Dating is a nerve-wracking experience in itself, but when you’re also dealing with food issues, such as health conditions, problems, allergies or being an extremely picky eater, it can open up a new level of concern and worry that may severely knock your confidence. If you have trouble feeling confident when eating out anyway, this can be even worse when you have the nerves of a first date to take into account.
To help, here are some ideas for how you can make the experience a lot easier and more comfortable.
Be Open and Honest with Your Date
Your stresses and nerves are going to be a lot more pronounced if you’re trying to hide anything from your date when ordering or eating food. It’s much better to just be straight with your date about your situation. If they’re a kind person and worth the time you’re giving them, they’ll understand and make no judgments. It may even be that they’re suffering with the same thing but didn’t want to say!
So if you’re a picky eater, tell them so, or tell them what you like and don’t like when arranging where to eat out. If you have any allergies, explain it to them in conversation.
Being open and honest is the best way to start any date, regardless.
Think What You Need to Take with You
Being more equipped to deal with any problems helps you to be more comfortable and know that any issues are covered. If you’re worried about allergies, do you have any medication you can take with you on your date if you need to attend to it? If you have swallowing difficulties, solutions like Simply Thick also mean that eating out can be significantly easier for you. If you struggle with coughing or throat issues, would taking a bottle of water with you help you to feel at ease? Or could you ask for a bottle of water for the table?
Don’t be afraid to acknowledge what you need to take or do to be more comfortable.
Plan Ahead of Time
Your confidence levels are going to be affected by where you choose to eat, so any last-minute arrangements or restaurant bookings which aren’t suitable might already get the date off to a bad start.
Think ahead of time what would be the best dining date for you and your companion. Would you feel more comfortable in a more casual eating environment, or more formal? Perhaps you’d prefer to eat on-the-go, like with street food, while planning another experience? Discuss it with your date ahead of time, too, if you can, to make sure you can find somewhere suitable for the both of you.
Think About Your Portions
You may be on a strict diet but worried how your date might perceive that, or maybe you just struggle with larger portions. Perhaps heavy foods give you digestion problems and discomfort. Your portion size will help to make the experience more comfortable for you if you plan for what you need.
If you need to choose a lighter meal, a smaller portion, or avoid getting any starters or desserts, be honest. Don’t force yourself to overeat and be uncomfortable to impress a date!
Final Thought
Hopefully, with these ideas you can have a more successful date where you can enjoy your food and drink without having to worry about it.
