How do you refuse food?

[Krispykat]

Does anyone else feel awkward saying no to "healthy" foods like sushi? I went out with friends and felt really awkward as the only person not eating in a restaurant.. or if someone is like try a bite of this ___ , wanna go out for a date and get ice cream, etc.. What do you do without having to explain "oh sorry I can't, I"m on this program where you cant eat gluten, dairy, soy, grains, etc.." 

[kirkor]

"I'm doing a 'food thing' where I only eat certain things" and if they want to know more I'll elaborate.

[ShannonM816]

"Thanks, but not right now" or "I'm not really hungry" or "It looks great, maybe I'll have some in a bit" are all polite ways of saying no with no big explanation.

 

In a restaurant, you can probably find something compliant just to have some food in front of you, if it really bothers you -- a plain salad with a lemon wedge instead of dressing (obviously, specify no cheese, no croutons, no bacon or whatever else that particular restaurant uses) is usually available most places. I hear it can be possible to get sashimi that is compliant if you're careful about how you order, but I don't go out for sushi much so I'm not really sure on the details. Even if you don't actually eat the salad or whatever, it may be helpful to have something in front of you if you're just feeling self conscious. On the other hand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with joining your friends even if you can't or don't want to eat -- you're there for their company, not the food. If you all often go to the same restaurant, it's worth talking to the staff there at an off time and figuring out exactly what you can order, or if they're okay with you bringing in some food for yourself when the group of you is there.

 

For the "wanna go out for a date and get ice cream," you could say something like, I'd prefer not to have ice cream, but I'd love to spend time with you, could we go to _________ instead? (suggest a museum, a park, a movie, a botanical garden, ice skating, roller skating, people watching at the mall, hiking, biking, mini golf, rock climbing, a class of some sort, a book store, a drive along a scenic route... you get the idea, there's plenty of non-food options. If it's going to be at meal time, have some restaurants you're comfortable with that you can suggest, or suggest a picnic.) [This article has some tips on first dates while on Whole30, some of them might be helpful for other social situations as well.]