What do you eat when you eat out?

[dwcrawford]

I like to eat out a lot.  Now that I'm coming home after 8 PM would be a good time to stop for dinner maybe...

Have you found anything that would fit on the renal diet in restaurants?  Any restaurant?  Fast Food, Mexican, Thai are basicallly my favorites.

[twirl]

"Make It Work"
eat what you like only in moderation --
do as I say, not as I eat -- 
some Mexican restaurants have salt free chips
I get all my drinks in a to go glass with a lid and then you are not refilled all the time and you can
keep track of the liquid you are drinking

Taco Bell has a couple of menu items that are alright
my dietitian at dialysis had a list of items on menus that were not as bad as others

do you ever eat at that big drive -in  in Bellaire --- years ago
they had the best lime drinks
it was the local hang - out

my renal doc says nothing is off limits --- eat in moderation -
have two pieces of pizza --- not two pizzas
he used to be very, very overweight and he has lost it all so he understands'

I like bean chalupas
lots of lettuce and I eat the toms too

Luby's is good but they have gone crazy on their prices
I like their liver and onions and cabbage

good luck
moderation   ( wish that came naturally for me )

[jbeany]

There are things you can eat, you mostly have to be careful about the sodium with the fast food.

My current favorite choice for a meal at McDonald's is an order of small fries and a fruit and walnut snack salad.  The fries are about 160 mg of sodium, but that's not too bad.  I'm okay with the potassium, since mine runs low, and I love their fries, so I just get a small to kill the cravings.  The fruit snack has walnuts and yogurt, so I have to have a binder, but the servings of both are quite small.  The burgers are a bad choice, since even the small ones have about 500 mg of sodium.  A quarter pounder runs almost 1500 mg of sodium.  A whole day's worth of salt in one entree.  Ask for the nutrition facts - they are on the back of the tray liners, and you can look up your favorites and compare.  Most of the menus don't list phos, so you have to be sensible, and make sure to skip the cheese on the burger.  I'm not much for the chicken wraps, so you might want to check those out for sodium content.  Watch the "healthy" salads - some of the toppings run the sodium content up just as high as the Quarter Pounder.

Mexican, you need to watch out for the cheese and the beans - both sources of phos.  Even taco bell with let you special order, though - I usually get soft tacos, and have them skip the cheese, or order only half as much as usual. Hard shells are higher in salt, so I go for the soft tortillas.  If you have potassium issues, have them skip the tomatoes and go easy on the salsa.

Not sure about Thai.  I know Chinese sauces are usually tremendously high in sodium.  Rice is one of the things they prefer we eat on a renal diet, so the base is fine, and the meat and veggies are good for you, of course - just see what you can find out about the sauce.

There isn't anything you can't have a small portion of - and there's something safe to eat no matter where you go.  It just takes some time to sort thru the nutrition information.

[Wallyz]

For thai food, something like yum neau with cucumbers, onions, and beef would be good.   Steamed white rice is good on the renal diet.

Or, you could start doing daily nocturnal and have  a much less restrictinve diet.

[willowtreewren]

Yeah, Wallyz,
The NxStage system pulls potassium off, so we had to make a 180 degree turn in potassium intake once my husband started on that!

Dan,

It seems overwhelming at first, but you really do learn the ropes, just like anything else. Like we order pizza with no cheese. And calzones with no cheese (I think I'm giving away a strong preference for Italian, here!).

Green beans are a good bet (except for how much any vegetable is salted in restaurants!). Don't get them seasoned with ham (the Southern way, huh?).

The hardest thing to watch is phosphorous because it is rarely listed, think dairy and nuts.

Once you start getting your lab results back, you can see where you need to tweak up you diet to be healthier.

Keep us posted on your progress. 

Aleta

[peleroja]

I eat whatever I want when eating out, just in moderation, like everyone else said. 

[Zach]

When going to restaurants, I usually ask for no salt in the dishes and ask for dressing or other sauces on the side.

When I visit my favorite Thai restaurant, I order Neau Lad Satay (Steak Peanut Sauce) with the sauce on the side plus white rice.  YUM!!

[dwcrawford]

My regulars are Thai and Mexican.  My Mexican guy, Arnoldo, is going to get me a list of i ngredients in my USUAL dinner.  I think is may be ok except maybe for the pomagranite seed on top.  You may need to show me that calculator again, Zach.

The Davita dietician gave me several sheets on different type of restaurants.  Haven't had a chance too look at them.

[Zach]

You may need to show me that calculator again, Zach.

Is this what you mean?

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

[monrein]

Even with a transplant I ask restaurants not to add any extra salt and also for dressings or sauces to be on the side.  I also ask for my vegetables not to be buttered.  When on dialysis I used to ask for things to be simply grilled and found that many restaurants were willing to accommodate these requests. 
I never eat fries but if you do, even in fast food restaurants you can ask for your order to be pulled before they throw the salt on the whole batch.  There's a lot of added salt there.

[Zach]

I never eat fries but if you do, even in fast food restaurants you can ask for your order to be pulled before they throw the salt on the whole batch. 

Instead of salt add vinegar. Yum!

[twirl]

I never eat fries but if you do, even in fast food restaurants you can ask for your order to be pulled before they throw the salt on the whole batch. 



Instead of salt add vinegar. Yum!

ZACH  - you are a genius    vinegar on fries ------ double yum






EDITED:Fixed quote tag error-kitkatz,Moderator

[monrein]

I never eat fries but if you do, even in fast food restaurants you can ask for your order to be pulled before they throw the salt on the whole batch. 

Instead of salt add vinegar. Yum!

That's a very Canadian and British (I think) thing, vinegar on fries.  In Belgium they like mayonnaise.

[Zach]

In Belgium they like mayonnaise.

Don't get me started with mayonnaise--another yum.  And if it's home made, no salt!
What can I say, I'm very continental.

[paul.karen]

Oh yeah fish and chips and a good malt vinegar.  Or as some call it Devils Piss.
Gravy is also good on fries.

[MandaMe1986]

Devils Piss Gravy? 

[twirl]

you mean the devil can piss more than me   

[MandaMe1986]

I just want to know why his piss is like gavy? 

[twirl]

is Tabasco sauce --- the devil's piss

you know it is hot ?

[MandaMe1986]

Its not gravy though

[paul.karen]

LOL
Sory Manda i was referring to the Vinegar being called devils piss.    A friend from the UK calls it that.

I LOVE tabasco.  And Black pepper since i cant use salt anymore those are spices i have and use often.

[MandaMe1986]

haha...got it 

I was thinking maybe Red Eye Gravy would work a little better for Devils Piss Gravy.