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Some general tips
      12/18/05 09:28 PM
retrograde

Reged: 04/15/04
Posts: 1569


Ditto to what everyone else has said re: finding your own tolerances for acids. Me, I can't really do tomatoes at all. But I'm ok with moderate amounts of vinegar. Obviously though you have some issues with vinegar. It's individual

Here are some things that you might see on a menu that really mean FAT - so stay away!
- alfredo (=sauce made with heavy cream and parmesean cheese, Italian)
- Con crema (=covered in cream sauce, Mexican)
- "crispy" anything usually means "deep fried", espcially on Chinese menus. (And obviously if it says 'fried' or 'deep fried,' stay away!)
- frito = fried in Spanish
- on Thai menus, 'gati' or 'nam kati' means coconut milk - waaaaay high in fat
- ghee is clarified BUTTER in Indian food
- Kandhari = cooked with cream sauce, Indian
- Korma = an Indian curry cooked with cream
- Parmigianano = breaded, fried and smothered with cheese! (Italian)
- actually, breaded anything is usually very, very high in fat (i.e. chicken fingers, EVEN if they're all white meat)
- Saag on Indian menus = cooked with spinach and cream
- Katsu on Japanese menus = fried

Here's what I usually look for at certain resataurants:

Japanese
Lots of options here! Most sushi is safe, just watch out for triggers. Other good options include grilled ("yakitori") chicken or tofu in broth ("yutofu"). The chicken version of shabu-shabu (called sukiyaki) is another good choice as long as it's made with white meat only. Stay away from friend tofu, tempura and "katsu" anything (fried).

Mexican
If you're ok with tomatoes, gazpacho soup is a good option. Usually I go for chicken fajitas though, especially if they have the 'make your own kind' so I can do them without any cheese or sour cream. Generally though Mexican restaurants are pretty limited... most everything is oozing with cheese and full of fat If you're ordering beans, ask for charro beans or black beans since they're cooked with almost no fat - as opposed to refried beans which are cooked with a ton of lard.

Chinese
Most Chinese broth based soups are usually pretty low in fat and relatively safe - just ask about the ingredients (i.e. hot and sour). Tofu and stir-fried vegetables are what I usually get (you could also get chicken breast) - I always ask that they make it with very little oil. And fortune cookies are safe! Stay away from egg rolls (sooo high in fat), anything breaded or fried (obviously). Order extra servings of white rice (NOT fried rice! My friend worked at a Chinese restaurant for a while - they literally use enough oil in one order to fill about 2 shot glasses! ).

Thai
Thai I always find really difficult. Skip things like spring rolls... too high in fat. Sometimes you can get a chicken satay (white meat ONLY) and ask them to make it with sweet and sour sauce instead of peanut sauce (too much fat). That, or Yum Talay (a seafood mixture) with rice or something. Pad Thai is way too high in fat (unless you make it yourself at home). *Remember! Healthy doesn't always = IBS safe!* With Thai you really have to watch for lots of fat. Most soups are made with coconut milk (1 cup = 48g of fat! ) As usual, skip 'fried anything'. Most curries also have coconut milk in them.

Italian
Most family-style Italian/American places have make your own pizza or make your own pasta things. This is what I usually do. Safe options include: cheeseless pizza (tomato sauce, safe veggies), pasta with tomato sauce and safe veggies. I'm not so great with that much tomatoes so this is what I always get: a vegetable soup for a starter, then a custom made pasta dish with cooked veggies, NO sauce, and I ask for a little cup of olive oil ON THE SIDE so I can put just a little bit in the pasta. 'On the side' is another great line to learn for restaurant eating Italian can be especially tough because they love their olive oil. If you're unsure, order a pasta with the sauce on the side just in case it looks unsafe when it arrives. The good thing about Italian restaurants is that they always serve loads of fresh white bread before hand - great SF base! (don't dip it in olive oil though!) Also, pesto is surprisingly high in fat, so just stay away from that.

Indian
Indian is difficult too because of all the fat they use... Nan and chapatti are *usally* almost totally non-fat, but some places make it with butter and/or yogurt, so ask. "Tandoori" means baked, so you know that's a good low fat option. "Tikka masala" means a yogurt coating - so that's a no. "Paneer" is a cheese. "Fish vindaloo" is usually a good choice (just baked or grilled fish and Indian spices, usually). Samosa features FRIED PASTRY - so that's a no. Pappadum, paratha and poori are all extremely high fat breads. Like Thai, Indian is tough because they use a lot of yogurt, butter and coconut milk. (GHEE = clarified butter). Lentil dishes are sometimes safe (depending, of course, on your tolerance for lentils!) - I've found really delicious ones that are very low in fat, and others that are loaded with ghee and cream - so ASK! Chutney is usualy a good choice to add flavour.


Phew! OK, hope that's helpful!


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Entire thread
* Restaraunt Guide To Eating Out Safely For IBS
scuba
12/18/05 10:33 AM
* Re: Restaraunt Guide To Eating Out Safely For IBS
duckling
12/18/05 01:46 PM
* #1 lesson: Learn to ask questions
atomic rose
12/18/05 01:39 PM
* Re: Restaraunt Guide To Eating Out Safely For IBS
scuba
12/18/05 10:38 AM
* My input on your list
atomic rose
12/18/05 01:51 PM
* Oh yeah, and...
atomic rose
12/18/05 01:53 PM
* Re: Oh yeah, and...
retrograde
12/18/05 02:21 PM
* Re: Oh yeah, and...
scuba
12/18/05 03:49 PM
* Re: Oh yeah, and...
jaime g
12/18/05 06:31 PM
* Re: Oh yeah, and...
scuba
12/18/05 05:48 PM
* Re: Oh yeah, and...
Betharoo
12/18/05 06:59 PM
* Yeah, agreed
atomic rose
12/18/05 07:09 PM
* Some general tips
retrograde
12/18/05 09:28 PM
* Re: Some general tips
rshanks
12/19/05 08:15 PM
* Re: Yeah, agreed
scuba
12/18/05 09:08 PM
* I have a lot of the same issues ref vinegar & tomatoes
kshsmom
12/19/05 07:50 PM
* What's unsafe about vinegar?
Wind
12/18/05 01:11 PM

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