Several of my recent meals were eaten at restaurants due to my work schedule and out of town guests. I managed my GERD very well during this time by selecting restaurants and items that I know are easy on my gut (macrobiotic restaurant, salad bars where I can select my own items exactly). Most importantly -- I ate slowly and did not finish the entire plate, saving leftovers to take home for another meal.
EXAMPLE ONE
On Saturday, J. and I went for brunch at a "farm to table" cafe-grocery which serves fantastic egg sandwiches. I ordered mine without cheese/with tomato, and ate half. Here is the other half on Sunday at home. I reheated it in the oven and sauteed fresh pea shoots in a bit of olive oil for a side green. The tea is hojicha, roasted green tea. It is one of my favorite morning teas but haven't had it for a while after it became a GERD trigger. This morning, my gut had no issues with any of this food. Just good eating and drinking!
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| Sunday breakfast |
Last Thursday, a friend came to town and we headed to Souen, a wonderful macrobiotic place with three locations in Manhattan. I ordered the "garlic greens" with tofu, a favorite dish which arrived in a heaping amount on a large plate with a side of brown rice. Here is how it looked before I began eating:
And later, when I sensed I was sated but not full/bloated:
I took this home, along with the leftover rice, tossed it into the freezer and will enjoy during some lunch this week!
Cranky Update: This weekend, my cranky gut seems to be calming down, finally, after three weeks of awful daily reflux, some belching, nausea, and constipation. I need to reduce my caffeinated tea intake, eat mindfully and I think another week-long "food diary" is in order to see any trends that are going on and keep me on track. Stay tuned!
BONUS LINKAGE
Sue's Health Blog (a health/food blog by a "real person" which seems to be stalled as of October 2011) featured a post on portion control and how triggers are individualized. She shares her own experience in this post.
That breakfast looks so simple and good - it makes me drool and want an egg sandwich..!
ReplyDeleteThat dinner looks good, too. The eat until sated but not stuffed advice is so classic, and so good. It would be nice if restaurants were more supportive of that approach by offering half portions on their regular menus. We just have to enforce it ourselves, I guess...
I'd be curious to hear some of your travel strategies, especially as we launch into summer vacationing season. I know your recent travels haven't been ideal, but how about a digest (no pun intended) of tips that work for you and posted on the web?
A.