Eating Out With Arthritis- Thai

After my post on Thai chicken soup I began to think about eating out and the best options for the Arthritis Diet. I thought it would be best to start with Thai cuisine and move on to others in following weeks, and start an ‘Eating Out’ series. 

I mentioned that Thai cookery incorporates many of our ‘essential’ ingredients and here is a list of dishes and options that work best on the diet:

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·     Phad Thai Noodles are perfect as they are made with flat rice noodles (not wheat) and are sweet, nutty, tangy and delicious. You may wish to ask for the dish to be prepared without egg. (Any other noodle dishes with the word ‘phad’ are likely to be flat rice noodles but double check with the person taking your order).

·     Any of the curries (green, red, Massaman) are ok to eat as they incorporate coconut milk (limited) with vegetables, herbs and spices. These curries also contain quite a bit of chilli so bear in mind that chilli is also a 'limited' ingredient. 

·     Steamed fish or barbecued chicken makes a regular appearance on Thai menus and are often served with Green Papaya salad (with dried shrimps and peanuts, but again can be spicy)

·     Soups such as Tom Yum and Tom Kha Gai (see our recipe) are great options for starters and full of flavour. 

·     Any griddled meat such as Satay chicken is another great starter option and is often not too spicy. 

·     Avoid starter platters, unless they contain Satay chicken as many of the nibbles are fried and contain wheat (e.g. sesame prawn toast, spring rolls, wontons/dumplings). 

When eating out at restaurants that offer food that is spicy and cooked with chilli, it is always a possibility to ask the waiter or waitress if the chilli can be taken out or reduced. I have found that most restaurants are happy to accommodate this request wherever possible. 

Chilli is only a 'limited' ingredient (from the nightshade plant family) and you might find that you are not effected by it, but I'm afraid that only trial and error will tell. Eating out at restaurants and at dinner parties are times when you are likely to eat 'limited' ingredients as you don't have total control of the ingredients and preparation.