Celiac sufferers: Make sure to plan before dining at restaurants
From previous articles, you can see how tough it might be to eat gluten free at home with all those sources of hidden gluten.
But how do you think that translates when eating out?
I would imagine that gluten is hidden all over the place.
If you have a favorite restaurant you may want to talk to the manager/chef and educate them to your situation—and the situation of many for that matter!
You may want to follow some guidelines if you plan on dining out.
If possible, review the menu beforehand, or call ahead and ask the chef/manager if they can provide you with safe selections.
Remember, it takes more time and care for a restaurant to prevent cross contamination so avoid dining at its busiest times.
Bring a copy of the gluten free (GF) dining sheet to help make it easier for the chef to provide you with safe selections.
Explain to the server that you may become ill if there is not particular care taken with your food.
When it is obvious, send food back that has been contaminated. You may have to educate your server on the disease and why simply scraping off the problem food will not make it safe to consume.
There is no need to be obnoxious about it. Most people may have heard of the term “gluten free” but do not necessarily understand it. (Some good information can be found on the website: glutenfreerestaurants.org)
Hopefully you have found the last three articles on celiac disease and gluten free diets to be informational.
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Update: Upon going through my email I found some more products that MAY have “hidden sources” of gluten. Pickles; tea (may contain barley malt); soy milk (may contain barley malt); salsa (may contain barley under the guise of smoke flavor); seasoning BLENDS (may contain wheat as an anti-caking agent).
The best advice I can give is to always READ LABELS!
