What can't you eat?

[alias_sqbr]

I thought about doing a poll (and may later) but people are so complicated decided it was easier just to ask. Partly out of curiousity, partly because having such extreme restrictions myself has made me want to be aware of other people's issues and cater to them where possible.

So: what can't you eat? I'm including moral choices and extreme taste preferences (ie you can't stand chili), but not anything where you'd rather not eat it but can put up with it if you have to, the operative word is can't.

So, mine:
I've gone back onto gluten (THANK GOD) but am otherwise being quite picky. So this is just where I'm at for now.

None: dairy, coconut, unfermented soy, chili, alcohol
Minimal: caffeine, cocoa or cocoa butter, artificial sweetners, acid (this includes fruits like plums and citrus, most fruit juices, salad dressing, preserved veggies and pickles, soft drink, and vinegar), spring onions/leek/watercress/chives, peppermint, paprika/red capsicum, fat (ie deepfried stuff), mustard, kidney beans, possibly pine nuts.

Also some artificial chemicals disagree with me but apart from artificial sweetners I haven't been able to pin down which exactly, so I just avoid overly processed foods. Gluten free flour mixes are definitely all bad, I think it may be the xanthum gum.

The usual disclaimers apply.

Comments

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

Sometimes mild chili is too hot for me. =(

(This made Thailand tricky, hah.)

What sort of recipes require soft drink?

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, poor old nico_wolfwood has issues with chili and seafood and live in Singapore, not fun.

What sort of recipes require soft drink?

Deep fried coke!

Ok, there was an implied "and drink" in there :P

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

Oh, well, in that case I can't drink carbonated beverages and won't drink alcohol. And I think there is some fruit that disagrees with me, because a few times I've had mixed fruit juice and had stomach bwargh.

Would custard, jelly etc. count? They make me nauseous when I look at them, so I can't eat them. =p

(The awesome thing was that my friends (one English, the other Thai) would test things to see if I'd be able to have it, but when spice they can't even taste is too hot for me...)

[alias_sqbr]

Are you ok with mildly alcoholic things like liqueur chocolates and lemon lime and bitters?

If you can't eat it even if it's all there is and you're hungry, it counts :)

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

I've eaten rum balls.

LLB is also carbonated. So no!

[alias_sqbr]

I've eaten rum balls.

But not liqueur chocolates? I reccomend them in the strongest terms. I eat them even though alcohol gives me horrible stomach pains.

LLB is also carbonated. So no!

That's cheating!

[the-riviera-kid.livejournal.com]

What sort of recipes require soft drink?
Scones made with lemonade?

[alias_sqbr]

Heh. True. I could probably eat those, actually (assuming they weren't made with butter), since the acid would probably be neutralised by the bicarb etc. (The only actively acidic bread I've encountered that didn't contain lots of citrus etc was sourdough bread)

[black-samvara.livejournal.com]

I can eat anything, which I have come to realise makes me very fortunate.

[alias_sqbr]

I'll try not to hate you too much :)

[lizbyrd.livejournal.com]

Vegetarian, including being picky about gelatine and cheese, although if I'm in a restaurant I don't tend to confirm that their cheese is vegetarian.

Most of my severe dislikes have faded, but sandwiches still make me want to throw up.

[lizbyrd.livejournal.com]

BTW, are you coming to our christmas party tomorrow?

[alias_sqbr]

We were going to, but Cam has twisted his ankle and I don't think I'm up to effort of going alone (especially after looking after him all day and presumably tomorrow) Sorry :(

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

I hope he gets well soon!

[alias_sqbr]

He's certainly improving.

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah my moral convictions tend to soften when eating out.

Sandwiches huh? That's fairly unique :)

[elaran.livejournal.com]

beef for religious reasons NEVER MIND that i am being all WATCH ME BE NOT RELIGIOUS. it's still wrong to me. =/

there are things i don't like but i will still eat them [eggplant, bitter gourd etc]. i used to be allergic to prawns but grew out of that.

[alias_sqbr]

I read this article about people snacking on communion wafers and had a strong reaction of "OMG YOU'RE EATING JESUS FOR FUN"(*). It goes deep this stuff...

I have recently come around to the tastiness of eggplant when cooked correctly but won't try to convince you :D

(*)This reaction is theologically flawed for many different reasons

[elaran.livejournal.com]

Nah, I realise that sometimes it tastes really goos. :) Mum tried the odd eggplant-in-yoghurt recipe that was delicious but she makes icky-eggplant-recipe more often. =/

[alias_sqbr]

Oh yeah, I couldn't get into eggplant or zucchini till I'd been out of home for a few years and the memories of mum's terrible ratatouille had softened.

