Safe Restaurants
#324274 - 02/07/08 09:57 AM
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Stebbs
Reged: 09/14/07
Posts: 16
Loc: Colorado
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I was wondering if anyone has found any safe restaurants to eat at? I know Heather mentions a few. Any others and what do you order?
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I can usually get by with a grilled chicken sandwich just about anywhere, so long as it's not on a whole wheat bun.
Chili's has a couple safe things for me off their "Guiltless Grill" selections like salmon and grilled chicken. Just don't eat the veggies.
At Baker's Square, there's the turkey sandwich and/or chicken noodle soup. You can also get carrots and rice pilaf with their dinner entrees like the dijon chicken.
Can you name some restaurants you like? That might help us narrow down some specific choices for you.
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I have only eaten out once since starting this diet, and it was at a pub of all places! I ordered a grilled chicken burger and asked them to hold the cheese. I asked for a salad instead of fries and didn't even eat it anyway because the burger was so filling.
I am in Canada and while we do share many of the same restaurants as the US, we do have some different ones. I am going out to a restaurant called Milestones with my hubby for Valentines Day next week and I've already looked at their menu online and planned what I am going to have. They have this seafood mixed grill that includes prawns and scallops grilled on skewers and marinated with a citrus glaze (I am fructose sensitive but that small amount shouldn't bother me). It is served with jasmine rice and seasonal veggies (which I probably just won't eat).
It really does help to look up menus online and plan your meal before you go. That way you aren't sitting in the restaurant with a waiter hovering around you waiting for you to find something acceptable to eat. Look for words like "grilled", and stay away from terms like "crispy" (usually equals deep-fried), "creamy", and even "stir-fried" (usually equals lots of oil). And you can always ask them to hold any oily sauces or marinades, cheese, etc. And wherever you go, divide the food on your plate in half and commit yourself to taking the other half home so you don't overeat!
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IBS-A since age 12, and fructose sensitive; with the exception of my pregnancy, have been following Heather's diet since Nov. 19, 2007.
Taking 12g of Acacia per day. Relatively stable since March 2008!
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I like so many places that I haven't been in forever. Chilis, Olive Garden, Red Lobster. Really any of your major chain restaurants.
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Unfortunately, SOME places won't really have any safe alternatives. I think Olive Garden is one of these places. I love the place but I looked at their menu not long after starting the diet and was bitterly disappointed. Everything had cheese, oil, cream, or something forbidden in it. There may have been a salmon or other seafood dish that sounded okay, but I can't remember now. Of course, the hardest part about going out to eat would be watching everyone around you eating to their heart's content whatever the heck they want. I seriously hope that healthy people understand just how fortunate they are...  Being so severely restricted really does take a lot of fun out of going out.
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IBS-A since age 12, and fructose sensitive; with the exception of my pregnancy, have been following Heather's diet since Nov. 19, 2007.
Taking 12g of Acacia per day. Relatively stable since March 2008!
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Subway and Panera are my safest choices. BUT! A girl I work with also works part-time at Friday's and she suggested the Chicken Bruschetta Pasta - you can ask to have the chicken grilled with no butter and no oil. I guess it's served on a "bed" of pasta with the bruschetta - I haven't tried it yet but am going to make my own version for dinner this weekend! With that in mind, I think you could eat at Olive Garden and ask for something similar - grilled chicken over pasta, that should be safe, just tell them no oil or butter!
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i eat grilled chicken sandwiches at places like ruby tuesdays, chili's , fridays, i pretty much customize my order, no cheese, no sauce, just the grilled chicken on the bun with a bit of greens. i LOVE LOVE LOVE Chipotle mexican grill. you can customize your burrito there. i get chicken in a flour burrito with fresh tomato salsa and white lime rice and guacamole.mmm..... hold the cheese and sour cream and you're fine at chipotle. it's delicious. best guacamole ever! panera bread is ok. i eat at subway a lot too. i messed up today, in fact , at panera bread. i ordered chicken tomesto sandwich, sundried tomatoes, grilled chicken. i forgot to ask for no sauce. it had some kind of tomato spicy sauce on the bread. i scraped it off, but have been full of gas today. i'm so mad at myself. i should know better! anyway, from here on out it's NO SAUCE for me!
