DEAR DR. GOTT:
For some time my family and I have been troubled with eating in restaurants, only to end up — sometimes within minutes — with explosive diarrhea. We’ve gone to a well-known chain and to fine establishments. We’ve had the same meals, different meals, and one, if not all of us, gets ill every time. My wife and daughter recently had identical meals in a classy Italian restaurant and my daughter got sick immediately, while my wife was just queasy. Generally after the first attack things settle down and we simply feel poorly but get over it in a few hours. Do you have any ideas and are other people having the same problem?
DEAR READER:
I have two trains of thought. The first is that you could be suffering from food poisoning, but this is unlikely because several of you visit a variety of restaurants and don’t get ill every time.
In all likelihood, your family is accustomed to certain foods at home that are seasoned with certain spices. When you visit restaurants, you are exposed to a variety of foods and additives that make everything taste wonderful, but to which your digestive systems are unaccustomed to. You might try more traditional bland dishes, avoiding rich sauces and desserts when dining out. You may also want to avoid restaurant salads because most wash their lettuces in a sulfite solution that can cause immediate, sometimes uncontrollable, diarrhea in sensitive individuals.
About Dr. Gott