Q: After eating in restaurants, I often have symptoms later like mild heartburn or dyspepsia at best and diarrhea at worst. This happens more often than not and it doesn’t matter the restaurant or cuisine. When I cook at home, I rarely encounter these unpleasant symptoms. What gives?
A: Have you ever noticed that restaurant meals taste distinctly different than the exact same meals you might prepare at home? There are reasons for that. The first being excess sodium. That alone can cause bloating, water retention and loose stools like diarrhea. Moreover, sodium can come in different forms like Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG is known to cause many gastrointestinal side effects like cramps, diarrhea, gas/bloating, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome and nausea.
Another issue is the fats used in cooking. They may be liquid trans fats (yikes!) or oils that are old and rancid. And certainly food safety is always of concern, especially during warm weather months where food may not have been kept cold enough or even hot enough at serving stations. In other words, you don’t know what you’re getting.
To reduce your chances of having any of these unpleasant side effects, ask to have any sauces or gravies on the side instead on your main course—reducing your exposure to additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, MSG, and excess sodium. Also request that they use only salt to season your dish instead of other seasonings which may come with additives and preservatives that may cause GI upset. Make sure you’re eating at places that are fairly popular and have good turnover. That may speak to the freshness of their food.
To your health!
Leyla Muedin, MS, RD, CDN
