Hubbie takes me out at weekends to "get me out of the kitchen" and "give me a break from cooking". This is very sweet of him, but I find that I get so stressed out getting even semi-compliant food served that it would be easier just to do it myself. That's before I even take into account whether it tastes nice.

Last night we went to the newly opened Blood Type Restaurant with high hopes, only to find that they didn't "do" non-secretors. We had to wring out of them with a mangle what they put in the food, and even after knowing that we were both non-secretors, they proudly served us kamut bread made with sugar. There were no desserts suitable. It was harder work than going to our local steak-house and asking for no potato and only olive oil dressings.

How do you folks manage eating out? Just pop the Deflect and hope?

(ETA: P.S. I'm not knocking the restaurant. I think it's a superb idea, very brave of them to try it, and great that they're "spreading the word". Apparently it's very popular at lunchtimes which I'm very pleased about. I'm just disappointed that they run secretor testing but don't cater for the minority.)

have they got a link by any chance?

I can't find a website dedicated to the restaurant, but it's associated with the Blood Type Store:
http://www.mybloodtypestore.com/

Here's a review of the restaurant:
http://www.asiaone.com/Wine%252CDine%2B%2526%2BUnwind/Reviews/Story/A1Story20080121-45944.html
It's a lovely place.

Hi.

We don't eat out much for the reason nobody understands how the foods will hurt you, so when we do go out we try to eat at Ruby Tuesday's, they have a bison burger, and me being a O secretor and my wife A nonnie, I order the bison burger and tell them hold the bun, sauce, and fries, bring steamed broccli with out the sauce, and the wife gettes the turkey burges the same way.

But we have found we would rather just fix our good food at home.

We are wanting to start a blood type Restruant here we have a building and a person to set up and start it we just need the money to gett the building ready and the Equitment.

I voted 'Choose most compliant without making fuss' as the closest option.

We eat out often- we are both self employed and on the road a lot, so the best that is possible is the above and then leave on your plate what is the worst for you to eat. Take bread coating off fish/ scrape sauce off as much as possible etc.

Most restaurants can accommodate a change around of foods within the menu i.e. get the steak from the 'steak sandwich' with the rice from the 'chicken curry' and a side salad without the sauce, banana from the 'banana boat' with chopped nuts& seeds you sneak out of your handbag/ jacket pocket. Or get the 'boat' and feed the ice cream to somebody else on the table!
It's a little pricier- but at least one can stay somewhat compliant without going hungry!

I found out the hard way that if one makes too much of a fuss when in company eating out, you just end up with discussions about the diet that very easily turn into fights or awkward situations. Better to keep it low key unless a person is really interested. One can explain one on one after dinner. While ordering it's great to just say: I don't like breadcrumbs on my food/ I feel like eating rice tonight or something along those lines, rather than I can't/ am not allowed to eat xyz.

Unless one as acute symptoms, I think it's OK to cheat every now and so often and then make up by being xtra good the next couple of days to make up if necessary : )
The diet should not feel like a straight jacket.
I ate totally wrong for so many years, that a little bit of an avoid every now and then should be acceptable to my body now.

Simple calculation:
One eats appx 4 meals/day multiply by three different things on your plate at every meal = 12 different foods a day, multiply by 7 days= 84 food choices per week. So if you go out to a restaurant and you eat say two things not compliant then you are still 97% compliant- sounds pretty good to me!

Take heart and try not to be too hard on yourself- enjoy your dinner

I've not been having luck the last two weekends I've been out.
Last weekend I was in San Francisco, and I talked to the restaurant around noon for a reservation that night.  I thought we were  very clear...  what I got was  just a very small amount of food that was artfully arranged, but not nearly enough to "feed" me....    I wasn't going to say a thing, but  then I saw a large plate of salad going to another table.. I asked the manager, who happened to just be at our table....  I asked why I couldn't have had that.. and he just blinked.. also I asked for no potatoes on mine, and it was a lot of potatoes.. I  spoke up, and they  didn't charge me for dinner.. but it wasn't a good experience..

