat? If not, do you have family/friends with dietary restrictions? How do you handle this?
One of the most fun parts of being a blogger is interacting with readers on a daily basis. I get a lot of emails with certain questions about health and fitness in general, and I love sharing my two cents. The best part about writing is that while my readers can talk back to me (and please do!), I get to talk A LOT first before anyone else gets a chance. What can I say? I’m opinionated. Recently, reader Elizabeth emailed me with the following concern:
All I can say is I am SO glad Elizabeth emailed me about this. I could probably talk about this subject all the live long day.
On Vegetarianism and Food Intolerances:
Four months after I was told I had a gluten intolerance, I still wasn’t feeling all that hot. Turned out, I had a corn intolerance as well. I am not going to sugar coat it: It. Was. Hard. I had to adjust a lot in those first few months. In case you’re not aware, corn is in everything. This includes high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, corn oil, and maltodextrin (from corn sources) as well as other sneaky ingredients I can’t remember at the moment.
I actually went vegetarian a year AFTER I was diagnosed with all my intolerances, so it wasn’t that difficult for me. The thing that I have to remember is my protein sources before being diagnosed with a corn intolerance have no corn in them – and neither do vegetarian sources. All of my sources of protein: nuts, beans, protein powders, tofu, etc are corn free, which is a sigh of relief. In my humble opinion, corn is not necessary for a healthy diet, and what people tend to forget is that corn is a grain, not a vegetable.
( source )
On Dining With Others:
This is something that’s actually still really hard for me to deal with. Many times I find that it is just so much easier to eat at home in the confines of my own kitchen. I don’t have to worry about others worrying about my eating habits. However, that’s not realistic. I know I will have to go out to eat with others and just deal with it. Most people I eat with know of my food intolerances (after a good long two years). Many times if I go somewhere else (for a family party or something) I will bring along a gluten/corn free vegan dish for everyone to enjoy and eat that for my main dish. I always have snacks in my purse in these instances just in case! Many times if I have to dine with others, I go to the dining experience far from hungry if there is nothing there I can eat. Instead of being starving and crabby, I eat before hand so I can fully enjoy my company. Going out for dinner is a whole other ball park, though!
On Dining in Restaurants:
Going out to eat use to cause a lot of anxiety on my part for a long time. Would they really listen to me about my diet? Would there be cross contamination? Would I get sick? I came up with a solution: Tell the restaurant you have an ALLERGY. Now, it is a little bit of a lie since intolerances will not make you go into anaphylactic shock, but will leave me pretty debilitated for a few days (headaches, GI symptoms, body aches, etc.). If you tell the restaurant you have an allergy, they will treat it way more seriously than if you say you have an intolerance.
( source )
I always scope out the restaurants online to see if a menu is posted online. From there, I can plan out a meal. More than likely, restaurants are more accommodating than you think if you explain your situation. I’ve made meals out of sides (salads, veggies, potatoes), which isn’t the best thing ever, but it will do. I have also had waiters go out of their way for me to modify a dish on the menu to meet my dietary needs. The bottom line: You never know if you don’t ask!
If I go to a Mexican restaurant, I know I can’t have the chips (bummmerrrr!), so I improvise and bring my own crackers from home. That way I can still enjoy chips and salsa – my way.
Whenever we go out to eat, the Husband is my biggest advocate. If I order something without telling them about my intolerances, he speaks up right away (mainly because he knows just how cranky I will be if I get sick).
On Planning Ahead:
Whenever I travel or am gone for a long period of time, I always have a back up plan. I always say I can never truly be an intuitive eater because of my food intolerances – and that’s okay. I always bring a stash of bars, my own gluten free oatmeal, nut butter packets, and other snacks to keep me satisfied in an emergency! Planning is key.
( source )
On Acceptance:
I spent a lot of time being angry at first about my dietary restrictions. Why me? Why can’t I just be normal? Why do I have to spend so much time planning about food? The answers… unknown. By accepting the fact that I can’t really ever go out and “grab” something to eat and truly be satisfying was hard, but totally necessary. If you accept it and are open about your struggles about eating with others and dining out, I’m sure that others will be more accommodating. Unless you tell them your struggles, they will never know! (Unless they’re psychic like me.)
My biggest piece of advice? Say “c’est la vie” (that’s life!) and move forward – there’s not sense on dwelling on the past when you should be focusing on the future!
For more information about food intolerances/sensitivities, these are great resources:
Food Intolerance Info
Food Allergy vs. Food Intolerance
The Food Intolerant Consumer
Question: Do you have any dietary restrictions? Is it hard for you to go out to eat? If not, do you have family/friends with dietary restrictions? How do you handle this?