restaurant ideas
#933 - 02/15/03 06:45 PM
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TessLouise
Reged: 01/21/03
Posts: 540
Loc: Nashville, TN
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In the interest of getting some discussion going over here (the Eating for IBS board has us beat!  ), I wanted to ask: what are some tried-and-true restaurant meal suggestions? OK, we all know the basics: no red meat, dairy, high-fat or deep-fried foods, or egg yolks, and be careful with insoluble fiber. What about specifics?
Here are my ideas. Within walking distance of campus, I can get Indian food, with naan and basmati rice as good fillers, and chicken or shrimp entrees; I just need to be careful about hidden cream in the sauces.
I can get "healthy Mexican" (don't know how Mexican it is) food, where a huge black bean, chicken, and salsa burrito is cheap; I just need to avoid the burrito right below it on the menu, filled with guacamole and cheese .
I can get sushi, with safe choices including miso soup, green tea, sashimi and rice rolls, and teriyaki chicken or fish with rice and steamed vegies on the side; I just need to be careful about rolls that contain tempura or mayonnaise. I can eat some raw vegie rolls, but I know that's different from person to person.
I can get Mediterranean food, with pita bread and hummus and yellow rice as good fillers, and chicken and shrimp as entrees; I just need to avoid the yogurt sauce and the green salad (or eat it at the very end). I can eat the lentils and rice, but I know that's different from person to person.
I can get Chinese food, and since we're mainly lazy college students who order in, I just need to track down the "diet" section of the menu, and order the steamed vegies and tofu or chicken in fat-free sauces, with hot and sour soup only if I know the restaurant well enough to know if the soup will be greasy or not.
What are some other good suggestions? Just writing them out may cheer you up: you'll have to think about all the good things out there that you CAN eat  .
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Hi
You seemed very, very informed about your restaurant choices! And I am most impressed w/ the availability for you.
I am stuck here in the heart of America: Kansas. No such luck w/ restaurant varieties or food varieties. SO! I am envious!
Tonight I just walked on the "wild" side by going to a Mexican restaurant. Ordered chicken fajitas, plenty of rice, and extra tortillas. Hope it all settles well.
PS I am also impressed w/ the recipe ideas I read that you post!
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Sue
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My restaurant food of choice lately has been a cheese-less mushroom pizza. Heather actually made the cheese-less suggestion in one of her books. It's great because nearly all chain-type restaurants that I visit during the workweek have some sort of personal pizza or pizza appetizer.
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I had cheeseless pizza for the first time a few weeks ago and the waiter kind of teased me about it but I didn't really care. It was really good, too. My boy didn't believe me, though. :-) He's a good Wisconsin boy... gotta have his cheese.
I haven't gone out much to restaurants lately, partly because I'm a poor student living on my own. But when I do I usually get a pasta or rice dish. The nice thing is that's usually what I ate before I even started the IBS diet so that hasn't changed much. I usually don't even have meat except for seafood. I had eliminated chicken and turkey along with red meat because they seem to be triggers for me. Most vegetarian entree's are okay, though.
I, too, am impressed by how much you know about the places around you. And that you have so many to choose from! Must be nice. :-) Thanks for your positive attitude!
Beth
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TessLouise,
I just wanted to thank you for the great restaurant ideas, especially since I am new to all of this. I am just happy that I can still have Indian! After the initial shock wears off that you have to change your diet (and well worth the change!) you come to realize that you still can have loads of things. Your suggestions have been a great help!
Sheri
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So much baking, so little time.....
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Order a white quarter chicken with baked potato. Skip the butter and sour cream and order an extra chalet dipping sauce. I dunk it all - chicken potato and bun and love it forever. Totally safe. Low fat, and no triggers. It is my favourite take-out or eat in place.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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I like subway because you get what you ask for. They are improving on their choice of sauces - the sweet onion on the teriyaki chicken is divine. Plus - you can choose whatever veggies you can tolerate. Skip the cheese and mayo, though. I also love their honeymustard sauce. I just wish their buns tasted better. Plus, they have lots of low fat options.
