Dining out and eating outside your home
After learning that you have a sulfite sensitivity, one of the biggest challenges can be dining out and eating on the go. It can be intimidating and honestly frightening to consume food outside of your home when you have a food allergy, sensitivity, and/or intolerance. In a space where food is prepared by others and out of sight, how can someone trust that they’re eating food prepared with them in mind?
While it may seem impossible it’s important to realize that you can and will learn to navigate eating outside of your home! Here are some tips and tricks to help you feel more comfortable going out to eat and eating on the go:
Choosing the right restaurant
Choosing the right restaurant is the first step to managing the how many sulfites you are consuming during a meal. By default, locally owned restaurants, steakhouses, and casual dining settings offer better options than fast food restaurants, chain restaurants and buffet style restaurants. Looking up menus and checking nutrition/allergen lists before you go can help you ease into confidently ordering a meal when there.
As an example, a ribeye steak is likely a safe choice at a local steakhouse but the ribeye steak at an Applebee’s would not be a good fit. Their steak includes salt and sodium phosphate, soybean oil, and garlic – see ingredients linked here and in the image below. Some of these ingredients may contain sulfites and can be highly processed.
Even if restaurants have sulfites listed as an allergen on a menu, they might not always be 100% accurate in flagging foods that contain sulfites. This is because sulfites are only identified on nutrition labels if there is a very high concentration (10ppm). The ingredients in the steak at Applebee’s may have what we like to call “hidden sulfites” or preservatives that are not distinctly labeled as sulfites.
Fast food restaurants will have a significant number preservatives in their food. Many (if not most) of the food items can trigger symptoms of a sulfite sensitivity including digestive distress, asthma, brain fog, and more. Buffet food can also contain preservatives to keep the items on the line good for a longer period of time.
Locally owned restaurants tend to have fresher meats, potatoes, vegetables, breads, etc. Food is less processed and not stored for as long therefore it tends to have less preservatives. It is also a lot easier to customize the ingredients added to your meal at these types of restaurants because food is made to order. Picking the right restaurant and learning more about where they source their food will help you avoid any ingredients you don’t tolerate well.
Communicate with restaurant staff
It is important to not only let the wait staff know you have a sulfite sensitivity, but also to notify them of the specific ingredients you are looking to avoid.
For example, when dining out I notify the wait staff that I have a sulfite sensitivity and explain it means I have bad reactions to added preservatives. I will specifically let them know I cannot have wine, vinegar or processed lime/lemon juices because those are three common ingredients in foods served at restaurants.
It is better to be clear about what you are looking to avoid because many people do not have a lot of knowledge about sulfite sensitivities. Someone may not know a lot of sauces and dressings are vinegar based but if you explain this to them it will help clarify what you need. Communicate your needs with your friends, family, waiter, chef, etc. to help make your dining experience more comfortable and better for your well being.
Customize your order
Along with communicating your needs, customizing your meal is a great way to avoid sulfites. You will learn to know what foods work best for you throw some trial and error and over time. Starting with the basics is best!
For example, I like to ask for plain steak, fresh cut potatoes or a baked potato and steamed veggies. Someone else may like to order something that comes in a wrap, but handles other types of bread better and they ask to change out the bread type.
Since you’ve notified the waiter of your sensitivity, it makes staff more likely to let you customize an order. Be confident that you know what is best for you, but acknowledge that others might have trouble understanding exactly what you need. So while it’s best to advocate for yourself – remember that educating someone can go much further than being frustrated or upset with them.
Beverages
Unfortunately sulfites are not only found in food and you also want to be aware of the possible sulfites in your drinks. Avoiding wine, beer, and other commonly “sulfited” drinks can help decrease your overall intake while dining out. My favorite options are club soda, a tequila soda or vodka soda with fresh lemon/lime (check out the brand I use here), black coffee, and of course water.
Dessert
Dessert is one of the trickiest parts of navigating a sulfite sensitivity. I’ll be honest and say that the options are very limited. This is because pastries, baked goods, ice creams, and other options contain sulfites. All of these are commonly preserved and rarely come out fresh from the oven with organic ingredients.
Despite being trickier to navigate, there are some options you can try out when you’re at a restaurant or on the go. My first (and favorite) recommendation is to simply have a bit of someone else’s dessert. A big thing with sulfite sensitivity is that reactions stem from a build-up or surplus of sulfites in the body. Having a little taste to satisfy that sweets craving is the way I prefer to go.
If you’re looking to have your own options, fresh fruit or plain vanilla ice cream are two good choices. Some people may also tolerate sorbet or any other fresh options offered (depending on where you’re dining). When you find what works you’ll be content having some options to enjoy!
Being prepared
Being prepared for dining out takes a bit of education and a lot of practice. Knowing where sulfites can be found and how they affect you will make going out to eat a lot easier.
Another great step in being prepared is bringing digestive enzymes and activated charcoal (links are commissioned with Amazon) with you to have before or after meals. AFP peptides taken before a meal can help you digest gluten, preservatives and other “hard on the stomach” ingredients. Activated charcoal is a natural detoxifier and can help with bloating, gas, and other digestive issues. As always it is best to consult with a doctor about what works for your body – but inquiring about these two options can help a lot.
Summary
At the end of the day, it’s very possible to go out to eat and eat on the go with a sulfite sensitivity. My personal experience led me down a long path of healing my stomach/body overall before I ate outside of the home at all. It took a lot of practice and trying things little by little to be comfortable, but I now eat rather freely and without concern.
Of course there are still going to be times you accidentally consume sulfites or have too much of a build up in your system. This is more common with traveling and eating outside the home for longer periods of time. Being prepared with the supplements, vitamins, and medicine that helps you with reactions can be key to building your confidence. Start small and build your confidence and knowledge about dining out and you’ll reach a point where things are better!
