Summertime and Food Choices

Posted by Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor @rosemarya, May 18, 2017

Summer is nearly here. And so are all sorts of fun outdoor activities and...food!!!
Just think of it - festivals and... vendors; fairs and...featured taste treats; baseball games and... concession stands; even family reunions with... granny's famous recipe potato salad. Yum Yum Yum

Now that your appetite has returned after your transplant, how are you going to decide what to eat? Or not to eat?
How do you apply food safety guidelines when faced with so many temptations?
Do you have any helpful advice to share?
Let us all enjoy our summer!

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Hi Rosemary,
It was summer here for a few days and I started to think about strawberry socials and all the great foods that come with them, but it has turned cool again. Alas summer will come and your topic is a good one.
@coastalgirl @sandras @ters1993 @coky @wkary @wmoser2613 @dglass4040 @swordfish @mollyb1968 @bsox1901 @maryallard @vacamrc @contentandwell @metallicpea what food safety guidelines guide your food choices?

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@colleenyoung Colleen, regarding food safety I just go by what is pretty standard practice, making sure things are not out of the fridge for too long, and things like that. I have also become very careful of any fruit has been around for a while. I guess fruit that has been around can have bacteria or something making it not a good thing if you are on immunosuppressants.
Speaking of food and all, it has been suggested to me that I not eat salads and other roughage due to a lower digestive problem (trying to express that politely). They have modified my medications and the problem is not as bad as it was but it has not gone. I generally live on salads, have one for lunch and a side salad for dinner. Arrrgggg, what to eat now since I also try to be conservative about carbs, being mildly diabetic. I had a PCP appointment today and he suggested I try metamucil, obviously after checking with my transplant team. I just want to eat salads again!
JK

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@contentandwell

@colleenyoung Colleen, regarding food safety I just go by what is pretty standard practice, making sure things are not out of the fridge for too long, and things like that. I have also become very careful of any fruit has been around for a while. I guess fruit that has been around can have bacteria or something making it not a good thing if you are on immunosuppressants.
Speaking of food and all, it has been suggested to me that I not eat salads and other roughage due to a lower digestive problem (trying to express that politely). They have modified my medications and the problem is not as bad as it was but it has not gone. I generally live on salads, have one for lunch and a side salad for dinner. Arrrgggg, what to eat now since I also try to be conservative about carbs, being mildly diabetic. I had a PCP appointment today and he suggested I try metamucil, obviously after checking with my transplant team. I just want to eat salads again!
JK

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JK, I agree that making food safety a standard practice is the best policy. I think that I remain super vigilant, because at 8 years, I do not allow myself to let down my guard (and my husband is even more watchful for my safety). For me, it is the outdoor fests that put me to the test! Of course - wash hands has become as natural as breathing.

Our town will be hosting a huge brass band festival in early June. And Friday night is a street party with Cajun foods and drinks (think Bourbon Trail Route) - an there is me; liver transplant rules out the beverage selection, and I do not feel comfortable eating from vendors. So I pack myself a treat and my water, my beverage of choice. I used to get angry that I could not indulge, but then I learned a neat thing from an elderly relative who had lost her taste, but retained her marvelous attitude. She said, "I remember how good it used to taste." I use that a lot:-)
Rosemay

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@rosemarya I really miss those things too. I still miss having a glass of wine, and I actually miss the whole wine culture as much as I miss the wine! We used to go almost annually to wine country in CA when we went to visit my step-son who lived in the SF area. That was fun. Now I have my little indulgences in things like HINT water, and I recently found some iced tea bags with a touch of fruit in them that are fabulous, .
I am not a fan of wedding and baby showers (nor is my daughter who will be getting married sometime soon who absolutely does not want a shower), and I thought I had an out from going to a baby shower coming up but the person having it said she will have the kitchen make up a special plate of food for me before it goes out to the buffet. There went my excuse. I sound like a real scrooge, huh?
My daughter is independently of my feelings, even worse. She won't even do a wedding registry because she does not want people to feel that she is asking for gifts.
JK

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@contentandwell

@rosemarya I really miss those things too. I still miss having a glass of wine, and I actually miss the whole wine culture as much as I miss the wine! We used to go almost annually to wine country in CA when we went to visit my step-son who lived in the SF area. That was fun. Now I have my little indulgences in things like HINT water, and I recently found some iced tea bags with a touch of fruit in them that are fabulous, .
I am not a fan of wedding and baby showers (nor is my daughter who will be getting married sometime soon who absolutely does not want a shower), and I thought I had an out from going to a baby shower coming up but the person having it said she will have the kitchen make up a special plate of food for me before it goes out to the buffet. There went my excuse. I sound like a real scrooge, huh?
My daughter is independently of my feelings, even worse. She won't even do a wedding registry because she does not want people to feel that she is asking for gifts.
JK

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JK, I wish we lived near each other! I can imagine us, sipping iced tea or water with a slice of lemon (rinsed, od course) in the shade! I, too, do not enjoy attending showers. I was fortunate that my daughter-in-law did not want one, either.

It is very thoughtful of the hostess to have a prepared plate prepared for you before it hits the buffet:-)
Rosemary

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