SOOO..last night we were in town, and I called our favorite restaurant ahead of time and told them exactly what I wanted.. I specifically asked for a LARGE plate  of food.. but I still got the very  minute plate of very artfully placed stuff.... Guys, I need FOOD when I go out..  I   usually eat lightly  before going out for a nice dinner, and they just aren't giving me enough food!!! so I emailed them and politely told them  what was wrong..
so  next weekend, we have picked another restaurant in town... I have talked to them about what I want, but I guess I am going to have to spell out how many  ounces of this or that I want...  I don't see how else to get what I want... the good news is that all   the restaurants at least seem to WANT to  please me......  wish  me luck!

I have found for a "fast food"  Baja Fresh does a good job of making me a steak salad, although I do have to beg for lettuce.  They make anything in a bowl if you ask.

In a restaurant, I usually just have steak and salad.

If it is a special occassion.........I eat whatever I want, and pay for it for a week.

I order the most compliant thing I can find, but I don't worry if I have to compromise.  Eating out is a treat, and I'm grateful just to not be cooking lol  

oh, man, yesterday was a challenge....eight ladies on a limo wine tour!!!! There was the wine, of course....which I tasted sparingly, and then there were crackers (wheat), wonderful (but noncompliant) breads and cheeses all through the day (I ate some) but dinner was a surprise. I was able to order guatamalan chicken with black beans and succotash (corn and lima beans with other veggies) and tomato bisque. Not too bad! (but the snacks in the day were bad news) I did not overdo on the wine, I am glad to say.

I gave up on eating out years ago - just too much of a hassle. Occasionally I will use the take out for the rest of the family but even that is getting difficult.
On the rare time that work sends me to another office then I have no recourse but to eat out. Naturally there are all sorts of avoids hidden in the food. But I do hate the brain fog and the extreme lack of energy. That means 5 days of waiting for it to clear the system. Just not worth the effort.

Hugs
Andrew

jayneeo,
that shows a lot of character!
good job!
that limo ride sounds extravagant!

Sometimes I have to eat out at work when bringing my lunch would just be impossible.  I find it very expensive to eat right.  I also feel like I am making a scene.  The last time I ate out I ended up getting a hamburger at a Mexican Restaurant!!!  It was still cheaper than fajita salad.  Of course, I did not eat the bun.  Just let me eat at home,please!

I've said it before:  I think that secretors can handle avoids more easily than non-secretors.  I personally can suffer for many days after eating even small amounts of certain avoids, such as sugar, wheat, coconut milk, chicken, tofu, etc.  A bit of avoid seasonings is not a huge deal for me.  
I eat out rarely because of my sensitivity, and when I do, I go to one of the better quality restaurants that offer fresh produce, lamb options, or at least, steak without mysterious sauces.  I also choose restaurants that offer a good fish selection, since shellfish does not work for me.
I didn't vote since there isn't a choice that is the one I follow.  I will order the most compliant things on the menu and ask that certain things be left off.

Quoted from Victoria

A bit of avoid seasonings is not a huge deal for me.  
I eat out rarely because of my sensitivity, and when I do, I go to one of the better quality restaurants that offer fresh produce, lamb options, or at least, steak without mysterious sauces.  I also choose restaurants that offer a good fish selection, since shellfish does not work for me.
I didn't vote since there isn't a choice that is the one I follow.  I will order the most compliant things on the menu and ask that certain things be left off.

Of course, I can't go off my diet and eat beef or many other things. Period. But seasonings seem to be the worst thing I run into when I eat out because all kinds of them can be hiding in food.    Boy, do I ever suffer from seasonings..... I have found that I can really enjoy Texas Longhorn's salmon and tolerate it very handily. But I can't think of another restaurant at this moment whose choices make me want to eat there very often. One thing that has come as a pleasant surprise to me  as I have gotten older is that I can thoroughly enjoy a salad without any seasoning or dressing at all. That alone stands me in good stead when I eat out. A ton of salad with some beans works pretty well at some places. Maybe before too long some restaurants will find out that turkey is pretty universal and will serve more of it.

