Tips for Eating Out on The Endometriosis Diet

As the UK becomes more vegan and celiac friendly, I find it’s getting easier and easier to eat for endometriosis. As I don’t have children, and my partner is very supportive, we can plan our meals around my needs, but it goes without saying, that eating out can come with more challenges.

Plan ahead

Over the years, I’ve learnt ways to make eating out a more enjoyable and endo–friendly experience; one of the best ways to do this is through planning. Unless I know where I’m going, I check out the menus online before going somewhere, to make sure there’s something I can actually eat. Turning up super hungry to find out that you can’t eat a single thing on a menu, other than the side salad, is not ideal.

Do some research

I also do my research. If we’re going on holiday or visiting a new area, I Google vegan and gluten-free places around the neighborhood, and make a hit list of ones to try. There are so many blogs and websites dedicated to healthy food and intolerances these days that it’s pretty easy to find reviews and good places to go.

Ask for allergy accommodations

Another good tip is to ask if there’s an allergen friendly menu - often they’re separate - or asking if you can change something in a meal. This is also really helpful if you don’t have much choice in where you’re going. Many places are happy to omit the cheese or a milk-based sauce, for example. Or, if there isn’t a meal you can tweak, often I find the sides or starters are quite endo-friendly, so I ask for a few of those to make up a main meal. Perhaps you’ll get a grumpy waiter who finds you a bit of a nuisance, but I’d rather have a minute or two of awkwardness than a week full of pain!

Check-out new places

If you live in a city, or a creative town, there are often exciting food events popping up all the time. Some of the most endo-friendly places to eat can be at one-off supper clubs or pop-up restaurants. Because veganism and gluten-free eating is so common these days, many of these foodie events are plant-based and are often gluten-fee too. Sign-up to event websites for notifications, or follow foodie accounts on Instagram, so you can know what’s coming up in your area and try something new and exciting.

Don't stress

Finally, if you do go somewhere and it feels like the menu is like choosing between a rock and a hard place, try not to stress out. Stress isn’t going to help our bodies either. If I find a menu really challenging, I’ll either opt for a side salad (even if it is boring!) or if I want something more interesting, I’ll pick something with a trigger food which I react the least to.

Using these tips has ensured that eating out is still possible – in fact, going for a good meal is my favorite thing to do!