I’ve had several requests to do a post about eating out with Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Hopefully by sharing my experiences since going gluten free, it will help you!
Call the restaurant ahead of time/ check their website:
This is SO important! NEVER assume that the restaurant you’re going to may serve gluten free OR be knowledgeable about cross contamination and even what gluten is. I once had a restaurant say they had a gluten free menu but then gave me a nutrition guide. A nutrition guide obviously does not tell about gluten content… she seemed to be confused with “glucose.” (Has anyone else had people think gluten and glucose were the same thing? haha)
Cross contamination and Separate Fryers:
Even if the restaurant has a gluten free menu, that doesn’t always mean they’re knowledgeable about cross contamination. Again, I once had a restaurant that had a gluten free menu and their french fries were listed as gluten free. We asked them if they had a fryer for their french fries that was not the same fryer they fried their onion rings, chicken, etc in. Their response was that “the high temperatures cook the gluten out.” Ummmm, that’s NOT how it works. Needless to say, we left.
Asking others in the gluten free community:
This is a GREAT resource! Finding a local support group for Celiac/ Gluten Intolerance is so beneficial! (If you want to join ours, please message me 🙂 ) Asking other Celiac/Gluten Intolerant individuals is very helpful! They’ll be able to share their own experience with the restaurants in your hometown and surrounding areas with you before you try them. This way, you’ll know which restaurants are knowledgeable about gluten free, cross contamination, have separate fryers, etc, and you’ll feel more at ease knowing someone else gluten free ate there safe and didn’t get sick!
Find Me Gluten Free App:
I’ve touched base about this app a little bit on my travel post here: Gluten free while traveling! Find me Gluten Free is a GREAT app! It will tell what safe restaurants are nearby and you can also type in an address to get restaurants that serve gluten free in that area if you want to know ahead of time! Find me Gluten Free also has consumer reviews of the restaurants listed, this is how we’ve found several of our favorite gluten free friendly restaurants.
If you haven’t seen my other Gluten Free posts, you can check them out under this tab here: gluten free/nutrition!
Hopefully, this post was helpful! Have anymore tips for dining out? I’d love to hear them!
Continue to spread the word about Celiac Disease this month and every month!
Ciara
SincerelyC 