Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is there anyone here who will NEVER eat out?

katesyl

By katesyl
in Gluten-Free Restaurants

Recommended Posts

katesyl Apprentice
katesyl
Posted

I'm having some issues, that I didn't really even know I was having until the blood work showed them. Retracing my steps, I eat very strictly gluten free at home. I eat too much dairy (which is not only a problem for many celiacs, it is also not an anti-inflammatory). The husband and I have eaten out a lot over the last three years of my diagnosis. I guess I have not been overly cautious as I should have been, which I'm guessing could be my problems (although I am seeing the GI doctor tomorrow). So, I'm wondering if anyone here no longer eats out ever? Were you eating out and realized you were still doing yourself damage? 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I do est out occasionally - but not indiscriminately.  I am careful to choose places that under stand gluten free.  And places that the food is naturally gluten-free, helps, too.  Celiacs can't just eat something that should be gluten-free and hope it is.  We have to use some common sense and ask questions.

 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

I got glutened last summer.  Heck, I do not even know what glutened me, but I suspect two products that my gluten-free hubby never consumed (he is my canary).  My symptoms were so different from when I was diagnosed (just had anemia then).  My GI thought I had SIBO or something else, but I asked for a celiac panel.  Yep, I had been Glutened!  Took me three months to recover and another three to regain lost weight.  Yeah, I picked up another health issue on the way (hives, rashes, swelling, itching, ab pain, vomiting, and fainting.)  

I did not eat out for one year!  Only this summer, I did.  Was it worth the risk?  You bet!  Three weeks in Europe.  Fortunately,  7 days was on a cruise and Celebrity did a great job.  Italy was so celiac-savvy and I did my research and found places recommended by other celiacs in Spain, France and Poland.  If not, we bought cold food at the market and had a picnic.  

I am home.  Will I eat out?  Probably not.  I have a busy Fall ahead of me (High School....football, marching band, volunteer positions, house projects, and work).  I can not afford to be sick.  

Ah, I will eat out this Thanksgiving break.  My favorite restaurant is 100% gluten free in Tucson, AZ.   Maybe I will discover another gluten-free restaurant closer to home! 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Just wanted to add, that when my friends or family want to eat at a restaurant that I am not sure about, I bring some snacks and then order a drink.  It is all about the company, not the food.  

katesyl Apprentice
katesyl
Posted
  • Author
22 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

I got glutened last summer.  Heck, I do not even know what glutened me, but I suspect two products that my gluten-free hubby never consumed (he is my canary).  My symptoms were so different from when I was diagnosed (just had anemia then).  My GI thought I had SIBO or something else, but I asked for a celiac panel.  Yep, I had been Glutened!  Took me three months to recover and another three to regain lost weight.  Yeah, I picked up another health issue on the way (hives, rashes, swelling, itching, ab pain, vomiting, and fainting.)  

I did not eat out for one year!  Only this summer, I did.  Was it worth the risk?  You bet!  Three weeks in Europe.  Fortunately,  7 days was on a cruise and Celebrity did a great job.  Italy was so celiac-savvy and I did my research and found places recommended by other celiacs in Spain, France and Poland.  If not, we bought cold food at the market and had a picnic.  

I am home.  Will I eat out?  Probably not.  I have a busy Fall ahead of me (High School....football, marching band, volunteer positions, house projects, and work).  I can not afford to be sick.  

Ah, I will eat out this Thanksgiving break.  My favorite restaurant is 100% gluten free in Tucson, AZ.   Maybe I will discover another gluten-free restaurant closer to home! 

I do think this is interesting that your symptoms were different than before you were diagnosed. I am sure that is true of me as well.

katesyl Apprentice
katesyl
Posted
  • Author
15 minutes ago, cyclinglady said:

Just wanted to add, that when my friends or family want to eat at a restaurant that I am not sure about, I bring some snacks and then order a drink.  It is all about the company, not the food.  

This is a good point as well. Might come down to this.

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

I won't say I will never eat out but I can't see me eating out for the foreseeable future. Even then, I will most likely only eat at a dedicated gluten free place. I am extremely sensitive to the tiniest amount of gluten and it's just not worth the risk to me. Eating out is playing Russian Roulette as far as I'm concerned and I'm not ready to play that game yet.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Here is another point.  My hubby went gluten-free per the poor advice of his GP and my allergist.  It worked.  A tough first year, but he got well.  Thirteen years later, I got diagnosed with celiac disease.  I was shocked!  ?.   Does he have celiac disease?  We will never know because we can not afford to have him do a challenge.  He refuses and I can not blame him.  He knows he will be very sick!  

The point?  I am so lucky that we both can not have gluten.  I never worry about him making me sick or vice versa. We made the house completely gluten free for  1) our health and 2) the fact that our kid started helping in the kitchen. Kids make mistakes and I personally need a safe haven.  She wants gluten?  I buy prepackaged stuff and she takes it to school.  All parties and events at my house are gluten free.  Lots of work, but we stay healthy.  She does not have celiac disease.  When she is preparing for a celiac test,  I send her on the porch to eat cookies or bread or whatever floats her boat.  We travel in a gluten-free RV.  I have five sizes of ice chests.  We just have to be prepared for any event.  