katharine
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IBS/GERD/Lactose Intolerant
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oh Maggiano's stinks for ibs people! there is nothing healthy on the menu. they stink. i was there for a baby shower and i ended up eating just the bread and tea. it stunk. they had all kinds of creamy pasta dishes with fatty , creamy sauces, like pink vodka sauce, alfredo, primavera sauce. all the appetizers were fried, fried zuchini, fried mozzerella, fried calamari.... it was aweful. it's your little italian grandma italian comfort food, fattening dishes like lazagne stuffed shells, ravioli, fried everything. don't even bother going there.
katharine
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IBS/GERD/Lactose Intolerant
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Yeah, Italian-type places are difficult. I did safely eat at Olive Garden recently, but I cannot for the life of me remember what I ordered. I will say I wouldn't have dared eat there two years ago, though.
Oh, I've had fajitas a couple of places relatively safely before, too. Chili's was one of them. I think the other place was local.
The only place I've had a really hard time finding anything was Granite City Brewery for lunch. They had some safe dinner choices, but a lighter meal was tough.
Overall, don't be afraid to say hold the cheese or whatever or ask if you can have a different sort of bread.
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yeah, i do well with chili's fajitas too. if you get them at friday's ask for the rice on the side. they bring it in the sizzling fajita pan with the onions and peppers. it looked really oily to me. so, i didn't eat it. next time, i will ask for steamed rice on the side.
katharine
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IBS/GERD/Lactose Intolerant
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I just ate at OG. I had pasta marinara. I asked for the pasta with no butter or oil and the marinara sauce on the side. Boring but no tummy aches.
In most restaurants I order chicken or fish dry, carrots or green beans also dry (most restaurants put butter or some kind of oil on everything so you really have to special order). My fav places have baked potatoes.
This week I ate at Wildfire and they have a lemon pepper chicken breast. I ordered it without the lemon or pepper, lol. Then I had steamed green beans and just a little of the wild rice because I could taste some butter in there. I also asked for some crackers as the bread was loaded with onions.
In general, you have to custom order everything. For me this is not all new as being on Weight Watchers I've always ordered "dry" to save points. I do really miss salad as that was almost always what I used to order for lunch.
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Laura
DX IBS 12/07
Following IBS Diet with Weight Watchers
Also GERD
Former cast iron stomach
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I eat at sub way alot and lonestar I order grilled chicken plain and sweet pot.. I ate at the og last weekend and got penne pasat with grilled chicken and zuchcini and squash mushrooms toms plain breadsticks and ate a romain salad at the end. I was fine! Hope this helps
emmasmom
ibs-c
gas
lactose interolant
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Last time I ate at Olive Garden I had Linguine alla Marinara. It supposed to be low in fat and I didn't have any problems with it.
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IBS-C, bloating, cramps
pregnant 
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Olive Garden - used to get Chicken Giardino, but they took it off the menu (was pasta, chicken, and veggies... left the sauce off). Now I order something like chicken fettucine with no sauce and add plain grilled chicken. Bread sticks are safe, too, if you order them dry (no garlic/butter).
Red Lobster or other fresh seafood restaurants - steamed crab legs (YUM!), grilled shrimp (be careful that they do not add a lot of seasoning or oil/butter... I have to send these back until they get it right, but it's yummy when they do), broiled fish (again, with no butter on it!). I also get a 2nd baked potato instead of the salad.
Mexican - I have found 2 nearby Mexican restaurants that are not too greasy. I order chicken fajitas with rice instead of beans (be careful with the rice, too, though... some are high in fat!). No sour cream or guacamole. Bring your own baked tortilla chips for the salsa.
Gyro place at the mall - Grilled chicken pita (plain) with rice
Arby's - plain grilled chicken sandwich & baked potato
Macaroni Grill - This is my current favorite!! Kid's grilled chicken meal (comes with spaghetti & broccoli). I ask for double spaghetti instead of broccoli, and I get the sauce on the side so I can just dip into it lightly. Ask for chicken to be cooked plain (no oil/butter). Don't eat the bread.
Stir Fry Cafe - Plain chicken with white rice. I pour soy sauce on it myself.
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