# The Olive Garden



## Guest (Jul 12, 2000)

Hey everybody, I'm really nervous about tomorrow. I have a lunch meeting with four people at the Olive Garden. I feel very comfortable around three of them and will be meeting one for the first time. So I'll probably be a little stressed. Hopefully nothing will happen but I'm already worried so who knows. Anyone know some safe foods to eat at the Olive Garden?? Thanks.Jess


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## LouiseM (Jun 30, 2000)

I hate to tell you, I LOVE the Olive garden, but I can not take it, the D. I would stick with the tomato based stuff, they do have some "light" menu options. I don't know how you do with salad, but they have a soup option. Good luck!


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## AZmom1 (Dec 6, 1999)

NO!!! Tomatoes are a common IBS trigger. I can't eat them. Breadsticks, plain pasta, plain chicken with sauce on the side, minestrone, sprite to drink. Boring, but safe.AZ


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## Mannie (Jan 17, 2000)

I usually eat very little in restaurants. The above suggestions are great... another suggestion is just to plan on eating only half your meal. I find big meals to be the biggest trigger for me. Either get something light, like soup or plain chicken ir even plain pasta, or order a regular meal but eat no more than half of it. Excuses I use around people I am not familiar with is that I ate a big breakfast, or that I'm just not much of a lunch person.


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## LNAPE (Feb 9, 1999)

Avoid the big salad they serve at the start I know it is hard to do but lettuce is also a trigger for a lot of us. I had the afrado about a month ago for fathers day dinner and did okay.Linda


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2000)

Thanks for the quick responses. I have no problem with tomatos. Thank goodness, I love them. I can't eat alfredo sauces at all. Thanks for all the tips. I hope it goes well.Take care,Jess


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## Severina (Oct 24, 1999)

Good luck, if I were you I'd stay away from the salad, the garlic breadsticks and anything with cream in it. Oh, and maybe just eat miniscule amounts.


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## moldie (Sep 25, 1999)

I too cannot take tomatoes, especially the cooked ones. I usually go for a grilled chicken salad with Ranch drsg., but everybodies triggers vary. I usually handle soups okay, but not the ones with tomatoes or beans. Otherwise, perhaps a chicken alfredo? It all depends if you can handle a little dairy or not. Good luck with the luncheon Jess.


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2000)

Olive Garden is a very difficult menu. Take an immodium beforehand just to be safe. The garlic in the breadsticks, the cheese, the tomatoes---all can be triggers. Do not eat dessert either...too sweet. Don't drink caffeine. Maybe you could order the chicken alfredo with the sauce on the side...then don't eat the sauce at all....


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2000)

I deliberately waited until you had gone to your lunch before answering this question because I didn't want to discourage you, but I have to tell you that both my husband and I have had to give up Olive Garden completely. We just cannot tolerate the food there anymore. We both get terrible gas, bloating and D from it these days! We really love the food, but it's just not worth it anymore. The strange thing is that although I am always a D person, he is usually a C!Hope you had a good time and didn't have any after effects!


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## SteveE (Jan 7, 1999)

I've said before that I'm skeptical of Mike's delayed food allergies theories, but the Olive Garden is the one place where I seriously wonder about it. It seems like I feel fine while I'm eating there, and even the day or two after I've eaten there. But somewhere around that 3rd or 4th day, I usually feel it come back to bite me.I've always just thought that all that white flour caused my system to get out of whack. I usually have a salad, ravioli and breadsticks. I also question the quality of the powdered garlic on the breadsticks...I basically don't do well with powdered garlic even at home. It needs to be the real deal and it needs to be in moderation.Consider taking some enzyme tablets before the meal, that might help.


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

Well of course for me having IBS and hypoglycemia it is a bad place to eat. They do have chicken on the menu and I can usually do a side of pasta and still not eat all of it. I do fine with a few carbs if I eat protein with it. But usually the pasta causes a lot of G in my intestines and then other problems with the hypo.I do a lot of spaghetti squash when I feel like pasta. Not the same but it can taste good.


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2000)

Thanks for your suggestions. Everything went fine, I toke an immodium just in case. I ended up ordering the pasta primavera. It was really good: angel hair like pasta, broccoli, yellow zucchini, carrots, onion in a sundried tomato broth. I feel fine so far and we had a good brainstorming session. I hope that I don't end up like SteveE and have problems later.Thanks again.Jess


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## Andy M (May 17, 1999)

The angel hair pasta vegetarian dish was safe for me, too. I'm glad for you that you had no problems.[This message has been edited by Andy M (edited 07-12-2000).]


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## AD (Jan 23, 2000)

I cannot eat at Italian restaurants because of the garlic. I have identified very few consistent triggers, but garlic makes me very nauseated, bloated and inert. It brings my whole digestive system to a halt. Not only that, but it tastes bad and gives bad breath. Does anyone else have problems with garlic?


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## CeCe (May 16, 1999)

There seem to be times when I just gave up worrying about what would happen "later". I took Imodium, enjoyed whatever I wanted to eat and paid the price later. Actually, most always, it was worth the price to not be so very anxious throughout the meal and for some time afterward. I just made sure I was near a bathroom when the Imodium wore off. My doctor suggested I use Imodium for "social occasions". It is well worth it!


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## Clancy Garner (Apr 5, 2000)

Sorry I missed this yesterday. I love the soup (Zuppa Toscanna) and salad. Course the lettuce gets me.... but there's a price to everything!!


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

AD,I love garlic and eat it a lot. I do have to be sure it is cooked well. I do not like to taste it when I am eating something that I cooked with it. I like the flavor it gives. Sometimes if it is not cooked well and it is something I am eating; I do not care for it. It has never bothered my stomach.


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## AD (Jan 23, 2000)

Anything I hate the taste of generally aggravates my IBS. This includes garlic, beef and citrus fruits. Perhaps I just don't develop the enzymes to digest it as well; I'm not sure. However, I do notice a pattern.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2000)

Whenever I eat tomato sauce (fresh tomatoes in moderation are okay), citrus or acidic juices, I have a lot of rectal itching and burning. It's as though the stool itself is acidic and stings. Is this possible?


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