Eating Out: Fast Food, Restaurants, and Friends

Some friends offered to bring us lunch this weekend from a great sandwich shop in the warehouse district. It got me thinking about eating out and what my options may be. I guess the short answer is they are not real good. There really isn't any tyramine-free fast food. I've included some links below to websites for fast food places. Be sure to not only look at the nutritional information and/or components but the actual ingredients as well. For instance, a Big Mac has 7 "components" but the bun itself has at least 33 ingredients much of which is heavy on soy and other stuff you don't want. In fact, here are the top 10 most common fast food ingredients:

10. Citric Acid: The Most Common Preservative
9. High-fructose Corn Syrup: The Most Common Sweetener
8. Caramel Color: The Most Common Color Additive
7. Salt: The Most Common Flavor or Spice
6. Monosodium Glutamate: The Most Common Flavor Enhancer
5. Niacin: The Most Common Nutrient
4. Soybean Oil: The Most Common Oil or Fat
3. Mono- and Diglycerides: The Most Common Emulsifiers
2. Xanthan Gum: The Most Common Stabilizer or Thickener
1. Chicken: The Most Common Meat Product

And the websites for ingredient information (just click on the name):

McDonald’s

Burger King

Taco Bell

Arby’s & Wendy’s

Chipotle

Noodles and Company

I included Chipotle and Noodles and Company at my wife's suggestion. And while they may be better than the rest they still don't look like a real good choice to me. But in a pinch you could probably find something there. I'd rather go to a store and buy a fresh apple, cucumber, and roll.

I won't eat fast food for sure, and restaurants aren't much better. Sauces, gravies, soups and salads are not prepared from scratch. They use extracts and other ingredients that you don't want in a low-tyramine diet. I travel for work and will be "forced" to eat in restaurants occasionally. It's not going to be easy to tell what is in my food, so I'll ask questions and go simple.

So what about my friends who offered to bring lunch? Friends are great - you can just tell them what's up and they are very receptive. But it's the same thing really. It's all about asking good questions about the food and preparation, making good choices, and when push comes to shove asking yourself, "Is this worth having a serious event over?"

Eunice and I like to cook and it's going to be better for me to cook at home and invite friends over. It's fun, safe, and not as difficult or time consuming as you may think. It is also less expensive and creates less waste.

The best option is for me to make my own food. That's what we did last night with some friends. We had a great Lemon Roast Chicken.

Eat Good Food, Be Kind, Tell the Truth

Click below for the collection of recipes or for an easy to print copy of a single recipe.

Collection of Recipes

Lemon Roasted Chicken
We buy our chickens with the help of a good friend from a local farmer who delivers them frozen. They are very fresh. We also happened to purchase half chickens which reduces leftovers.