Eating out is probably one of the greatest challenges. As someone who before MS ate anything and was never faddy, I hate being unable to order from a menu normally and having to ask for 'special' treatment. I can almost hear the waiter groan inwardly and feel the need to overcompensate to explain I need to eat this way to counter the opinions I imagine they are forming!
First of all it is hard to find anywhere that has food I can eat.
Fish is usually a safe option but in a restaurant flavour is often added with butter or a cream sauce. An Italian restaurant may have a wheat-free pasta alternative available but the interesting sauces contain butter or cream, so you end up with a plain tomato sauce. I can make that at home! A vegetarian restaurant might be meat-free but it has lots of cheese. Sometimes there is a vegan option which is dairy-free but it contains wheat. You can end up being offered half the dish with the offending ingredients removed - for the same price of course!
But I have persisted and found a couple if places so far...
In Brighton is Aloka a well-being centre with a restaurant and self-service cafe. At lunchtime and in the evening they have a self-service vegetarian/vegan food bar with a wide variety of delicious globally inspired options. All dishes are vegetarian and they always have a good selection of vegan and raw dishes on the counter too. This place was like an oasis in the desert for me! So nice to have a break from the cooking and washing up. I have taken a few family and friends there too who are not on special diets who have enjoyed it.
Another Brighton treat I am rediscovering is Infinity Foods Cafe. I say rediscovering because I haven't eaten there since I first moved to Brighton when I was still eating wheat and dairy. It's a lovely place and I recently found they have lots of gluten-free and vegan options so I'll definitely be back to try some.
Wagamama is a national chain and popular with my friends. They are quite clued up on special diets and have a menu on their website, so I could spend ages sifting through the vegan, wheat-free and dairy free options to find the meals that hit all 3 targets in the privacy of my own home (and not making my friends wait ages to order!) They offer rice noodles or boiled or sticky white rice as an alternative to the wheat noodles shown on their menu and have some prawn dishes that are lovely.
I continue to be on the look out and welcome any hot tips!
