Dating and celiac disease

[pdm1981]

I am recently divorced and like most the people here, didn't always have celiac disease. I'm ready to get back out and start dating again but it is hard. I have no trouble talking to people and getting dates but then dinner comes up or snacks at the movies or drinks at a bar. celiac disease is probably my biggest challenge ever and it's asking a lot to ask someone to understand. It would be easier to find another person with celiac disease than to ask someone to also sacrifice things they enjoy too. I even tried the site Gluten Free Singles but there's no women within 150 miles. Anybody have any ideas or advice?

[kareng]

we have joked that GI doctors could introduce people.  

[ironictruth]

If you get on any of the traditional dating sites search for people who are into like Natural Foods, healthy alternative Lifestyles etc.  You might find some on certain sites that do not have Celiac but eat gluten free for other reasons. In fact I know someone who knows someone who eats gluten free because they have Hashimoto's disease. 

 you could even be upfront about it and say something in your description of yourself. And then mention something about how awesome of a cook you are. If you're not an awesome cook, then that you would like to learn how to bake gluten-free goods, or something. 

Good luck!

[Ennis-TX]

I posted on several dating sites, I have mentioned the disease. Stated that I would prefer someone who eats gluten free, or is willing to change for it. So far no fish., I am a tad broken but I am a very good cook, I OCD clean, and have my own place completely gluten free....OK very broken but still.

[squirmingitch]

1 hour ago, ironictruth said:

If you get on any of the traditional dating sites search for people who are into like Natural Foods, healthy alternative Lifestyles etc.  You might find some on certain sites that do not have Celiac but eat gluten free for other reasons. In fact I know someone who knows someone who eats gluten free because they have Hashimoto's disease. 

 you could even be upfront about it and say something in your description of yourself. And then mention something about how awesome of a cook you are. If you're not an awesome cook, then that you would like to learn how to bake gluten-free goods, or something. 

Good luck!

Good ideas ironictruth has there. I will only add to search for people who have food allergies. They should understand.

[pdm1981]

Good ideas but I'd be lying if I claimed to be a good cook. The natural foods is the best one so far I think. Right now I'm dating someone and I do sense a little frustration with her getting something to eat and me sitting there. I even tried bringing along a protein bar or something else but I think it still puts a damper on things. We'll see.

[ironictruth]

My boyfriend, I think gets bummed about not eating out. So i recently contacted a place  We both used to go to when I was eating out and asked them if it would be okay if I brought my own meal and explained the situation. They were totally fine with it. The waitress ended up being a little freaked out by the fact that  i wasn't ordering, like she was concerned, I felt like yelling surprise You are on Candid camera! 

 But I made myself a duck breast and some mashed sweet potatoes and then brought along a gluten-free cupcake.  my meal stayed warm because we went right after I heated it up and kept It in the cooler. Probably better if you bring along a salad. My boyfriend made sure to order an appetizer and a nice meal and dessert so that she would get a good tip. And we both enjoyed the wine.  it would not have worked if it was an extremely busy restaurant that didn't have a couple of tables that were tucked away. So I was able to be very discreet.

 

[Ennis-TX]

22 minutes ago, ironictruth said:

My boyfriend, I think gets bummed about not eating out. So i recently contacted a place  We both used to go to when I was eating out and asked them if it would be okay if I brought my own meal and explained the situation. They were totally fine with it. The waitress ended up being a little freaked out by the fact that  i wasn't ordering, like she was concerned, I felt like yelling surprise You are on Candid camera! 

 But I made myself a duck breast and some mashed sweet potatoes and then brought along a gluten-free cupcake.  my meal stayed warm because we went right after I heated it up and kept It in the cooler. Probably better if you bring along a salad. My boyfriend made sure to order an appetizer and a nice meal and dessert so that she would get a good tip. And we both enjoyed the wine.  it would not have worked if it was an extremely busy restaurant that didn't have a couple of tables that were tucked away. So I was able to be very discreet.

 

Done this, in most cases they have to let you bring your own meal to things like this or to theme parks, movies, etc. where they do not have safe food. If you have to bring food cause of a medical reason as long as your paying for something they normally let you. I sometimes go out to eat and just order a drink or something I know is safe (Raw Veggies) and bring my own meal, dips, etc. And lay out the napkin on the table and eat to feel like a normal human. I have gone on a date before to a theme park, and they let me bring in a cooler with our meals in it. I explained I have celiac and they just called someone over for a medical sticker which they stuck on my cooler and let me in with it. >.> it honestly saves money when you spend about as much getting in as you do on foods.