I, also, order the most compliant foods I can find and ask that certain things be left off. Salads so often have tomatoes and cheese - both no-go's for me.

BTW, the more I read what you nonnies have to say, the more I think I may be one. I MUST get that kit off!

personally I would much rather just eat at home where I can control what ingredients go into my food...but I do eat out to be social when friends are going out or to appease the family...but no matter how hard I try and how specific my instructions are when I order, a majority of the time avoids sneak into my food (which I think must be the preservatives) and I pay for it...not worth it anymore...I'd rather feel and be healthy

Although I'd much rather eat at home, at times it is just not possible, or even practical. Since being a Nomad I have a relatively easy time finding complinant (mostly neutral) foods to eat out. Last week my daughter wanted me to meet her and the grandchildren at Cracker Barrel. I ordered the gilled catfish and two veggie sides. Quite tasty I must say  

I'm pretty relieved to be a Nomad, especially since it is so similiar to the B nonnie diet.  The changes that I have needed to make have not been painful at all.

I'm also very realistic about where my health foods are going to be found:  my own kitchen.  My social life has suffered a bit since I don't eat out much any more, but the pain and suffering that I am being spared makes the choice a no-brainer.  

My choice would be something like: find the restaurants with gluten free foods that are honest about their ingredients, and order carefully, eating at the same 2 or 3 restaurants all the time, eating the same 4 or 5 meals.

I can only make a fuss about gluten, beyond that I just try to order the simplest most compliant thing on the menu.

I tend to stick to Thai and Indian food, because they'll tell me what's in it (they're proud of what's in it, rather than hiding the ingredients like some american restaurants do).  There are only a few things I can eat at either place, but if I eat out less than once a week then I don't get bored.  As a gatherer, now I order a salad at the thai restaurant, Beef Laab, I believe it is called...mainly just beef, onions, cilantro, lemon juice, ground chilis.  At indian restaurants, lamb curry is the best bet, though they have a few other dishes, and they also have a dosa flatbread, stuffed with ground lamb and peas, but the lentils in it are black dots for gatherers.

I've been thinking of trying Baja Fresh...they're the one that's kind of like Cafe Rio?  (I loved that place, but they use wheat in a lot of the seasonings so I gave up on it.)

I've given up most Italian food, since just about everything I'm allergic to or intolerant of is in Italian food.  My husband loves it though, so I do occasionally go to Carrabba's, they have a GF menu, though I miss chicken when I go there since they do a good job with chicken dishes.  It's beef or salmon for me there now, but maybe chicken would be a better choice than farmed salmon.  Their veggies are good, broccoli or they usually also have zucchini.  

My husband isn't big on steak houses, so I haven't tried many of those.  Outback tainted me with a little gluten too many times, and I don't really like their steaks that much.  Most steakhouses don't live up to my expectations.

I prefer to make a small meal beforehand, then just go out for juice smoothies or something.  I have trouble even finding juice or smoothies I can have, especially with my citric acid troubles.

This would be the area that I'm blessed to live in small town WV. Locally owned restaurants where you know or are acquainted with most if not all of the employees. I can always get something completely compliant. I only eat out about once or twice a month...today being one of the days. *oddly enough* The restaurant buys its meat and produce at the same local market that I do. I know the meat has no antibiotics or preservatives, the produce is fresh and in season. It is WONDERFUL!

I chose "order what seems the most compliant without making a fuss" but actually I do make a tiny fuss.  I might order Caesar salad and ask them to leave off the croutons and put the dressing on the side, for example.  Some places can't even do that because their salads are pre-mixed, actually, so then I might order a burger and ask for a salad or vegetable substitute for fries.  Then I'll just not eat the bun.

BTW, the local Cracker Barrel offers a choice of grilled steak with its Caesar salad!