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

That's like me with spinach. I thought it was the devil's food, but when not-my-mother cooks it, it's okay!

[flyingblogspot.livejournal.com]

AFAIK, there's nothing that I absolutely can't eat, in that it gives me an anaphylactic reaction. (I do tend to differentiate between that an 'won't eat because it makes me ill', just because being married to someone who does experience a life-threatening allergy makes one see it differently.)

I'm gluten intolerant, but thankfully not so much so that trace amounts are an issue - if I go to a restaurant, I can order something with rice / vegetables / potatoes / polenta / meat and not have to ask about sauces, seasonings and dressings. Same to a lesser degree with dairy, although yoghurt and cheese are fine.

For some reason I loathe olives stuffed with blue cheese, although I like both ingredients on their own.

In Iceland I passed up the chance to try whale, because I was ethically uncomfortable with it and didn't feel I'd sufficiently thought the issue through. And I won't buy non-free-range chicken from the supermarket, although I'm sure I consume some in pre-prepared meals like Indian takeout.

I can't think of anything else I won't eat, right now, except for endangered animals. :)

[alias_sqbr]

(I do tend to differentiate between that an 'won't eat because it makes me ill', just because being married to someone who does experience a life-threatening allergy makes one see it differently.)

I can understand that. Sometimes people in restaurants treat me like I have "One crumb and I'll DIE" intolerances and I feel bad, I try to be clear so I don't make them complacent towards people with deadly allergies.

Hmm, yes, I wouldn't eat endangered animals (well not if it encouraged their hunting anyway) I try to eat free-range in my own cooking too, but since I'm not going to refuse to eat a cake made with cage eggs etc don't count it for this sort of thing.

[vegetus.livejournal.com]

What I can't eat lest I have a nasty physical reaction: Walnuts.

What I choose not to eat lest I have a nasty moral reaction: flesh of animals, eggs, honey and other animal products.

What I avoid eating due to both moral and physical reactions: dairy products.

Thanks for making the distinction between moral choices, preferences and intollerance/allergies :)

[alias_sqbr]

Thanks for making the distinction between moral choices, preferences and intollerance/allergies :)

From the point of view of a caterer they have significant differences: ie you would object to a "little bit" of cheese in a dish (unlike someone with a mild intolerance), but won't die if somehow a crumb of it falls in by accident (though obviously if enough "falls in" that you notice you'd be pretty unhappy...)

[evil-megz.livejournal.com]

There is nothing at all I can't eat due to health reasons. There is nothing commonly served in Western cultures that I can't/won't eat for moral reasons, and I would be willing to try just about everything if I was within a culture where eating that thing was appropriate.

I guess, as is the way when you're spoiled for choice, there is a long, long list of things I won't eat because I don't much like them.

[alias_sqbr]

I guess, as is the way when you're spoiled for choice, there is a long, long list of things I won't eat because I don't much like them

Oh, despite not being spoiled for choice I still have those :)

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

There's nothing I *can't* eat per se at least once, but if I want to remain more-or-less upright I avoid the following *deep breath*:

Meat: All processed meat, anything aged, anything pork-based, game.
Fish: Anything aged, smoked, tinned, oily or tasty.
Fruit: Everything (it still freaks me out)
Veges: Anything brightly coloured or tasty, including green leafy veges and mushrooms (WTF?)
Dairy: Complicated. Let's say dairy in small doses only. I did nearly die as a baby from cow's milk.
Herbs/spices: Everything except minimal amounts of parsley, chives and garlic.
Other: All artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, flavour enhancers.
Drinks: Everything except water (OK, I'm theoretically permitted gin, vodka and whiskey, but I never drank them when I had the choice, so why start now?)

Also have to be (stupidly) careful about the age of permitted foods like eggs and meat.

Bored now, unsurprisingly. Happy to answer specific queries.

Edit for typo and additions:
Corn, flavoured rice (jasmine, basmarti, wild)
Wheat: less is more

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, that does sound pretty frustrating. I would totally be livening it up with generous libations of gin and whiskey, but that may just be because I can't have them :)

I think you forgot chocolate. Sorry to remind you, I feel your pain :/

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

And chocolate. Yes.

It's been nearly a year now and it's a lot easier than it used to be.

[alias_sqbr]

Yes, while I'm very glad to go back to eating wheat by the end there it had gotten much easier, and I found a bunch of tasty foods I'd never have considered otherwise.

