Being a social leper page

[thaijinx]

So, I ate a meal out with my family and friends, at a nice restaurant. It was a clean, italian, family run place, that i used to think served delicious food. I used to love going there.

I Ordered a simple meal, as primal as possible, a Medium steak imported from NZ, and a side of spinach. I drank water while everyone else was chowing down on breads, pastas, pizzas, tiramisu, and chuffing down large glasses of red wine.

Its now 4 am, and i Can't sleep. I feel so gross in my stomach. Uncomfortable, bloated, and just like nothing has digested and I need a big trip to the bathroom! (though nothing is moving, it's just kinda sitting there). in other words, awful!

At least I know its not food poisioning, and I can't blame wheat or sugar! Thing is, i often cook NZ steak and spinach at home, but I never feel like this when I cook it myself! So, I'm guessing that it was cooked in a bad oil.

Obviously eating out is going to have to become an occasional thing, rather than the norm if I want to take my primal journey onto the next level. Perhaps I'm becoming more sensitive, and less tolerant to food adulteration as I get cleaner. Maybe before I just didn't notice these things. The slight headachey feeling, the fuzzy eyes, the lack of concentration and irritability... The constipation and dry skin. Not to mention the negative feelings that miraculously disappear on a primal diet!

But one things for sure, I don't ever want to feel this bad again as a result of something that should have been a fun experience!

Not being able to eat out with friends and family though, I can see how that could impact on my relationships with them, and my ability to enjoy socializing and hanging out.

[Raine]

Yuck I have had that happen! Very unpleasant.

What about just ordering a salad with the dressing on the side in future? But eating your protein at home before you go out?. That way you are still "being social" but not risking revolting undigestable food.

[Credodisi]

Don't dispair!

Some restaurants are less friendly for this way of eating than others. I find Italian very difficult... And usually go with salads.. Or chicken/veal dishes when I am at one.

I go out for dinner every week at least once to socialize and relax. It may not be optimal, because of not being able to control the oils, but I'm rarely sick afterwards. And sometimes, I don't feel well after something I've made, you cannot always pinpoint the cause of ickiness. But my take is socializing is just as important to my overall well-being and should not be sacrificed in order to be 100% perfectly primal.

[Alainneire]

antipasto is a great choice at any "decent" Italian restaurant....

[Credodisi]

antipasto is a great choice at any "decent" Italian restaurant....

Agree! Forgot about that...

[lexie]

Perhaps you just needed to have some fermented food to follow, like kombucha or saurkraut, etc. Generally, even doing just a shooter of kombucha to follow a not so great meal helps me keep things at an even keel.