So I’ve been getting accustomed to a reduced-sugar and limited starch diet and found alternatives to many meals that I can prepare at home. However, one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced is eating outside the home. Whether grabbing a quick bite to eat at lunchtime at work, going to family or friends’ homes for a social catch-up, going out on weekends, or attending larger events, the options available on a reduced-sugar and limited starch diet have been minimal.

Prior to my dietician recommending limiting starch, my first meal out was a small entree of mushroom arancini and a small serving of chips. Not exactly healthy but at least without the sugar by avoiding sauces for both the arancini and chips. In the first few weeks without sugar, I initially craved salty foods.

Purely on the reduced-sugar diet, I also ate out at lunchtime and had prawn gyoza with one serving of tofu and cucumber sushi. It wasn’t until I got home that night that I researched sushi and found that it had quite a lot of sugar for what I was aiming to eat, which was less than 3 grams per 100 grams.

For another lunch, I ate a small amount of potato wedges and a small cup of mushroom soup. The small cup of soup had a limited amount of sugar; however, if I had ordered a larger portion, the sugar content would have gone up significantly. With some of the larger franchise restaurants, you can quickly look up the nutritional information, making it easier to decide what to consume.

Two weeks into a reduced-sugar diet, I started eating minimal starch, per my dietician’s advice. That’s when eating out became much more complicated. It took me over two weeks to feel confident enough to eat anything but home-cooked meals (from my own home). Yes, that meant saying no to invitations to meet up with family or friends, choosing activities that did not require food, or being able to say no to food offered.

My first reduced sugar and limited starch meal outside the home was lunch at a local cafe with my Mum. My meal consisted of scrambled eggs and avocado, which was simple and delicious. With a jasmine green tea for a hot beverage, it was the perfect meal. Usually, I would go for something starch-heavy with a latte coffee, but the alternative I chose left me feeling non-bloated and satiated with my nutritious meal. Following this meal, my gut did not cry out with stomach rumbling, pains or cramps, and I looked at this as a massive step on my journey.

There has only been one occasion when going out with a friend that the challenge was enormous. And that was going to a gorgeous local boulangerie/patisserie. They sell baked goods, pastries, and desserts, which would always be challenging. I could have chosen not to eat the meals on offer. However, I decided in the end to break my diet and have raisin toast, hoping it was the least impactful on my diet compared to the exquisite cakes they had on offer. Following this meal out with my good friend, I realised that spending time, chatting and laughing with my friend, I really could have just had herbal tea and been very happy, but I was glad that I decided to break the diet, which is bound to happen from time to time throughout this experiment. As much as I am experimenting, we need to be adaptable and flexible in many situations, and it’s important not to be rigid with ourselves or our decisions.

Another occasion that may have been incredibly challenging was my birthday celebrations. I chose to have a lunchtime celebration with my family at a restaurant. To prepare, I checked the menu and was happy that I could order quite a few of the meals on offer. However, my family contacted the restaurant to make a booking and found out it was fully booked, so they had to change to another restaurant. The second restaurant only had two meals I could order, but I was satisfied with what they had available and ordered a chicken pesto salad. Even though I felt slightly stressed before the outing, I realised again that it’s not what you eat at a social gathering but sharing time with loved ones. There are often very filling salads at restaurants that have protein with plenty of vegetables. When I visited these places with family or friends or work colleagues, I could always request no dressings or sauces with the salads or vegetables.

So after several meals eaten outside of the home, the winners for me were:

• Greek salad or any other salad with no starch (with no dressings or sauces, unless made with simple ingredients like olive oil, herbs and lemon);
• Sauteed vegetables in oil, steamed vegetables or non-starchy baked vegetables (with no sauces);
• Grilled halloumi, fish or chicken, eggs (boiled, scrambled, poached, fried or in quiche (no crust) or frittatas) or other proteins (with no additional sauces or cooked in sugar-heavy marinades or sauces);
• Fresh fruits (with no added sugar).

I have found eating out stressful, challenging, and often perplexing due to the limitations of food choice, but I also learned so much from the experience so far, and it has been rewarding to find healthier food options. I’ve needed to bend my own rules sometimes and eat items with more added sugar or starch than I do daily. Still, these decisions have not changed my dedication to the diet in the majority of my food intake, and I have been happy to adapt to the changing situations I’ve found myself in. No guilt, no reprimanding, but being proud of being able to make choices and be happy with them.