How do you handle being on a restricted diet while traveling?
 

My husband is on a low sodium, low fat, and low cholesterol diet due to cardiac problems. Anybody else out there on such a diet, and how do you handle it while you're on vacation, if staying in hotels so no cooking facilities.

orange: my wife and i are on restricted diets -- hers because she is lactose intolerant and mine because i am a bodybuilder. the easiest way is to plan ahead. the old adage that if you fail to plan, you're planning to fail, holds particularly true on vacation because you're then caught worring about what to eat rather than enjoying yourself. i travel alot for work, and so i've got this pretty much down to a science: I try to stay in a hotel that offers a fridge in the room, like fairfield in, hampton, etc. even if the hotel doesnt have a fridge in the room, i usually travel with a softside cooler and pack plenty of easy to eat things for snacks, etc., and soymilk if traveling witht the missus, then i call ahead and tell the hotel that i have special dietary needs and ask if they have a fridge. i take my cooler on the plane (so i don't have to eat the airline "food" -- i just make a bean burrito or something like that) and in my car with me. at walmart and target you'll find great ones, and blue ice to freeze before hand. the other thing we usually do is scout around the area we're visiting and call around till we find a restaurant willing to accomodate our dietary needs. so i might call a few restos, and say what do you ahve on the menu that i can eat? my wife will ask if they can substitue goat cheese, for instance, or even if they have a continental breakfast, we have found the management very accomodating in providing soy milk for us if we're stuck. the bottom line, a little planning goes a long way. also, you may want to search the internet (search terms might be "special diet traveling" etc. and i'll bet you get a whole host of information. good luck!

Have you checked out the American Heart Association's website (www.americanheart.org)? Follow their links to Diet and Nutrition, and you'll see suggestions on how to eat right while travelling (well, what to order when dining out). See especially:

http://www.deliciousdecisions.org/oa...vice_main.html

Since I am always on a diet and do not eat meat, you could say I am on a restricted diet. Aside from my inability to stay away from Chocolate, I have found it easy as staying home to eat out..rather it is easier!
Order grilled fish or chicken-no salt. Sauces on the side.
Salad, steamed veggies or grilled, salad dressing on the side.
Eat lots of fresh fruit.
Restaurants are used to diners these days having all kinds of food restrictions, they are able to handle most any request.
Bon appetit!

If I am traveling by car I always take an ice chest ,often a big one for car trunk and smaller to take to room
I rely most on fruit and milk for dry cereal and juices.
If I fly somewhere, as soon as I get the rental car and get out of the city congestion, I stop at a big grocery store and buy a sterofoam ice chest ($2-3) and load it up...
By the end of my trips the ice chest is usually in sad shape so I just throw it away. If I have stuff left that is not open and can't take on plane--I give it to the maids at motels...
Also we try to eat at places that have salad bars==we take our own salad dressing..
Some of the motels have microwaves -either in the rooms or in lobby-then we have popcorn for an evening snack.!! In a pinch, money or time or fatigue,we have even cooked TV dinners.
Hope this helps. Planning ahead is the secret!!

I'm a diabetic who travels internationally a lot. I have no trouble ordering from the menu and am not shy about asking for variations. Have not had any problems.
John

Living in CA, I'm used to all the restaurants having a section on their menus for "healthy choices", but I still get a chuckle when my around-the-corner Thai place asks me if "egg's OK?" for my vegetarian Pad Thai. I guess I have more militant vegans in my neighborhood than I thought....

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like it will not be as difficult to eat out as I thought. Just a shame we will no longer be indulging in things like key lime pie, fried clams, and the list goes on.

You can basically find the same food that you eat at home in most European cities. You should not have any problems with your restrictions. My friend is allergic to nuts and is always worried about eating out anywhere!
While your husbands health is compromised, eating a "forbidden" meal such as fois gras or cheese would not kill him, if he only indulged once or twice.
I hope you both are able to relax and enjoy your travels and not worry about the diet too much.

Forgive my confusion, I was thinking your concern was traveling in Europe and staying on your diet!
But I guess the same goes for eating anywhere in the USA also.
Happy travels!

Farmer's Market!