How can we live this way?   We love feeling good.

caretothepeople Newbie
caretothepeople
Posted

This is a personal choice and everyone will have different levels of comfort depending on personal preferences and their circumstances -- what's available, where they live, the details of their condition.

Gluten Dude is a blogger who has written a lot about the topic of dining out with Celiac: Open Original Shared Link

Calling ahead to see if they are gluten-free, learning about their practices, and make sure their able to accommodate requests is a good strategy. There's other tricks like using the gluten-free filter on Yelp when searching for restaurants. I know some people like Find Me Gluten Free which has a website and app.

It's an adjustment for sure, but it can be worth it to feel better and still get to do things you enjoy.

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Great points!  We use the "Find Me Gluten Free" app a lot (post too).   We look for reviews created by celiacs.  I probably sounded like Debbie Downer when I posted above, but it is possible to go out and dine at restuarants, it just takes a little research and time to the restaurant staff.  

 

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

find me gluten free has a gps feature - i use it when we are rolling down the highway if we are looking for a place to stop and eat while traveling.  

LOLZ i have every type/size cooler as well!!  hey, cyclinglady, don't ya love this time of year -  back to school  LUNCHBOX CLEARANCE SALES LOLOLZ  ima need a new pantry just for all my lunch coolers!!!! :D

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

@notme! You bet I'm going to all the Back to School Sales.  Some of my little soft coolers are getting grubby and Oxyclean is not able to do the job!   I do like the ones that are a little pricier when I'm sneaking in food into a restaurant.  Somehow, a hard-sided Igloo looks out of place!  

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

also:  glutendude - i don't get it.  shouldn't it be glutenfreedude?  lolz

i eat out few and far between.  most of the times i've been glutened it's been eating out.  this weekend i'm getting my bacon cheeseburger on at red robin :) i always get my 'good' waitress - lucky, i guess, paula takes good care of me :D  and i will eat at bonefish but they have a limited 'safe' menu.  look for places that have the 'GiG'  training they know their stuff.  mellow mushroom, melting pot, california pizza kitchen, pf changs are all supposed to be trained that way.  they know to avoid cc and change their gloves, etc.  

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,899
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    dcarter1682
    Newest Member
    dcarter1682
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Judy M! Yes, he definitely needs to continue eating gluten until the day of the endoscopy. Not sure why the GI doc advised otherwise but it was a bum steer.  Celiac disease has a genetic component but also an "epigenetic" component. Let me explain. There are two main genes that have been identified as providing the "potential" to develop "active" celiac disease. We know them as HLA-DQ 2.5 (aka, HLA-DQ 2) and HLA-DQ8. Without one or both of these genes it is highly unlikely that a person will develop celiac disease at some point in their life. About 40% of the general population carry one or both of these two genes but only about 1% of the population develops active celiac disease. Thus, possessing the genetic potential for celiac disease is far less than deterministic. Most who have the potential never develop the disease. In order for the potential to develop celiac disease to turn into active celiac disease, some triggering stress event or events must "turn on" the latent genes. This triggering stress event can be a viral infection, some other medical event, or even prolonged psychological/emotional trauma. This part of the equation is difficult to quantify but this is the epigenetic dimension of the disease. Epigenetics has to do with the influence that environmental factors and things not coded into the DNA itself have to do in "turning on" susceptible genes. And this is why celiac disease can develop at any stage of life. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (not a food allergy) that causes inflammation in the lining of the small bowel. The ingestion of gluten causes the body to attack the cells of this lining which, over time, damages and destroys them, impairing the body's ability to absorb nutrients since this is the part of the intestinal track responsible for nutrient absorption and also causing numerous other food sensitivities such as dairy/lactose intolerance. There is another gluten-related disorder known as NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or just, "gluten sensitivity") that is not autoimmune in nature and which does not damage the small bowel lining. However, NCGS shares many of the same symptoms with celiac disease such as gas, bloating, and diarrhea. It is also much more common than celiac disease. There is no test for NCGS so, because they share common symptoms, celiac disease must first be ruled out through formal testing for celiac disease. This is where your husband is right now. It should also be said that some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. I hope this helps.
    • Judy M
      New (possible) celiac diagnosis

      By Judy M · Posted

      My husband has had lactose intolerance for his entire life (he's 68 yo).  So, he's used to gastro issues. But for the past year he's been experiencing bouts of diarrhea that last for hours.  He finally went to his gastroenterologist ... several blood tests ruled out other maladies, but his celiac results are suspect.  He is scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy in 2 weeks.  He was told to eat "gluten free" until the tests!!!  I, and he know nothing about this "diet" much less how to navigate his in daily life!! The more I read, the more my head is spinning.  So I guess I have 2 questions.  First, I read on this website that prior to testing, eat gluten so as not to compromise the testing!  Is that true? His primary care doctor told him to eat gluten free prior to testing!  I'm so confused.  Second, I read that celiac disease is genetic or caused by other ways such as surgery.  No family history but Gall bladder removal 7 years ago, maybe?  But how in God's name does something like this crop up and now is so awful he can't go a day without worrying.  He still works in Manhattan and considers himself lucky if he gets there without incident!  Advice from those who know would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Scott Adams
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten free beer ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.