There are many reasons why you may be following a specific dietary approach such as paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto, low carb, gluten free, egg free, anti-inflammatory, raw, sugar free or a combination of any of these or one I haven’t mentioned. Every person is an individual and needs to find what works best for their body!

Staying on track with diet and lifestyle modifications can seem daunting when you aren’t at home. There are always social events involving food on the calendar like business lunches, dinner with friends, birthday party or travel plans. Planning in advance of these social situations is the key to your success and will allow you to participate in all these events stress free. It is your job to take care of yourself and derailing what works best for your body can leave you feeling bad for days after. Believe me, I have been there, and it is just not worth it.

These tips and tricks will keep you on track and feeling your best when participating in social events.

Dining in Restaurant

If your plans involve eating in a restaurant, look at the menu in advance and decide what you will order. This will eliminate a stress of sitting down with a menu while trying to socialize and having an internal panic about ingredients and what to order. If you have questions about ingredients or how a dish is prepared, you can call the restaurant ahead, so you arrive with a plan. The chef is always happy to answer questions to make sure patrons feel safe eating in their restaurant.

If you are planning on sushi and are gluten free, ask if they have gluten free tamari or bring some with you. I am not shy about bringing a small container of coconut aminos or tamari to sushi restaurants in my purse to pour into the soy sauce dish. If you are eating paleo or low carb, ask for your sushi to be rolled in cucumber (Naruto).

Dinner Party

Invited to someone’s house for dinner? Ask what is on the menu. Offer to bring a dish that fits into your dietary approach and compliments the menu that everyone can enjoy. You can tell the host, “I am not eating gluten right now and I make a delicious quinoa butternut squash salad that I would love to bring”. This will make them aware ahead of time and offering to bring food takes the pressure off the host to make something special for you. Bringing a savory and sweet dish will allow you to participate in dessert as well. No one wants to miss out on dessert!

In my experience, when hosts hear that our family has food intolerances, they ask questions and make sure there is food we can eat. I recently had an amazing neighbor cook my family a delicious meal that catered to all our dietary needs with some guidance. I would feel terrible if a new friend showed up to a BBQ and I found out she was vegan, and I only had meat on the menu. Being upfront about your needs benefits everyone.

Travel

Travel can seem difficult when following specific dietary approaches, but you got this! Search for the nearest Whole Foods, Farmer’s Market, Health food store and restaurants near your destination. Some examples of searches are: “Gluten Free Los Angeles” or “health food stores in NYC” or “Vegan Las Vegas”. Many others have been down this road before you and have blogged about their dining experiences and this can save you time. When my family traveled to Disney, I relied on blogs for restaurant recommendations with gluten free options and it saved me so much time!

If you are road tripping, start preparing the week before. Preparing muffins, bars, trail mix, granola, pancakes, or waffles will give you plenty of options while traveling. Fill a cooler with washed and cut up fruits and vegetables and muffins that you baked at home. Other snacks that travel well are mixed nuts and dried fruit, meat or fruit jerky, popped sorghum, apples, bananas and oranges. Having snacks on hand will allow you to enjoy your trip without worrying about staying on track.

When my family travels we always bring breakfast foods because it seems to be the hardest meal to meet our dietary guidelines. We have a small two slice toaster that we bring with us to toast waffles or bread from home and use small pouches of almond butter or dairy free cream cheese or butter. Our kids think it’s fun to have a hotel room picnic and we go down to the buffet for some fresh fruit or bacon as a side.

What if I can’t plan ahead?

There may be situations when you just cannot plan and have no idea what food will be served. My suggestion is to have a snack before the event which will allow you to order a side dish if in a restaurant if that is the only option.

When friends notice you are skipping foods, they may ask you about it. It’s ok, people are curious. Don’t feel the need to overshare. You can keep it simple and explain by saying, “I notice that certain foods do not agree with me, so I avoid them”. Even if you believe your way of eating is healthier, and it may be, it isn’t your role to convert others. The best way you can support yourself is to stay on track. Sharing delicious food with friends demonstrates that your way of eating doesn’t feel restrictive.

Here at Sarah The Functional Foodie we love helping clients figure out what works best so reach out so we can help.