Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. This week brought an interesting challenge as I dined out three times, a rarity for me given my kidney failure and strict dietary needs. Normally, I prefer cooking at home to control what goes into my food. However, this week offered some valuable insights that I’d like to share.
The Challenge of Dining Out
For those with specific dietary restrictions, dining out can be quite daunting. My condition necessitates a diet free of salt, tomatoes, and potatoes, and more which makes restaurant meals problematic. To address this, I called ahead to ensure the restaurants could accommodate my needs and communicated my restrictions to the wait staff upon arrival. Despite these measures, the results were not always favorable.
Twice this week, I encountered issues where my meals were served with salt, despite calling ahead of time and my specific instructions to the server. One restaurant even returned the dish with salt after I sent it back. These experiences highlighted the difficulties of eating out when you have severe dietary limitations and reminded me why I usually prefer home-cooked meals.
Reflecting on the Experience
Dining out is a joy for many, but it can be limiting for those with dietary restrictions. My recent experiences have led me to reconsider how often I should eat out until my dietary needs change. Although frustrating, these setbacks underscore the importance of careful planning and clear communication with restaurant staff.
Looking ahead, I’m hopeful that my upcoming kidney transplant will alleviate some of these dietary concerns. Until then, I’ll likely limit my dining-out experiences and stick to the safety of home-cooked meals.
I’m currently seeking a kidney donor and I’m working with an organization called DOVE to help facilitate the experience.
