Im a weird eater, can I have some advice please?

[lolliwillowes]

Maybe not that weird, but im fussy.

My idea, tasty meal would be a long, oblong plate with a selection of small bits. The bits include a few slices of apple, half handful of mixed nuts and dried fruit, a bot of avocado, a few dices of applewood cheese, a couple of grapes, some seeds, cucumber, cress, radish and some lettuce.
I would occasionally mix this with some mackerel or tuna.

Other than that, I have IBS and a lot of stuff like tons of roasted veg really give me painful gas.

Would variations of this be long term healthy? I do occasionally cook up some broccoli, carrots and green beans if wanting something hot.

But my main question is, can salad be ok in winter? I had a dreadful bout of Norovirus a few years ago the put me in A&E on fluids for age hours. Not the end of the world, but was told to avoid salad in winter. Is there a way to make sure salad like cress can be eaten bug-free?

crikey apologies for the typos, my keyboard is a beast!

I lost so much weight with noro it took me 2 yrs to get to normal again, so would love to avoid if possible. I know we can't always but I don't want to make it easier for the bugger to get to me!

Are you eating this way by choice or because you feel you have to? You mentioned restrictions on your choices due to IBS, but I get the sense that you have some food anxiety from your bout of norovirus. I’m not judging, I got food poisoning years ago and still have anxiety about undercooked food.

Avoiding foods that irritate your IBS is completely understandable. You know what will cause a flare up so you’re managing it.

With regards to the norovirus, if lettuce was a main component of your diet then I suppose you were statically more likely to get it than other people. (I read about lettuce having a high chance of carrying the virus). But there are lots of other ways you could have caught it. I don’t think there’s any way to know if it’s on the lettuce or remove it before eating. In addition if your diet is restricted to the items listed this could have had an impact on your immune system.

If this is the case you should probably at least make sure you’re taking some supplements, immune support or multivitamin. Advice from a nutritionist who can give you guidance on getting a more rounded diet that fits in with your IBS needs might also be helpful.

Pretty much any food we eat has the potential to make us ill, we can mitigate the risks as much as possible but sometimes it’s going to happen.

I don't suffer from ibs at the moment but i used to as a teen and now my DS does.
What works for us:
Rice
Chickpeas
Lentils
Plain tofu
Hard boiled eggs

This gives you protein and is relatively plain. You can start on small quantities on your plate and see how you go

my main question is, can salad be ok in winter?

There’s nothing magic about the seasons that makes salad healthier or safer in summer than in winter, other than that you’re potentially eating bagged washed salad leaves that have travelled around the world further and been preserved for longer. If you never eat bagged washed salad you pretty much cut out the problem as you’re either eating it in season and washing it properly yourself or it’s unavailable out of season.

Your diet sounds a bit restrictive and I think there must be substitutions you can make that won’t trigger your IBS. What carbs do you eat? And what about breakfast etc? A balanced healthy diet is balanced over a longer period than one meal so it’s hard to say on the information you’ve given.

If you really feel that your salad may be contaminated a weak Milton solution can be used to soak lettuce etc, Rinse well.

You can grow your own microgreens very easily, that may give you more peace of mind over concerns. You can also rwash your salad as the poster above suggested.

Your diet sounds like it could be extremely restrictive though. It's a lot of effort to get enough calories eating in the way you described.