At 8:06 PM -0500 7/29/97, Michael M. Rosenblatt wrote:
>For the reader who would like to go on to the McDougal diet, I
>reiterate, it's VERY socially restricting. You might as well give
>up your friends, because they will never come over to eat, or
>go out to any restaurant, if you ould even find one to eat at.
I have absolutely not found this to be the case, though perhaps I am
willing to make minor (to me) concessions that Michael is not. When people
come to my house to eat they usually compliment me on the food and seem
eager enough to eat it, often asking for the recipe. When serving guests I
try to avoid "weird" food that SAD eaters are unfamiliar with. Pasta is
probably the best choice, I've yet to have anyone refuse to eat it, but
this may be more a reflection on my choice of friends--I tend to stick to a
pretty easy going bunch of people. I usually do offer them extras that I
choose not to eat, like parmesan cheese for their spaghetti, or margarine
or butter for their bread. If they go home to snack because they couldn't
eat enough at my house, I'm sorry about it, but not too sorry.
Eating at other people's homes is another matter, but again, I'm rarely
asked to formal dining occasions, and the casual ones are pretty easy to
deal with by 1) offering to bring something, or 2) just eating what I can
and snacking before or after the event. I try never to discuss my dietary
restrictions unless specifically asked, and even then I minimize it while
in a social situation. It makes life easier, and there are many far more
interesting things to talk about.
Despite Michael's gloomy view of restaurant eating, I've been able to at
least eat something wherever I've been. But I'm lucky, I truly enjoy
salads and a plate full of steamed vegetables and a baked potato or rice
(or both!). Since I don't travel much, restaurant eating is more a social
event than a food-focused event for me. And my health situation is not so
serious that I can't afford to allow a extra gram of fat or two to
accidentally slip in now and then.
It doesn't have to be so rigid or complicated that you can't eat healthily
and keep your friends and social life, too.
Debbie
debbie-cowherd@xxxxxxxxx
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