Plain Chicken or veggies eating out?

[rachael.anne.h]

So, I am on day 5 and feeling pretty good. However, I have a question. I went out to a bar and grill sort of place last night (Three Wise Men). The absolutely didn't have anything on the menu for me that I could eat but I asked them if they could just grill a chicken breast. What we ended up doing was "adding" chicken to the salad that my friend got but requested it on the side and that's what I ate.It was breaded or fried. It was seasoned with some salt and pepper. But there was likely some sort of cross contaminant and I am honestly not sure what kind of oil they cooked it in or if it was slightly processed. I am not the most hardcore person but I do want to play by the rules and actually do this thing. Thoughts...? Did I do the right thing?

 

Also, I have been carrying a bag of raisins (whole 30 compliant) and nuts but I left it at home, otherwise I would've been fine!

[ShannonM816]

If it was breaded (maybe that's a typo?), it definitely wasn't compliant, as the breading would have had flour in it.

 

Even if it wasn't breaded, you don't really know what it was marinated in or what oil it was cooked in. Cross contamination -- like it was cooked on a grill where they also cook things with gluten or soy or whatever -- is not a big deal for whole30 purposes, although for people who are allergic to those things or are particularly sensitive to them, it can cause issues.

 

Whole30 does ask you to do your due diligence -- ask the questions. Explain your requirements. If something obviously doesn't meet those requirements (they bring you breaded meat or salad with corn or cheese after you specified what you wanted) then you need to say something and have it redone -- not that you need to make a scene or anything, but you need to say something and have them make it right. You don't have to go into the kitchen and watch the cook to make sure they do it right, you just have to be specific in what you want and do what you reasonably can to make sure you get it. This dining out guide has some tips that may be helpful next time.

 

The truth is, you don't know what was in the chicken you ate. If you ate something like soy or carrageenan or dairy, this could affect your reintroductions at the end, since you want to have 30 straight days without those items before reintroducing them. Ultimately, whether you restart or add days to the end of your 30 or just move forward without restarting is up to you -- read this article for more on how to decide.

[rachael.anne.h]

Hi Shannon, 

 

Thank you for that help. That was a typo, it was not breaded. Just grilled with some pepper. It didn't taste like it had fillers but who can really tell. It also didn't seem like weird fake Styrofoam chicken. I am towing the line between having grace with myself and starting over. I mostly just feel like the food that I prepare is okay because I know how it's prepared but any food that is not cooked by me makes me nervous. Is that normal? I don't have any significant food allergies, I just want to make sure that I am not going overboard.

Your words helped! 

[ShannonM816]

Hi Shannon, 

 

Thank you for that help. That was a typo, it was not breaded. Just grilled with some pepper. It didn't taste like it had fillers but who can really tell. It also didn't seem like weird fake Styrofoam chicken. I am towing the line between having grace with myself and starting over. I mostly just feel like the food that I prepare is okay because I know how it's prepared but any food that is not cooked by me makes me nervous. Is that normal? I don't have any significant food allergies, I just want to make sure that I am not going overboard.

Your words helped! 

 

It's pretty normal to be nervous about eating out. It can be kind of hard to balance wanting to go out and let someone else cook, versus wanting to control everything. As long as you've asked the questions and made clear what you want, it's okay to trust that the waiter and the cook will do what you've asked, unless something comes out obviously wrong. We don't want you to drive yourself crazy trying to do this, but we do want you to learn to be able to ask for what you want and take some control over what you're eating.

 

As for whether to start over, you could keep going for now, and at day 30, consider whether you might keep going for another five days to make sure you're really done 30 days straight through. Right now, adding another five days may sound overwhelming, but many people find when they get toward the end of this, that they don't really mind continuing on for a while.

 

Definitely keep hanging out here in the forum, reading about other people's experiences and sharing the ups and downs -- even if you don't feel like posting, you may find just knowing there are other people feeling the way you feel is helpful. If you go to the Join the Whole30 section of the forum, you'll see several threads started for people beginning around August 1. Take a look through them, and jump in and post something if you want to.