Nutrition Tips For Eating Out
fcs

Download the FCS nutrition fact sheets you want

You can download individual PDFs of important nutrition information. Save these on your computer or phone of print them and keep them with you.

Tips for eating out with FCS

Prepare ahead of time

Find out what’s on the menu before being served
With this knowledge, you can prepare for your dining experience and make the right choices to avoid the pressure of the actual social situation. Ask the person in charge of an event or dinner party about the kind of food you can expect. If you’re going to a restaurant, check to see if they have nutrition facts or a menu posted online. If not, visit the restaurant to pick a menu up or call to see if the manager can provide some information.

See if you can make special food preparation requests
Depending on what’s being served, you may be able to make certain modifications. Don’t assume family, friends, or chefs will make changes on the fly, though. Ask and confirm before you get there.

Special tips for dining with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS)


Find out if you can bring FCS-friendly food with you
If there are no safe options, or you do not want to take a chance eating something you did not prepare, you may be able to bring something with you instead. Get the okay from the restaurant’s manager and, if you’re eating at someone’s house, let them know you may have to bring your own food.

Offer alternatives
When all else fails, see if there is someplace more appropriate near the original dining location (if changing venues is an option).

Or offer to provide a recipe to an FCS-friendly substitute for a planned dish.

And be prepared for changes in plans by knowing other FCS-friendly restaurants in the area, in case the first choice falls through.

Share your FCS wallet card with servers and waitstaff
Let them know that you can get sick if you eat any fat. Using the phase “allergic to fat” will get wait and kitchen staff’s attention, even if it is not an accurate description of FCS.

Skip items with danger words
Words like fried, crispy, breaded, sautéed, in a butter sauce, au gratin, and creamy indicate high-fat foods- stay away from these food items.

Narrow choices
Choose foods with words that include: steamed, poached, baked, grilled, broiled, and made to order.

Double check that they are not prepared with any fat.

Pick a go-to dish
If you’re still not sure what to eat, common items that you might be able to consider include: shrimp cocktail, steamed vegetables (without added oil, butter, or other fats), vegetable salads (without cheese, crunchies, nuts, or dressings that have fat), grilled chicken breast prepared without oil, or baked fish entrées with steamed brown rice. Just make sure they are prepared without added fat or sauces.

Ask for flavor enhancers you can add yourself
Fresh lemon or lime, vinegar, mustard, cracked pepper, fat- free salsa and other spices can put some control in your hands. You may also take along your own packets of fat-free salad dressing to flavor not just salad, but also chicken, fish, veggies, and baked potatoes.

Stay hydrated
And stay away from certain beverages. Drinking plenty of water may not only decrease the occurrence and severity of pancreatitis, but will also help keep you feeling full. On the other hand, alcohol, sugary soft drinks, and fruit juice may cause increases in triglycerides, so avoid those. Enhance your water’s flavor by adding a few strawberries, cucumbers, and sugar-free mixes with safe ingredients.

Use this experience to make the next one even better
Think about what you enjoyed and how you can build on that next time. Also, acknowledge what did not go so well – and figure out how you might do things differently next time.

Bonus tip
Identify three restaurants within 10 minutes of your home that have menu items compatible with your eating plan. Use these as your “go-to” back-ups when on the road.

If you are not sure where to start, check the Healthy Dining Finder website and search by restaurant or zip code. A list of restaurants with menu selections that meet the healthy dining criteria will appear.