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Formerly HanSolo. IBS, OCD, Bipolar, PTSD times 3.
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I've now found 2 "safe harbors" to eat at. Quizno's Subs, they have 2 low fat sandwiches, their Sierra smoked turkey w/raspberry chipolte sauce and their Honey Bourbon Chicken sandwich. Each is only 6 grams of fat. The buns are great also. The second place is Baja Fresh Mexican Food. I can get their grilled chicken tacos and feel safe. The chicken is really grilled, not fried or stewed in oily sauce.
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Hi TessLouise
I'm just new at this and I know you posted this almost two months ago but I was wondering if you thought eating at a fish and chips place be okay. I usually order their rice and I could take the skin off of the cod. If you or somebody could let me know that would be great. My sister and I Love to go out for dinner at this Restaurant.
Georgette
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There' s restaurant by the name if "Fezziwigs" near my house that my parents like to take me too. They have one selection called "grilled chicken wraps" It's Grilled chicken breast strips with lettuce cheese and tomato smothered in some kind of heavy sauce and wrapped all together in a tortilla. WHen i go, i just ask for the breast strips alone (w/o the lettuce,sauce,cheese,ect) They always give me fries though, and i never eat them
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-Angela
Healed in Jesus' Name
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Hi - See if you can get the fish grilled instead of fried. Even if you take the batter/skin off, there's likely to be a lot of grease left on the fish. If you don't have any options here, take a few soluble fiber pills (Fibercon, Equalactin, Citrucel) as soon as you get to the restaurant, with a glass of water. And the rice is an excellent idea.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Thanks Heather for the reply I'll give that a try and see if they will do that.
Georgette
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When you order the cheese-less pizza, what do you say? Do you just say, "Uh yes, I'd like the veggie pizza please, hold the cheese and could you put that on a french or sourdough bread?"  I thought that was the only type of bread we could eat. Is this wrong? I would be so pleased if it is. I apologize for my ignorance-I'm new to all of this.
canyontinsley
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Hi - Yeah, I say exactly that! The funny thing, I used to get all sorts of weird looks when I ordered pizza without cheese, but it's been quite a few years now since that happened. People don't even blink anymore - I think I'm not the only customer doing this.
And pizza crust should be just fine - it's made with white flour, just like French bread is.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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CT - I think any bread is okay, as long as it isn't made from whole wheat (it's really wheat flour with the outer shell removed). Most breads are made with regular white flour anyway. The sourdough is made with sourdough starter. Rye bread is made with white flour and some rye flour, which I wouldn't think would be a problem for IBSers. Just don't eat whole wheat or whole grain breads. If you can see the seeds in the bread or the particles of the bran, don't eat it.
Does that clear things up for you?
Sharon
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Sharon
"Anything Chocolate"...that is all!
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We need our own place! Eating for IBS—the restaurant! Wouldn't that be great if we could look at a menu and it would tell EVERYTHING that's in a dish—with your choice of having your common trigger not included in the dish. EXACTLY how it's cooked! Your choice of soluble fiber supplements that comes with all meals. Lots of French and other safe breads. No coffee. Lots of herbal teas. No dairy, no red meat. Heating pads that come out of the wall in each booth/table—or at least brought to you by request from your server! Many, many washrooms. The kind that's like a bunch of little private bathrooms in one room.
OK...I guess I'm getting a little carried away...but wouldn't it be nice? 
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Mags - I just love your sense of humor!!!LOL
That would be a great idea. Do you have money for backing??? I don't either, but it still sounds good. Where do you come up with these ideas? Must be that New Jersey creativity, huh?
Sharon
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Sharon
"Anything Chocolate"...that is all!
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That would be SO nice mags!Better yet, a McDonalds.... for IBS ers! It could be called IBSers. LOL! I'd go there everyday! (but of corse, it would expensive, butid better pay a bundle on good food, then a buck for a greasy cheeseburger!)
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-Angela
Healed in Jesus' Name
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Sharon & Angela: I don't know where it comes from! Maybe it is a NJ thing.
