I have struggled with anxiety for the past two to three years (not clinically diagnosed). It has gotten quite better in the past couple of months and I rarely have an anxiety attack now. My life is almost back to normal.

The thing is, I have a sensitive stomach. I have had some very bad episodes of upset stomach after eating food from new places. I've also had some allergic reactions from some ingredient that is currently unknown to me (only in Chinese food) so I can't really say what triggers these reactions.

Homemade food is given preference in my family. However, we do like to eat out. It might only be once two weeks or once a month, so when we order food or go to a restaurant to eat, we do it as a family. If one person isn't feeling up to it, no one goes out to eat. Now since I have a sensitive stomach, I've recently started to notice that whenever my family wants to eat out, I start getting anxiety. I feel nauseated, have breathing problems and usually start having a stomach ache. If I say that I don't want to eat out, nobody minds (however it does make me feel bad), if I say yes, I am not able to eat more than a few mouthfuls as my anxiety keeps getting worse.

What should I do? I really don't want my family to stop eating restaurant food just because of me.