Eating out is often a terrifying experience for those with disordered eating.  One reason is that it is difficult for the eater to follow her self-imposed rules of restriction or avoidance of food at a restaurant meal.  Menus describe multiple ingredients, mixed foods, and large portions, all of which are typically on the restricter’s “bad food-“ or “should-not-have-“ lists.

The eater fears she will overeat if she orders what she really wants, so she orders unappealing foods on her “good-list,” and denies her hunger and the body’s intuition to self-regulate. 

The frequent result is the emotional loss of missing an opportunity to eat and enjoy what she really likes to eat and making up for this loss later with overeating to comfort herself.  The restricter may refuse to nourish herself at all at a restaurant, believing the cook is sabotaging her with excessive fats, carbs, and pesticides.

Yet, those overwhelmed with eating out can become competent at ordering and eating at restaurants, fast food establishments, and in friends’ homes.  First of all, they must agree to go and try, knowing that everyone needs practice to develop this skill!

To decrease anxiety when eating out, try these strategies: 

• Before you go, think about the food you really want to eat at the restaurant you’ll be visiting, not the food you think you should eat.

• When you arrive, do not accept or read the menu—menus can be overwhelming.

• Explain to the waiter exactly what food you’d like.  Do not feel pressure to order from the menu.  It is your waiter’s job to place your order as you request.  Remember, you are his customer.

• If the portion is visually overwhelming, ask the waiter to box ½ of your entrée, for example, before he serves you, so that you can take ½ home for the next day.

• Eat some of all the major nutrients—protein (meats and cheeses), carbohydrates (grains, starches and vegetables), and fats (salad dressings, oils, sautéed or fried preparation) in your choices as each satisfies in a different but important way.

• Let a friend know your plans so he/she can support you at the restaurant.

A registered dietitian can assist you with a meal plan to build confidence in your need for nutrition and in strategies and goals to recover from disordered eating.  We at Renew desire to assist in restoring  food to its proper place of sustenance, enjoyment, and shared community.

by Paula Nyman, RD, LD
Dietitian at Renew
913.768.6606, ext. 305