[bunny-m.livejournal.com]

There's nothing I *can't* eat, although dairy seems to have an annoying effect on my these past couple of years.

There's a couple of things I *won't* eat:

Baked beans, as they totally revolt me. The taste, texture and smell all make me want to vomit. I have zero idea why

Octopus. I decided years ago that these critters are just too intelligent for me to be comfortable eating them. Likewise I wouldn't eat gorilla, chimpanzee or orang-utan for much the same reason.

Now, if only octopus wasn't so damn tasty. :(

[alias_sqbr]

I probably shouldn't eat octopus (by my own moral reckoning), and don't do it very often, but well, they're tasty...I try to avoid pork for the same reason (plus apparently pig farming is extraspecially unsustainable) But again, tasty.

Baked beans used to really bother me, but I've found I don't mind them sparingly in toasted sandwiches with bacon. I tend to think it's not worth the bother though. (Plus, well, bacon=pig...)

[gemfyre.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to increase my chilli tolerance, but I'm not doing very well. I still can't understand why some people eat a food that causes immense amounts of pain.

I won't eat anything that's endangered.

I have no doubt that some things disagree with me. I think I have mild IBS, but I love food too much and it doesn't bother me enough for me to do elimination diets and such.

[gemfyre.livejournal.com]

Oh!! I have issues with boiled egg white. They literally make me gag, it's a texture thing. I have the same issue with gooby fat on meat, I used to have problems with fried egg while but with a piece of toast that's fine. Jelly also used to be a problem due to the texture.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh, yes, gooby fat on meat, blech.

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, even before I had to go off chili because of my reflux I never understood the desire for super spicy food (unless you grew up with it) A little bit can add a nice tang though, imo, I certainly notice the lack in certain dishes.

[mexicanjewlizrd.livejournal.com]

capasium: because it has nothing to do with pain. The fake burning sensation causes a rush of blood (and such) to the mouth, and stimulates it, making it more receptive and sensitive. Ie, if you can take it/not bothered by it, it makes food taste more intense.

[justadecoy.livejournal.com]

Can't eat:
Raw or sundried tomato to include insufficiently cooked tomato
The multivits I bought a couple of weeks ago that have tomato extracts in them... never seen that before and didn't even consider loooking.
Cooked tomato that is identifiable as it's source by texture, I get less of a reaction but it still makes me sick as my body thinks I'm trying to poison it.

I'm fine with tomato based sauce, pasta sauce etc that has had the tomato sufficiently boiled / heat treated away to nothingness. Anything with tomato pieces and I'm sick for days.

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, I wouldn't think to check vitamins for tomato either! There needs to be like a little device you can just point at things.

[fred-mouse.livejournal.com]

there is something about canned food that will trigger gastric upsets of various intensity, depending on the quantity/type of food ingested. Similarly dairy foods. I choose to be vegetarian, but that is also somewhat a physical issue as well - very small amounts are fine, but anything more will give me serious stomachache. Also, currently testing whether wheat is a contributing factor in my pain/fatigue issues. None of these are life threatening, but I suspect that a diet high in either canned or dairy food would be risky, as I might be unable to digest very much.

[alias_sqbr]

I sometimes think the reason I was a fairly skinny as a kid and gained weight in my twenties is because I went off dairy and stopped being horribly nauseous all the time.

On the other hand, I'm hardly the only woman to be skinny as a kid and gain weight in my 20s :)

[nico-wolfwood.livejournal.com]

For allergy reasons I can't eat shellfish - My throat gets itchy and then I start scratching all over and it's just all bad. In SIngapore this really sucks. We're now getting all our dinners catered (in little tiffin tins!) and I had to ring them and very sternly explain exactly what I meant by shellfish. They kindly warned me off their vegetable dishes as they almost always add tiny dried shrimp to those.

For reflux reasons I try and avoid chili, caffeine (I cheat on this sometimes and pay for it later) and cheese. Milk is fine oddly enough as I somehow managed to get over my problems with it by desensitising myself to it. Or possibly it's because I'm no longer drinking Australian milk...

[alias_sqbr]

Or possibly it's because I'm no longer drinking Australian milk...

Heh, well, that'll be a fun experiment for when you come for a visit, huh? :)

[mexicanjewlizrd.livejournal.com]

So far, absolutely nothing (normal) I can't (or won't) eat.

Oh, some melons _can_ (but not always), make me a little mucusy, but I'm not sure if that counts.

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah probably not, unless the peer pressure to have a food intolerance is getting to you :)