I say Sharon runs the CA one and Angela & I will work on the one in NJ. Oh, and of course we'd have plenty of rice in many varieties for Angela, and lots of chocolate for Sharon!
And forget the greasy burgers: half the time non-IBSer restaurants don't offer what we want, so why have it for them! 
PS: Did I mention they'd have some good TP--not that darn see-through stuff. hehe
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I had that Sierra Smoked Turkey sandwich. I enjoyed it a lot, and it didn't hurt my tummy.
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That is my favorite!!! Whenever we're on the road, we look for a Quiznos to get the Sierra Smoked Turkey, the sauce is wonderful.....glad you enjoyed it.
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You know if I were a better cook, had some additional business sense, and I was risk taker --- I would open a restaurant geared to people with stomach ailments. I would call it "The Sensible Gourmand."
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There are more and more restaurants catering to low fat now, it's wonderful for us. Baja Fresh Mexican food is also good, they now have a Bare burrito, rice, beans and grilled chickens/peppers. Their grilled chicken tacos are also good, they don't put any cheese on them either.
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The national pizza chains are used to people ordering pizza without cheese because of all the vegans out there. Most of my teenage son's friends are vegan and they order pizza like this all the time. I was nervous about ordering it like this the first time I did, but they didn't even blink! You gets a lot more fresh veggies this way! I actually prefer it this way. Of course, I love garlic so I sprinkle garlic powder on mine.
Listening to my son talk about what his friends order has actually helped me. They get burritos at Taco Bell without cheese, Chinese vegetarian dishes with rice, etc. They wouldn't eat at a hamburger joint for anything. At least these kids' tummies will be in good shape.
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I eat at a Greek restaurant all the time. They have a marinated grilled chicken shish ka bob served over rice. Or sometimes I get a pita sandwich with grilled chicken and sauteed bell peppers and onions. The hummus dip doesn't hurt my stomach as long as I order it and the pita bread without any oil. (Did you know most restaurants brush oil on their bread?) I just skip the salad because it's loaded with feta cheese and topped with lots of oil. Sometimes I eat a little salad (dry) and pick the cheese off.
We also have a place called Quodoba. It's a Mexican place sort of like Subway. You can choose what you want on your burrito or fajita. I get grilled chicken, black beans, sauteed veggies, a little lettuce, and salsa. Or you can order the burrito "naked"----the ingredients served over rice with the flour tortilla on the side. Look for these assembly line Mexican places when you are out of town because they are becoming more and more popular.
Even McDonald's and Burger King now have a grilled chicken sandwich. Just ask for it with NO Mayo. The same for Chick Fi La---their grilled chicken sandwich is delicious!
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P.F. Chang's is a Chinese restaurant chain that has some good "safe" selections. For those of us who are wheat/gluten intolerant, they even have a gluten-free menu! They seem to have several other special menus available as well, and it says right on their main menu that if you have food intolerances or special requirements to let them know. They seem very open to working with you on whatever your dietary needs might be (lactose, gluten, fat, vegan, etc.).
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I just ate at a PF Changs in Tulsa when visiting my sister -it was great! Loved their lettuce wraps appetizer!
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where in california are these restaurants located?
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sounds like a DREAM! nt
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In California, I've eaten at PF Chang's in Palo Alto, near the Stanford Shopping Center.
Their website is www.pfchangs.com. It lists these locations in California: San Diego, La Jolla, Mission Viejo, Newport, Irvine, El Segundo, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Rancho Mirage, Woodland Hills, Sunnyvale, Walnut Creek, Roseville, and Palo Alto.
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In case anyone's interested: http://www.pfchangs.com/cuisine/menu_spec.jsp
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Interesting! I was just thinking about Swiss Chalet yesterday as a possible eat-out safe restaurant (I'm from Ontario, too, so I guess we all love our Swiss Chalets!), but assumed that the great dipping sauce was high in fat. For sure not so???!!
Thanks,
Linda
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Yes. P.F. Chang's is my favorite place to go. I always get the Buddah's Feast! I also get some lettuce wraps, but eat only the mix not the lettuce. There are many IBS friendly meals there!
leah
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