What do you do if you are going to an "unhealthy" restaurant for a family event and you do not eat ANYTHING on the menu??? Do you eat before hand? Bring your own food? And what do you say to people who ask you what you're doing/why aren't you eating, etc.? I am totally new to all of this and I don't know the right/appropriate way to deal with this particular situation. What are your opinions and experiences??? Also, to make this even harder, I have two kids (2 and 4) who are eating the same ways as I am. And there's going to be cake, so please...any suggestions? Thank you for the help!

i think its virtually impossible that there is nothing there you can eat. Contact the restuarant ahead of time either in person or by phone tell them your dietary restrictions and have them make something up for you. Nearly anywhere can throw together a salad or veggie plate !

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I totally agree with that, but we are eating strictly only organic veggies, which they don't have...

I go out often, but I don't depend on restaurants or other people to feed me. I eat ahead of time - and simply say I'm not hungry - but can I still stay? I have yet to be kicked out.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

i dont think i could take saying no im not eating, you get funny enough looks in alot of restaurants when you ask for a water instead of coke, beer etc.

contacting the restaurant ahead of time is a great tip and something i never really thought about doing.

powerlifer - I'm not sure that the restaurants in Britain are as keen to please. as they seem to be in the States. Maybe they are in more cosmipolitan areas but down here you are a complete freak if you don't like a bloody steak. Ask for salad and you will get some limp iceburg decorated with some cucumber and unripe slices of tomato and maybe if the chef is way ahead of his time a couple of slices of green pepper.

hey ho

vitabella,

I agree with phoning the restaurant ahead of time to give them and yourself a heads-up. As there are very young children involved, I would say feed them nourishing food at home before you go, but not to satiation. Then, at the restaurant, just order a small amount of whatever is healthiest for all of you, even if it's a triple order of dinner salad(bring a home made raw dressing in a small jar with you). If they clamor for cake, let your kids share a few bites of a small slice if they won't hear, "no." It'll probably taste like junk to them anyhow. That that food won't be organic or "healthy" that one time isn't going to kill your family. And this way, the children will still be able to socially participate without totally blowing family eating rules, and without feeling freakish; young ones can't abstract these kinds of differences out well and it's hard for them especially. Lastly, keep reminding them that the object of the event is to see people and to have fun, rather than to eat. Good luck : )



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2010 02:52PM by Tamukha.

aye flipper the ones i visited in the past people were getting pretty annoyed at me asking if there was any gluten or wheat in the dish. Nightmare lol.

Even Mcdonalds has salads now.
If they do,Anyone would.

Vinny

Vinny - that's just not true. Believe me, I live here and know what I can get and cannot get.

vitabella Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I totally agree with that, but we are eating
> strictly only organic veggies, which they don't
> have...

I would not compromise your standards, and eat beforehand.

If anyone asks at the event why you're not eating, I would be honest and tell them that you're on a strict organic diet.

I think it's important to stay true to oneself.

flipperjan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> powerlifer - I'm not sure that the restaurants in
> Britain are as keen to please. as they seem to be
> in the States. Maybe they are in more
> cosmipolitan areas but down here you are a
> complete freak if you don't like a bloody steak.
> Ask for salad and you will get some limp iceburg
> decorated with some cucumber and unripe slices of
> tomato and maybe if the chef is way ahead of his
> time a couple of slices of green pepper.

> LOL- is that why I have yet to see a restaurant with English "cuisine" in the Chicago area?

This is such a great and important question and one which I have struggled with, even if not regarding 100% raw items. I mean, even if one wishes to eat relatively health cooked food, it's hard to ascertain this in a restaurant without looking totally anal. And not like I really care what others think of me all that much, but I also don't wish to be a pain in the butt to the poor waiter/tress. I used to ask if there was chicken stock or beef stock in the soup, etc. and just gave up after a while. It either held up the ordering or caused the server to have to make an extra trip to the kitchen and God knows what they did to my dish back there, LOL!

To bring dressing with you may raise a few eyebrows. That's not fatal, but I can understand if you are dealing with people who may not be openminded or whatever. One the other hand, if they are family, they should be close enough for you to explain how and why you choose to raise your children this way. Maybe you could leave before the cake so the kids don't have to be denied a very tempting item? Or maybe you could make a mini raw cake (with avocado/cacao frosting, perhaps, LOL) and slip it to them? Please let us know what happens!

I wouldn't tell a restaurant or other people of dietary "restrictions" but rather of dietary "inclusions". THis gets better results every time in my opinion. "I eat spinach, romaine, any type of ripe fruit, herbs, red bell pepper, tomato."

id just be happy if they told of me the potential dietary allergens in a dish without looking at me like i was a potential food critic or gordon ramsay.

makes it impossible to eat out.

english cuisine lol fried eggs, bacon and sausages maybe.

we have done it all ways....we have brought our jars filled with dressing, dates, kim chi, and other raw things to dress up a salad of veggies that we order.

We have gotten very creative as the years go by. If I don't have my jars on me we have been known to find a grocery store and buy some stuff to take over to the restaurant.

On my third date with my husband I brought a salad from the store, dates, raw crackers, and kim chi. I asked the girl for an extra plate and she said she wasn't allowed to let us have food from outside but that she would allow it anyways..just keep my containers in my purse. I was cool with that and I put all my food out on the plate. My husband was amused and said it's like I am having my own little tea party. We made sure to give the girl a huge tip and had a really good time. I felt good because I didn't give in to the temptations of fries and I had lots of energy.

