The invitations are what bother me most.
My girlfriend and I get asked to something, and I already know how it’ll go. A lot of food, a lot of drinks, and almost nothing I can eat.
The last one was the opening of a new company. A huge hall with about 100 meters of food. Grill, fresh bar, burgers, desserts, ice cream, candy, every drink you can think of.
I walked the whole line looking for something safe. Picked the plainest things I could find. Took my Pangrol.
An hour later I felt my pancreas anyway, and I had trouble all afternoon. And I’d been careful.
Eating out is Russian roulette for me. You ask “is there pepper in this?” and the person says no. Maybe that’s true. Maybe they have no idea what the kitchen did.
To be very honest, I’d rather skip these events. But you can’t skip all of them. So this is how I make them less bad.
Before you go
Eat at home first. My oldest trick. With a normal, safe meal in my stomach I don’t go crazy standing next to a buffet, and I’m not tempted to gamble on something because I’m starving.
Tell the host in advance. A short message a few days before works better than explaining yourself at the door. Something like:
Thanks for the invite, I’m coming. One thing: I have pancreatitis, so I can’t eat fatty, peppery or spicy food, and I don’t drink alcohol. Please don’t cook anything special for me. If there’s something plain, like rice, potatoes, or chicken or fish without sauce, that’s perfect. If there isn’t, no problem, I’ll eat before I come.
They know why your plate is empty, and you don’t have to explain it 5 times with a glass of water in your hand.
Ask the organiser about diet food. A catered event has to deal with allergies anyway. Ask if there’s a diet option, and ask what’s actually in it. “Diet” can mean vegan with a lot of oil.
Bring your own. A small box of something you know is safe, in the bag or in the car. And your enzymes.
Questions for the cook
If there’s a cook, ask the cook. The person carrying the plates is usually guessing.
Ask specific questions. “Is this OK for a diet?” gets you a yes every time. These get a real answer:
- Is this fried, or made with butter, cream or oil?
- Is there black or white pepper in it? Paprika, chilli, curry?
- Fresh garlic?
- Is there alcohol in the sauce or the dessert? Wine, beer, liqueur?
- What’s in the marinade or the dressing?
- Can I have it without the sauce, or with the sauce on the side?
- Can you do a piece of chicken or fish plain, grilled or steamed, with only salt?
If the answer is “I think not” or “should be fine”, I treat it as a yes, it’s in there.
Those are my triggers. Swap in your own list.
At the buffet
Walk the whole thing first, then choose.
Take the food where you can see every ingredient: plain rice, boiled potatoes, bread, fruit, a piece of meat or fish with nothing on it.
Skip anything in a sauce, a dressing, a crust or a marinade. That’s where the fat and the pepper hide.
Take a small portion. Then wait and see before you go back.
Drink water or tea. Zero alcohol means zero, and that covers the “just one to toast” too.
Keep a glass of water in your hand. It saves you a lot of “can I get you something?”
When it goes wrong anyway
It did for me at that opening, after doing everything right. I don’t have a fix for that.
What I do then: stop eating, stick to water, and write down what I had. Sometimes the list shows me the culprit later.
And if the pain turns into the kind you know from an attack, go to the hospital.
Some events I just skip
A 100-meter buffet where the food is the whole point, I’ll skip next time, or I’ll come for an hour. For a birthday of someone I care about I go, eat first and bring my box.
How do you handle it? Do you still go? Let me know in our Skool community here.
Stepan
I’m a patient writing about my own experience. Check your own diet with your doctor or dietitian.