Thursday, December 22, 2011

"Hold the pickle. Hold the lettuce . . ."

Michael is too young to remember the old advertisement for getting dinner made your way at Burger King, but he is having to "special order" quite a bit of his food these days.  The bone marrow transplant diet is rather restrictive in order to protect him from the possiblity of any food borne illness.  He wanted to share some of the general rules that he must follow for at least the first 100 days after transplant.
  1. In general:  Food should be prepared carefully in a clean environment.  Hot foods must be served hot; cold foods must be served cold.  Foods must be put away properly and immediately.  Leftovers are only allowed in their original state (hot or cold) for only 48 hours after originally served.  No food may be eaten after its expiration date.
  2. Fruits and vegetables:  May not be fresh or raw.  Must be frozen or cooked.  Must choose from those with a thick skin (orange, banana, canteloupe).  Juices must be pastuerized.  May not eat salads at all.
  3. Dairy products:  Must choose only mild, packaged cheeses; no aged or specialty cheeses.  May not eat any cheese product from a deli.  May not eat soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurts.  May not eat cream-filled products.  Milk must be pasteurized.
  4. Breads and grains:  May not eat any breads from a self-service bin (including restaurants).
  5. Meats:  Must be well-done.  May not eat any wild game (His favorite snack of deer sausage is out!).  May not eat any meat product from a deli.  May not eat most seafood.  May not eat jerkys.  May not eat fresh nuts or nuts still in shell.
  6. Beverages:  May not use ice from an ice maker.  May not drink products from a fountain machine (water or soda).  May not leave beverages out for more than an hour.
  7. Restaurants:  Must request food be made at point of ordering.  May not include condiments.  Absolutely no buffets.  (Since he cannot go out into public right now or trust a drive-through order, most restaurants are basically off limits.)
Michael isn't finding it too difficult to live within the guidelines, but it does require us to think about the food choices that we make.  He misses salads, tacos, fresh fruits, and his deer sausage/jerky; he is also frequently disappointed to find out that a leftover is "too old."  Can you guess what's on the menu for February 4th?

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