I try not to eat out and to go the homemade route whenever humanly possible.  Failing that:

1.  I try to eat compliantly (usually...except when I don't try *lol*, but the latter times are RARE).

2.  I have learned not to fear asking if they can substitute x for y, etc.  Most restaurants are eager to accommodate customers if possible.  Back on the BTD, I would try to substitute broccoli florets for pasta, for example.  Now (I'm on GTD), I would instead try to substitute green beans or sauteed onions or mushrooms--whatever compliant (and ideally superfood) veggies they had.

3.  It depends on the situation, too.  Like I said, when possible, and when I want to (which is almost always), I try like the dickens to somehow, some kinda way, be as compliant as possible when eating out.  But sometimes, in some situations, either you can't really do that or you don't choose to do that, and that is okay, too, unless for health reasons such as celiac disease you really CAN'T EVER have a certain thing, such as gluten.

For the most part, I try to eat IN/at home, so that I can control what goes into the food.  But sometimes, in the course of living life, you find yourself in a restaurant.  Sometimes you can do pretty well in a restaurant; sometimes, the restaurant is HORRID and there is basically NOTHING compliant.  I have been known, during times when I've wanted to remain highly compliant, yet have found myself in a HORRID restaurant (usually when my sister is visiting, as all they ever do is drag me to HORRID restaurants that I would never normally set foot in), to not order anything.  I'll just get iced tea or water with lemon, or sometimes NOTHING.

Because one thing I've learned in the course of BTDing is to never let ANYONE or any situation pressure me into eating something I REALLY don't want to eat at that time.  I mean, I shouldn't say "never", because, as the saying goes, never say never.  Sometimes in some situations, not hurting someone's feelings might just take precedence over my health, but not usually.  So if I REALLY want to be compliant and I'm faced with REALLY dangerous choices for me, I can "just say no".  Especially if the choices involve wheat, I will do this routinely.  Pretty much ditto for corn syrup.  Everything else is negotiable *lol*!

This weekend, Carol (Harmonykitty) from the board and I went out to a Greek restaurant that she loves.  We did the best we could (both simultaneously yanking out this yummy, homemade-looking pita bread from under our lamb *lol*) to be compliant, yet we weren't fanatical about it.  There was sugar in the homemade Greek salad dressing (not corn syrup, because, God bless Carol, she had read the label on a previous trip to this restaurant, as they sell their dressing in the little store up front), for example, and we both had the dressing on our salad.  We ended up having a wonderful meal that was totally compliant, except for the sugar and no doubt some other things in the dressing.  The meal had lamb (omg, the best lamb), beef, salad and iced tea, basically.  ...Oh yeah, there was also a TINY dab of potato salad on top of the salad, I mean, like two bites.  I asked Carol what the deal was with it and she said "I usually eat it."  Good enough for me, I said, and commenced partaking!  Oh--and there was this tziki (sp.?) yogurt dip, too, for the meats.  Forgot about that.  I kinda sorta had some of that, too!

Hey, sometimes you have to carpe diem, baby!

Tziki is mostly yogurt, garlic, and mint if I recall right.

Quoted from gulfcoastguy

Tziki is mostly yogurt, garlic, and mint if I recall right.

Yessir.  And mighty tasty it was.  As a G2, I am not supposed to have yogurt.  sssshhhhh...Don't tell Dr. D.

We traveled over the weekend and ate out each meal. I returned home tired and feeling yucky. If it were fast food while driving I always order grilled chicken sandwiche. The company we visited had a buffet on Friday night and Saturaday lunch. There was fresh fruit and chicken wings otherwish it was mostly bbq, steak, f.chicken, baked potatoe, all kinds of desserts. I ate but knew the whole time I new I was damaging my body. After each bite I was downing pills for my lactose, and acidopholus, bromalin, and papaya for my digestion.

I feel so bloated and fat today it is ridiculous. Anyway, I am on the recovery this week to detox these toxins out of my body.


Eating out is soooooo hard. But you just have to sometimes.

Has anyone had Moe's Southwest grill? THey have some vegan entre's which is rare these days. There meats are chicken, steak, and tofu. Lot's of veggies. It might be a substitute for someone eating fast food.

More vegatarian entre's than the ordinary fast foods. Just thought I would throw that out there.