Show References
 
  • 1. Laufs U, Parhofer KG, Ginsberg HN, Hegele RA. Clinical review on triglycerides. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(1):99-109c.
  • 2. Ginsberg HN, Packard CJ, Chapman MJ, Borén J, Aguilar-Salinas CA, Averna M, et al. Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their remnants: metabolic insights, role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emerging therapeutic strategies-a consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society. Eur Heart J. 2021;42(47):4791-806.
  • 3. Virani SS, Morris PB, Agarwala A, Ballantyne CM, Birtcher KK, Kris-Etherton PM, et al. 2021 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway on the management of ASCVD risk reduction in patients with persistent hypertriglyceridemia: A report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2021.
  • 4. Nordestgaard BG, Varbo A. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease. Lancet. 2014;384(9943):626-35.
  • 5. Packard CJ. Remnants, LDL, and the quantification of lipoprotein-associated risk in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2022;24(1534-6242 (Electronic)):133-42.
  • 6. Wang Y. Higher fasting triglyceride predicts higher risks of diabetes mortality in US adults. Lipids Health Dis. 2021;20(1):181.
  • 7. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, Beam C, Birtcher KK, Blumenthal RS, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the management of blood cholesterol: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019;73(24):e285-e350.
  • 8. Chyzhyk V, Brown AS. Familial chylomicronemia syndrome: A rare but devastating autosomal recessive disorder characterized by refractory hypertriglyceridemia and recurrent pancreatitis. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2020;30(2):80-5.
  • 9. National Lipid Association. Lifestyle changes to reduce triglycerides: Advice from the National Lipid Association Clinician’s Lifestyle Modification Toolbox. https://www.lipid.org/sites/default/files/lifestyle_changes_to_reduce_triglycerides.final_edits.7.17.16_0.pdf.
  • 10. Santos-Baez LS, Ginsberg HN. Hypertriglyceridemia-causes, significance, and approaches to therapy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020;11:616.
  • 11. Sandesara PB, Virani SS, Fazio S, Shapiro MD. The forgotten lipids: Triglycerides, remnant cholesterol, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk. Endocr Rev. 2019;40(2):537-57.
  • 12. Carrasquilla GD, Christiansen MR, Kilpeläinen TO. The genetic basis of hypertriglyceridemia. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2021;23(8):39.
  • 13. Dron JS, Dilliott AA, Lawson A, McIntyre AD, Davis BD, Wang J, et al. Loss-of-function CREB3L3 variants in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2020;40(8):1935-41.
  • 14. Javvaji A, Can AS, Sharma S. Dysbetalipoproteinemia. StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing Copyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC.; 2023.
  • 15. Moulin P, Dufour R, Averna M, Arca M, Cefalù AB, Noto D, et al. Identification and diagnosis of patients with familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS): Expert panel recommendations and proposal of an "FCS score". Atheroscler. 2018;275:265-72.
  • 16. Nawaz H, Koutroumpakis E, Easler J, Slivka A, Whitcomb DC, Singh VP, et al. Elevated serum triglycerides are independently associated with persistent organ failure in acute pancreatitis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2015;110(10):1497-503.
  • 17. Stroes E, Moulin P, Parhofer KG, Rebours V, Löhr JM, Averna M. Diagnostic algorithm for familial chylomicronemia syndrome. Atheroscler Suppl. 2017;23:1-7.
  • 18. Bedogni G, Bellentani S, Miglioli L, Masutti F, Passalacqua M, Castiglione A, et al. The Fatty Liver Index: a simple and accurate predictor of hepatic steatosis in the general population. BMC Gastroenterol. 2006;6:33.
  • 19. Koehler EM, Schouten JN, Hansen BE, Hofman A, Stricker BH, Janssen HL. External validation of the fatty liver index for identifying nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a population-based study. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013;11(9):1201-4.
  • 20. Nivukoski U, Niemelä M, Bloigu A, Bloigu R, Aalto M, Laatikainen T, et al. Combined effects of lifestyle risk factors on fatty liver index. BMC Gastroenterol. 2020;20(1):109.
  • 21. Paquette M, Bernard S. The evolving story of multifactorial chylomicronemia syndrome. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022;9:886266.
  • 22. Vincent AM, Hinder LM, Pop-Busui R, Feldman EL. Hyperlipidemia: a new therapeutic target for diabetic neuropathy. J Peripher Nerv Syst. 2009;14(4):257-67.
  • 23. Benefits of physical activity: Center for Disease Control and Prevention. [https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm.
  • 24. Tari AR, Nauman J, Zisko N, Skjellegrind HK, Bosnes I, Bergh S, et al. Temporal changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and risk of dementia incidence and mortality: a population-based prospective cohort study. Lancet Public Health. 2019;4(11):e565-e74.
  • 25. Whole person health: What you need to know: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. [https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/whole-person-health-what-you-need-to-know.
  • 26. Berglund L, Brunzell J, Sacks FM. Patient information page from The Hormone Foundations. Patient guide to the assessment and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia (high triglycerides). J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97(9):31a-2a.
  • 27. Ito MK. Chapter 6. Patient-centered care. In: Gogia S, editor. Fundamentals of Telemedicine and Telehealth: Academic Press; 2020:115-126.
  • 28. Barry MJ, Edgman-Levitan S. Shared decision making--pinnacle of patient-centered care. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(9):780-1.
  • 29. Elwyn G, Frosch D, Thomson R, Joseph-Williams N, Lloyd A, Kinnersley P, et al. Shared decision making: a model for clinical practice. J Gen Intern Med. 2012;27(10):1361-7.
  • 30. Jacobson TA, Maki KC, Orringer CE, Jones PH, Kris-Etherton P, Sikand G, et al. National Lipid Association recommendations for patient-centered management of dyslipidemia: Part 2. J Clin Lipidol. 2015;9(6 Suppl):S1-122.e1.
  • 31. Banerji A, Anderson J, Johnston DT. Optimal management of hereditary angioedema: Shared decision-making. J Asthma Allergy. 2021;14:119-25.
  • 32. Zeman H, Cavanaugh E, Metallinos-Katsaras E, Ireland K, Pojednic R. Improved long-term outcomes in high-risk patients receiving registered dietitian nutritionist care. Endocr Metab Sci. 2021;2:100078.
  • 33. Morrell J, Wierzbicki T. 10 Steps before you refer for: Lipids. Br J Cardiol. 2009;16:242-5.
  • 34. Davidson M, Stevenson M, Hsieh A, Ahmad Z, Roeters van Lennep J, Crowson C, et al. The burden of familial chylomicronemia syndrome: Results from the global IN-FOCUS study. J Clin Lipidol. 2018;12(4):898-907.e2.
  • 35. Lipid Panel: Cleveland Clinic. [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/17176-lipid-panel.
  • 36. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) systematic review [https://www.andeal.org/topic.cfm?menu=3949.

Your are about to leave KnowYourTGs.com

You will be taken to a website independently operated and not managed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Ionis Pharmaceuticals assumes no responsibility for the content of the site.

Thank you for visiting KnowYourTGs.com