Eating Out

Last night, we celebrated my husband, Paul’s, birthday. With gift certificate in arm, off we went to Outback restaurant. This would not have been our first choice for Whole Foods, Plant-Based (WFPB) eating, but my husband still enjoys the occasional steak. To him it is a treat. Our youngest daughter will also still eat meat. Lourdes and I figured we’d do our best.

Eating out is hot topic in the WFPB world: What do you do when you need or want to eat out? What about when you’re invited to dinner at a friend’s house? The short answer: adjust. Relationships are more important than food. I have been known to take my own dish over to my sister’s or mom’s house; I don’t expect them to cater to us. I think this would be rude and unnecessary to do with a friend. I can always eat at home before and after the meal; asking to bring a dish is another option. Right now, I prefer to place priority on the relationships.

Outback. Steakhouse. Wow. I’m perusing the menu and my choices are steak, burgers, chicken or pasta (with chicken or fish). The best things would be to get a salad with lots of veggies. Or a baked potato with vegetables on the side. I have to confess, I chose neither. We got heady over the Bloomin’ Onion. I began to salivate for the French Onion Soup. I chose both, with an appetizer Ahi Tuna: my only saving grace.

The girls didn’t like the Bloomin’ Onion at all. Too spicey. Paul and I had to finish it off. At the time, the grease and breading was doing a dance in my mouth. I ate half the soup and shared the cheese part with Lourdes.

Lourdes got macaroni and cheese, her standby favorite at any and all restaurants. A plate of white noodles completely smothered in cheese arrived. About half way through the meal, she and I were feeling the effects; as a result, I didn’t really enjoy the tuna. Paul and Nelia have iron stomachs. They sat happily playing games on the paper menu provided for kids, oblivious to our suffering. I could just feel the grease trying to work its way into my system. Yuck.

We live and learn. This is a good consequence of eating healthier. Our bodies react to junk. We made the best of it and focused on celebrating Paul. It was a good opportunity to talk to Lourdes about food choices…again. I also had a talk with myself…again.

About 4 months ago, I weaned myself off Blizzards, my go-to treat, but not by choice or with intent. With dairy completely removed from my diet, I still consumed the occasional Blizzard. I happily treated myself to one on a Sunday night. Once finished, I could immediately feel my sinuses clog up; I couldn’t really hear out of both ears. I didn’t make the connection to the milk right away, but I had plenty of opportunity the next day to think about it as I lay in bed. I was down for the count, all day, with frequent trips to the bathroom. It was not pretty. I haven’t had a Blizzard since – or any ice cream for that matter. I think yesterday’s experience will adequately  prevent any further engagements with fried foods.

I didn’t really believe my taste buds would change, as the experts claim, when I began eating a plant-based diet, but they did. When I experience these reactions in my body to the old foods I used to regularly eat, it makes me wonder what great things are happening to inside my body.

You might think this story is kind of gross. Why would anyone want to make these changes if you’re going to feel sick eating out? Because I feel great every day eating whole foods and the lasting health as I age will be grand.

I keep reminding myself of the journey. The point is not necessarily to arrive at the destination, but it’s what I learn along the way. Yeah, I’ve made mistakes. I shouldn’t have eaten the Bloomin’ Onion (oh, but it sounded so good). Lourdes will make a better choice next time. That makes two out of the four of us. That’s a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Living for Kids success! 

I promise a future post on how to eat out the WFPB way.