As far as kids and birthdays...if I know about it..I will make him some raw cupcakes to take to the party. People raise eye brows and ask questions and we gladly answer and tell people how happy and healthy we are now. Most the time people are in awe and love to hear about it. Sometimes it inspires others to change their eating habits. We just aren't going to sacrifice our health just so others feel comfortable and so we fit in.

We were sorta forced to be this way because my son gets sick if he doesn't eat raw. We changed to this way of eating because he was sick all the time. Now he is healthy and we cannot even have a bite of something or else he is sick for days sometimes months and I get an instant headache from things like sugar and other stimulants.

Sometimes I don't know about a party that happened and my son will come home from school and tell me there was a party and he couldn't eat the cupcakes. I tell him I will make him some so he can have his. I have also arranged with the teacher to give them some treats to store so when there is a party they can give him his raw treats.

It's been quite a struggle for us but now it's been over 4 years and we are pros. It's really easy to throw stuff in my purse and go. I make smoothies in the morning and store them in the fridge..so at any time I can grab a jar of smoothie and walk out the door. I have had smoothies at restaurants, I have pulled out an avocado and ate it plain at a restaurant. It's kinda funny cause you sometimes feel like you are being bad and you have to be sneaky. Most the time the people that are with me get a kick out of it and help me conceal my treats. I dunno why restaurants don't let you bring stuff in but they really frown on that. But when you got waiters and waitresses working for tips...it's easy to get around it.

So anyways, it does get easier and it can be fun. Get the kids involved. Let them help make cupcakes. I had a raw cake for my son's birthday. We also had a baked cake. Most people had a slice of each and really liked our cake. We don't want to force people to eat the way we do but we love giving the option and sharing. People realize that it tastes really good and my son really likes it and gets a big smile on his face when people eat his raw food.

________________________________________________________________________

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i love these posts keep them coming it takes bollocks to do that zella, and it pays off in the end, most like myself are too worried about showing themselves up or causing a problem, again kudos i enjoyed your post and you have good heart and dedication.

I would bring my own food.
Little bags of fresh raw veggies.
If anyone said anything,thats their problem.

zella,

The reason why restaurants don't let you bring stuff in and really frown on it when you do is because it's their sole purpose to sell you their food, LOL! You're not eating a picnic in a public park; anytime someone comes into a restaurant and doesn't order food, that can conceivably be considered a lost profit for that seat at that time. That's why I always order at least a salad. It's only fair to the restaurant for taking the trouble to seat me, and it helps the server, whose wages might otherwise be garnished by management for my not ordering, even if my co-diners do.

yeah..I figured it was as such...I usually try to at least order a salad. At a mexican restaurant I can order pico de gallo. I try and be considerate and compensate others for being kind to me and allowing me to eat my food. I am usually with people who spend enough money where it doesn't make a difference if I sneak in my avo. hehe. Every situation is different and we just try and go with the flow. In the beginning I was able to eat stuff that I typically wouldn't eat but now after being raw for awhile we really get a bad reaction and cannot even sample most cooked dishes. So it's like an allergy. I used to be shy about it and now I am more comfortable. Sometimes I catch people looking at my green smoothie sludge and I forget that it looks like sludge..it makes me laugh. Also, the more we are raw the easier it gets. We no longer need elaborate meals..we are happy just snacking on an apple. So it's easier now to just grab an apple and go. Once you get to this stage it really is "fast food".

I encourage people to continue to find ways to integrate this into your social life. Because I believe the social life is the thing that is the hardest to handle with this lifestyle. You start to realize just how many events and get togethers are based around food. It's your moment to make a difference in your life, and even others by sticking to what you believe in. Make little systems for yourself that make it easy for you to eat at social events.

________________________________________________________________________

Vegetarian Children's Book Club ~ [VegetarianChildrensBookClub.com]

Books for and about Vegetarian, Vegan, and Raw Vegan Kids!

What I do in situations like this is bring a bag of fruit with me that I eat at the restaurant. No wait person has ever given men any grief over this, in fact, most of them are very friendly and understand that some people have special diets.

One time I went to Red Robbin (a burger joint). I noticed they had the option of putting guacamole on their burgers, so I asked for a side of just guacamole. The waitress was so amused she gave it to me for free, lol

But yeah, I agree with the others - don't compromise your standards, its not worth it. Just eat beforehand. In the past I have brought in my own food, asked for an extra plate, and just put it on there and ate. Although your ability to do this depends on the place. I also order a tea or something to justify it. But if you're just joining the company I think its fine if you don't order anything. Whatever makes you the most comfortable, what the other people think doesn't matter!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2010 02:15PM by eecho.

I always check online the menu, or I call and have them fax over the menu. I make sure I check out all the veggies mentioned in Entrees, sides, and apptzrs, I gather that infomation and let the server know "In my salad, can I have raw broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, red bell pepper, tomato and fresh lemon." They will make me a big salad with all the things I've asked for RAW and I'd take out my avocado from my pocketbook, put that on top, squeeze some lemon all over and devour!!

I've rarely not found anything on a menu. That's the rare time I will stray from organic. I would eat beforehand and feed the kids and also would bring my own food. If you eat beforehand, you can get away with just snacks. Or you can bring small densely packed meals. Puddings made with avocado or chia seeds work well. I've easily brought my own dressing in a small dropper bottle that fits in my purse & rarely anyone even sees.

Fast food restaurants have awful salads, which I discovered way before raw. I'd rather eat nothing than eat them.

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