Eating Out

Reporting Cross Contact Can Turn Into a Win-win for Restaurant and Consumer

Gluten pasta at the bottom of sauteed cabbage - Credits: Jennifer Harris

Gluten pasta at the bottom of sauteed cabbage – Credits: Jennifer Harris

It has happened to most all of us at one time or another. You have just finished a meal at a restaurant when you notice you aren’t quite feeling right. For me, that starts with a stabbing headache and a hot flash. Immediately you know your meal has come into contact with gluten. Now what do you do? How can you turn your negative experience into a positive one? Read More »

Surviving a Gluten Free Life

Gluten Free is heard everywhere nowadays.  It’s seems to be as popular as the vegan diet years ago.

Unfortunately gluten free is not a fad, or a diet, it is a way of life for those with Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity.

gluten free livingThose of us, including myself, need to check everything that we eat which can honestly be a royal pain, but the good news is that most places are gluten aware.  There are those hole in the wall places in the middle of nowhere that we can never find anything to eat, but we can always pack a snack.

The first time that you go grocery shopping or out to eat can be overwhelming after being told that you Read More »

Avoid gluten free dietary blunders

veggiesroots

For people with diagnosed celiac disease or autoimmune related gluten intolerance, eating a gluten free diet is not optional. It’s the only medical treatment currently available and requires 100 percent lifelong adherence.

In addition, other conditions frequently occur alongside celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Maintaining health requires attention to lifestyle behaviors and adequate nutrition that will improve quality of life and prevent complications. The following three tips will ensure success eating gluten free. Read More »

Can You Answer? How Do You Avoid Gluten When You Eat Out?

Eating out can seem like navigating a minefield, with gluten lurking in the least expected places.

How do you protect yourself and avoid gluten when you eat out?

Do you talk to the manager? Do you bring your own food? Do you call ahead? Do you use any Apps?

What mistakes have you made in the past that you want other people to know about so they can avoid doing the same thing?

Answer in the comments below! Thank you!

Arby’s Offers Up Gluten-Free Menu [Updated April 8, 2017]

 

Over the past few years more & more restaurants have been adding gluten-free menus to their repertoire.  This is a much welcomed change to people who have had to follow the diet for any period of time.  Simply being able to order off of the menu and not bring food in from the outside is a pleasure.

Arby’s is the latest establishment in this explosion of gluten-free menus.  Arby’s has multiple meat items, several salads, drinks & even shakes on the menu.

The French fries and potato cakes are off limits due to cross-contamination issues; sharing the deep fryer with chicken fingers, chicken patties and mozzarella sticks makes them unsafe.

2016-09-02

Click Here for Arby’s Gluten-Free List Updated February 2017

Read More »

Gluten-Free Grilling Tips

gluten free grilling tipsTime to fire up the grill and start barbecuing because summer is here. It seems not a day goes by when the aroma of grilled meat doesn’t fill the air. If you are cooking for someone who is gluten intolerant, just a few simple steps will ensure a safe and tasty meal. Eating a burger with a knife and fork works in a pinch, but it just isn’t the same experience, or very filling.

I love attending barbecues, but there are a number of sources of gluten that needs to be considered, such as: condiments, toasting buns on the grill surface, seasonings, marinades, and utensils. I like to come prepared with my own gluten-free bun. I don’t expect the host to provide a gluten-free bun because a) how would they know what to get, b) what if the gluten-free bun contains additional allergens I avoid, and c) I don’t want the host to fuss over me, or exclude me because they don’t think they can feed me safely.

Here are some great tips for successful gluten-free grilling whether you are the host, or the attendee: Read More »

Gluten-Free Holiday Survival Guide

Healthy-Holiday-Survival-Guide

Despite the snow covered trees, glittering lights, smoke from the chimneys and the overall sense of Holiday spirit that store fronts and houses display, for people living gluten-free there is usually a little bit of gluten-free gloom that hangs over the Holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, we are far from gluten-free grinches, but we cannot deny the nagging sense of anxiety that takes over when considering all of the ways that gluten can complicate even the simplest of Holiday celebrations. Your work may host a Holiday party, you may be staying with extended family members during the Holiday season, there may be a slew of dinner party invitations in your inboxes (or mailboxes if you are classic like that). Don’t let the Holidays overwhelm you! This Gluten-Free Holiday Survival Guide should help make the Holiday season gluten-free and stress-free. Read More »

Are the Trendies Giving Gluten-Free a Bad Name?

gluten free college cafeteriaWe all know how “gluten-free” is a buzz word now. It seems it is easier than ever to find “gluten-free” labeled packaging at the local grocery store chain. Restaurants are labeling more food “gf” to try and attract more customers. But is this helping us? Or is it making more people just roll their eyes?

I get so excited when I see places near me offering “gluten-free” donuts, or “gluten-free” fries, or “gluten-free” pizza, and when anything on their menu is specifically labeled gluten-free. It gets me giddy with excitement, even if I wouldn’t normally eat a donut, or fries. I like to know if I want them, I can have them. But then when it comes down to it, and I am at the restaurant and I ask if their menu items are really gluten-free, and fried in a dedicated fryer, I get a response that is more and more common lately: Read More »

The Gluten-Free Game of Clue

In the Game of Clue, players must solve the mystery of who killed Mr. Boddy, what they used to commit the crime, and where this occurred. A similar version of these three questions is something that gluten-free folks are used to finding out.

Who prepared the food?

What utensils did they use?

Where did they prepare it?

When I dine out, I’m always sure to remind the server, “They cannot prepare my sandwich on the same counter,” or when I’m at Chipotle, “Could you please change your gloves? I am gluten free.” These are comments that MUST be made in order to ensure safety and reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

I figured we’d have some fun and make a gluten-free version of this classic detective game because that’s what we all need to be – gluten-free detectives! When dining out, there are different places one can be glutened and there are different weaponsof contamination. No matter who did it, where it happened, or what caused the contamination, the end result is always the same – the victim is glutened.

Gluten-Free Game of Clue: How was I glutened?

gluten free game of clue

If dining at a restaurant that serves both gluten-filled and gluten-free food (which is just about every restaurant we can eat at), the opportunity to be glutened is everywhere. The key to a safe dining experience for a gluten-free individual is Read More »