So just wondering what people's strategies are for eating away from home....
I'm not always able to pack food to take with me for longer trips, and my husband and I used to enjoy eating out on occasion - which we haven't done since I was diagnosed, but with several recent road trips, and several more pending in the near future
I'm trying to work out good strategies for meals on the go.
Oceans Edge - I vowed when diagnosed that I would never decline an invitation or change our social lives. Of course, that means sometimes I've had to spend longer than usual perusing menus or deciding what I can or can't eat when we dine with others' in their homes. I have also never, ever asked anyone to be mindful of my diagnosis when catering for us. Why should they? In fact, I have only shared my diagnosis with a handful of people.
I just make the best choices I can. When dining with others in their homes, of we're on a meat, veg and starch (potatoes or rice) if we're serving ourselves from dishes on the table, I'll choose more veg/salad and just ignore the starch. if the meat is in a sauce I think is probably tricky, I'll just try not to have too much of it.
Of course, I have been asked why I'm not having spuds, bread, or whatever, and I just say I had some tests which highlighted my body wasn't handling certain foods too well, so I try to avoid or minimise them now. That's usually accepted - probably on the grounds it would be impolite to grill someone (pun intended) at the dinner table.
In restaurants, I do similarly and depending on what's on offer, I might ask to trade chips for more salad or whatever. An Italian tratorria was a challenge as it was their "all you can eat" buffet night and our hosts were paying. To be honest, I just had a very small portion and got on with it. Thankfully, MrB isn't a pizza fan, and happily live without pasta, so it wasn't going to be a regular feature.
These days, my body has recovered sufficiently well to tolerate modest portions of most foods, but when out, I just stick with my core approach because it's easier. our friends have got used to it and simply never bring it up. Of course, they probably think of me as a bit of a "food nutter, but there are worse things for them to think of me!
I went away for a trip lasting several months 3 weeks after my diagnosis, so I was thrown into all of this pretty promptly, but it was probably good that it did. I think it made me really think about it.
Good luck with it all, and enjoy your adventures. For me, it's critical to live a good, varied and energetic life, and travel is a decent part of it. I'm sure you'll find a way to deal with this.