Is it safe to eat restaurant food?

Hi @kgwa Congratulations to your husband on his transplant. You didn’t mention which organ he received but the basic rules of dining out and food safety apply to everyone who has had a transplant and are taking immunosuppressants.

For dining out it’s best to choose a time of day when it’s not crowded to avoid exposure to Covid, RSV or other viruses
For food safety, these are the guidelines I was given for my bone marrow transplant:

Avoid entrée items that have uncooked or undercooked ingredients like eggs, poultry, meat, or fish. Don’t hesitate to ask your server about the menu items.

Avoid buffets. It is hard to control portion sizes at buffets. Foods may also be undercooked or have been at an unsafe temperature for too long. Also, think about how many people used those serving spoons ahead of you. Take along hand sanitizer.

Specific Foods to Avoid:
Hotdogs, deli meat, luncheon meat, smoked fish or meats, and precooked seafood should be reheated to steaming hot or 165 degrees F.
Unpasteurized pates or meat spreads
Unpasteurized/raw milk
Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk. (Check the food label to be sure.) Common cheeses made with raw milk: feta, brie, camembert, blue, and queso-fresco.
Unwashed fruits and vegetables
Raw sprouts (alfalfa, bean, or other sprouts)
Unpasteurized juices, ciders, or kombucha
Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, or fish (raw sushi)
Internal Cooking Temperatures

It is important to heat up some foods to certain temperatures. The list below gives recommended internal cooking temperatures.

Beef, pork, veal, and lamb (>145℉); ground meat (>160℉)
Poultry (ground, parts, whole and stuffing; ≥165℉)
Eggs (cook until yolk and white are firm); egg dishes (≥160℉)
Fin fish (≥145℉ or flesh is opaque)
Shrimp, lobster, and crabs (flesh is pearly and opaque)
Clams, oysters, and mussels (shells open)
Scallops (flesh is milky white, opaque, and firm)
Leftovers (cook or reheat to ≥165℉)

Also, this is a time of life when your husband can do a “me first, please” at family gathers so that he is the first one to use all the serving utensils. Small things like this can make a difference in remaining healthy.

What organ did your husband receive?

@kgwa welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect and congratulations to your husband on the transplant. What was transplanted? How long ago was it? Early on vigilance is really important (the first days, weeks and months). As more time passes things ease up a bit.
Hand washing, masking and frequently wiping down (disinfecting) surfaces that are commonly touched are simple things you both can do to protect the transplant. BUT outside of home there are no guarantees that other people are doing this. If you go to a restaurant you can wear masks and tell your hostess / server that you need extra precautions due to recent transplant. You can take wipes with you for the table and chairs. You can take a package of disposable silverware. Order a beverage in a bottle or can that you open yourself to avoid dirty glasses &/or contaminated ice (wipe that down too). Go during less busy hours so there are less customers and your server can be more attentive. Ask to be seated away from other people. Refrain from buffets where others are handling the serving utensils, causing spills & mixing food items. Going to a fast food place where you can see the food prepared on the other side of the order counter might be a safer option. You are also more likely to get disposable dishes and utensils that are one time only (by you). (You don’t actually know what goes on in the kitchen and dish washing room.) Just know that during the worst of the COVID time the rest of the world learned and adopted many of the same safety practices that the transplant community follows all the time. That reminds me; many restaurants have take out / to go options so you can buy what you like but eat it at home where you have more control over environmental hazards. Hope this helps.

I also congratulate your husband and you (because your life will improve as well) on his transplant. You didn't mention when he had his transplant, so I am assuming it is relatively recently. I had my double lung transplant at a hospital other than Mayo, but my team told me not to have any outside food until at least 3 months after transplant.

@cehunt57 Hi Cheryl, thank you for so many suggestions, this is great, Marlo had her pancreas and kidney transplant 8 weeks ago, she is doing well, a few issues with blood clots, gaining weight slow, building stamina, but everything things else is an absolute miracle and we are all so grateful, wants to know if we could start mall walking two days a week because of heat! Your suggestions on eating out, take out .. just so so valuable .. I will share all with Marlo, thank you for caring so much about others and helping so many stay on track all of u are just simply the best..always in our prayers, Marian.