I'm recovering from an eating disorder, which makes romantic dining pretty impossible. Celery isn't romantic, and neither is throwing up the meal. I pretty much force myself to eat normally when I'm out with friends or on a dinner date, but I have a lot of regrets afterwards. I'd just hate to let the disease deprive me of a good romantic/social life.

When it comes to diabetes, my mother has had a lot of luck with Splenda. It's unfortunate...sugar-fr ee cool-whip somehow isn't as hot as whipped cream.

One of my roommates (we live with another lesbian couple) is lactose intolerant and has celiac disease. Although it really limits her diet, they still can enjoy cooking together, even though the resulting food may not be the stereotypical "romantic" fare. less

On Sexis today Kal Cobalt wrote "The Appetites Project: Planning A Diabetic Menu For Romance"

In it he says, "When our society thinks of sexy treats, we usually think of truffles, whipped cream, chocolate fondue, dessert wines...all things that can be extremely unfriendly to diabetic partners. As with any other dietary restriction, perfectly wonderful romantic nibbles can be procured with a little thoughtfulness, common sense, and communication."

He follows that up with helpful tips to make a romantic menu enjoyable for a diabetic.

What do you think of his tips? Do you have any more you could add? What about other health issues that can get in the way of a romantic menu? How do you handle those? less

I'm lactose intolerant and was basically sick for hours after most meals before I figured it out. (I developed the intolerance at around 20 and figured it out at about 23 or 24.)

First tip: Lactaid works for me pretty well, so I always keep a stash in my purse.

Second: Asian foods tend to use less dairy. Sushi, thai, etc can make great date foods. Plus they're fairly light - a requirement for date food in my book.

Third: Most cheeses are free of or low on lactose. The exception is soft cheeses - be wary of those. So, us LI people can do the wine and cheese thing.

On a fancy dinner date, I'd do a light on lactose starter with cocktails + one lactaid. Then a dairy-free main course. Then 2/3 of a dessert with 2 lactaid.

Last thing: Nothing's sexier than a man who has some soy milk for my morning after coffee. less

Yeah, I was gonna say, if you enjoy cooking together then any meal you make is romantic, because it's something you both participated in and helped create. I think "romantic food" is a myth for this reason. My husband and I prefer a deliciously and lovingly prepared burger to truffles or any of that nonsense. He looks just as sexy with his hands full of meat as he does with a champagne flute and chocolate strawberries lol

In any case, I'm lactose intolerant as well so most of that stuff is out the window. There's always soy milk for when I want something creamy. Soy ice cream is the greatest thing ever invented less