This is what I have to go through to plan a meal. I have to think really hard about each and every ingredient… and that’s why it’s so hard to eat out.

Today I decided to have a salmon salad sandwich:

• Bread — Not just any bread, but GF bread. Oh wait, most GF breads have some sort of FODMAP in them, such as pear or apple juice, honey, chicory, etc.. I like Schar white bread and I always toast the bread because GF bread is usually only edible when toasted.
• Canned salmon — I use this now instead of tuna, because salmon is awesome and some tuna seems to have gluten or FODMAPs or something. It upsets my tummy.
• Mayonnaise — I used to use Miracle Whip, but recently they replaced sugar with HFCS. Most mayos have HFCS, but there are some that do not. I use Hellman’s.
• Relish — I’ve only found one type of sweet relish I can eat, Wegman’s Organic relish. Every other relish has garlic, onions, and usually fructose or polyols.
• Mustard — need to find one that is GF, no onion, no fructose… I use a brand that is a Dijon mustard without any alcohol.
• Worcestershire sauce — as long as you are in the US, it is GF. In Canada, it has gluten (or did last I looked).
• Something crunchy — I used to put celery in my tuna fish salad, but celery has moderate amounts of FODMAPs so I avoid it. Now I use cucumbers. I eat a lot of cucumbers.
• Herbs and spices — you have to make sure they are GF. When I first went GF, I repeatedly glutened myself with a really lovely paprika my mom brought me back from Europe. After that, I used strictly McCormick’s brand, and now Penzey’s. I usually add pepper (but not too much, it can aggravate GERD), dill, and paprika.
• Tomato — I used to add tomato. Not so much anymore, because of reflux. The better I feel and the earlier it is in the day, the more likely I am to put tomato on.
• Extra pickles — in the old days, I’d add fire pickles (spicy sweet pickles) from the farm down the road. Now, almost never, due to reflux.
• Cheese — sometimes I add cheese. It has to be a non-lactose-containing cheese, so cheddar is acceptable as long as it is GF, but fresh or soft cheeses are not.