After arriving at our beach house it became much easier to meet the low-FODMAP diet. We had a full kitchen and a grocery store within 5 miles of our house. Every morning I either had Udi’s White Sandwich Bread toasted with Simply Nature Peanut Butter or Udi’s White Sandwich Bread with a microwaved egg and melted cheddar cheese.
For lunch I either had a BLT with Udi’s bread or gluten-free pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese (less than one ounce). I then ate baby carrots, strawberries, or chips to go with my main dish. I was able to eat supper with everyone, unless everyone went out or ordered in.
SUPPERS
Day 3
We grilled chicken breasts with FODMAP southern rub seasoning I made. The grilled chicken breasts turned out very good. Everyone had corn on the cob and strawberries to go with the chicken. Since I could not have corn, I put a potato wrapped in foil on the grill for me.
Day 4
This night we had tacos. My husband made FODMAP approved taco seasoning to mix with the ground beef. We also had lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes to top the taco meat with. I had bought Udi’s Soft Taco Shells. I was very disappointed with the taco shells. They had a powder on the outside and were very chewy. I ended up throwing the shell away and topping tortillas chips with meat, seasoning, lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomato. Supper ended up good, but I was surprised how bad the Udi’s shells were. Udi’s usually has very good gluten free products.
Day 5
This day everyone decided to go out for crab legs! I love crab legs, so I was very excited. We decided to go to The Mad Crabber in Avon, NC. I called ahead of time and asked about seasonings that were added to the crab legs or dipping butter. I was assured that I could order the crab without added seasoning if the crab I decided to order came with seasoning. We went to the restaurant and I ordered the King Crab legs. They were very good and did not have any seasoning. They also had plain baked potatoes for a side, but I was too full after eating the crab to even touch the potato. The Mad Crabber was very good with food allergies and intolerances.
Day 6
My in-laws watched our boys for us and my husband and I were able to have a date night. He decided to go to a burger joint and I encouraged it even though they did not have anything I was able to eat. He ordered it to go. When we got back to the house I heated up a baked potato and topped it with broccoli and cheddar cheese in the microwave. We had Malbec wine to go with it. It worked out very well. I would recommend getting food to go at a restaurant and then making something at home if you cannot find something at the restaurant that you can eat. That way other family members get to try new things and you are still able to enjoy eating.
Day 7
This was the hardest day of eating at supper for me. Everyone ordered pizza and appetizers in. They thought they ordered cheese sticks and ended up getting mozzarella sticks. I love mozzarella sticks! It was so hard for me to watch everyone eat the food I wanted. I ended up making my FODMAP pizza and it turned out great, but I was still wanting the other pizza. I used Udi’s pizza crust topped with tomato slices, spinach, pizza blend cheese (mozzarella and cheddar cheese), and dried basil. The pizza was good, but like I said I was just frustrated this night. It is ok to feel frustrated while following such a strict diet, just keep in mind it’s only for a few weeks and it will help you find what foods you are intolerant to. It’s worth it! After supper we walked over to the Dairy Queen. Since I knew I would not be able to have the ice cream, I brought a Udi’s Snickerdoodle cookie with me. They are very good and can cure your craving for something sweet.
Day 8
This was another travel day. I packed two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my backpack again. This time I was very glad I did! We flew out of Norfolk airport and we arrived at lunch time. There was nothing available for me to eat. I did find a bag of Lay’s potato chips to go with my peanut butter sandwiches. My kids ate peanut butter crackers and Pop Tarts and my husband had a bag of chipolte chips. It is always good to be prepared. You never know when you will be somewhere and unable to find food that meets FODMAP. However, when we flew through our connecting airport there was a P.F. Changs. They have an entire gluten free section on their menu. I found something on that menu that I thought would be ok and then I asked the manager about seasonings. I told her I could not have onion or garlic. She ran an entire report for me on what foods I could eat. It was so helpful! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone with food allergies or intolerances. I ended up eating Gluten free Shanghai Cucumbers and white rice with bottled water.
Overall, this trip turned out better than I could have expected. I was worried about being able to eat supper with others or not being able to find food that I could eat in a smaller sized town. I never went hungry and was able to enjoy most meals with the entire family. A little planning and a willing family can really make following a FODMAP diet doable and not stressful.
You are such a good example because you are dedicated to doing this the right way, and at the same time making everyone else feel comfortable about eating. (I did feel badly about the cheese sticks, though. 😞).
I’m so proud of you!
WOW, you did a great job while being on vacation, it’s so hard to stay on track when you are not at home. Good thing you had great family support. Great job!!!!