[GFinDC]

I have brought fruit and nuts on outings before. Or just ordered side dishes of veggies.  That is usually safe, although not always.  We have a texas Roadhouse in my area that has never made me sick.  Just ask them if they have gluten-free options, like steak!  There are other restaurants that do gluten-free menus also.  PF Changs is a Chinese chain that serves gluten-free food.  There are others also, like Ruby Tuesday.  In most cases it is wise to check with the restaurant ahead of time to verify they have a gluten-free menu, and understand the issue.  Some restaurants are real good, others might not be so aware.  You can try searching for restaurant info on this forum and see what comes up.  There is even a certification program for restaurants.  You can search it for gluten-free certified restaurants near you.  It's not a big list right now.  There is also an app called findme gluten-free that has gluten-free restaurant info.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[cyclinglady]

3 hours ago, pdm1981 said:

Good ideas but I'd be lying if I claimed to be a good cook. The natural foods is the best one so far I think. Right now I'm dating someone and I do sense a little frustration with her getting something to eat and me sitting there. I even tried bringing along a protein bar or something else but I think it still puts a damper on things. We'll see.

It can take a while for others to feel comfortable eating while you are not.  My family  and friends are now used to it.  I get a soft drin, water or a glass of wine.  

Back in my day (long before my celiac disease diagnosis), I caught many a beau by preparing a picnic.  It worked every single time.  It allowed for great conversation.  Held in in very public places until i got to know them.  My hubby was snared this way -- the hamper, wine glasses, chicken and brownies.  Seriously, we do continue to picnic, just gluten free!  

[pdm1981]

The picnic idea is also a good one. I read the ideas about just ordering raw veggies that are prepared by a restaurant. I am an electrician and do service work in some restaurants around town and can honestly say that I'll never feel comfortable eating out after doing these jobs. Not because they're dirty, but because the clear cross contamination that takes place behind the scenes. I've seen it too many times and it just isn't worth it to me. I'll stick to my own food. It's not too romantic being bloaty and gassy for the rest of the night.

[cyclinglady]

You do not need to cook for a picnic.  Just get some gluten-free deli meat, a selection of cheeses, gluten-free crackers, fruit, hard boiled eggs, salad, veggies and hummus, gluten-free potato chips, chocolate....the list is endless.  The secret is presentation.  Nice platter, napkins,  plates, utensils and glasses.   A nice towel, blanket or chairs to sit on.  Flowers always help!  Even tiny hand-picked wildflowers.  Bring a wireless speaker for some tunes off your phone.  

[GFinDC]

6 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

You do not need to cook for a picnic.  Just get some gluten-free deli meat, a selection of cheeses, gluten-free crackers, fruit, hard boiled eggs, salad, veggies and hummus, gluten-free potato chips, chocolate....the list is endless.  The secret is presentation.  Nice platter, napkins,  plates, utensils and glasses.   A nice towel, blanket or chairs to sit on.  Flowers always help!  Even tiny hand-picked wildflowers.  Bring a wireless speaker for some tunes off your phone.  

You forgot the wine!

[egs1707]

On 28/11/2016 at 0:28 AM, pdm1981 said:

I am recently divorced and like most the people here, didn't always have celiac disease. I'm ready to get back out and start dating again but it is hard. I have no trouble talking to people and getting dates but then dinner comes up or snacks at the movies or drinks at a bar. celiac disease is probably my biggest challenge ever and it's asking a lot to ask someone to understand. It would be easier to find another person with celiac disease than to ask someone to also sacrifice things they enjoy too. I even tried the site Gluten Free Singles but there's no women within 150 miles. Anybody have any ideas or advice?

Know exactly where you're coming from, tried the gluten-free Singles site as well, even worse results for me... only 14 results for the entire country 

Restaurants aside from the celiac-certified ones (I'm the UK so they do an accreditation scheme) do seem to be a challenge but the cinema and bar should be more manageable. Fortunately there's a fair bit of "normal" gluten-free friendly crisps and chocolates for cinema and it seems cider is your best friend drinks-wise so I've been told.

Interestingly I've noticed beer always used to have really bad effects on me but cider doesn't, perhaps it was the gluten in there all along that was causing the issues and not the alcohol lol.

[pdm1981]

There's a beer called glutenberg that is made in Canada I was going to order but haven't yet. If is supposed to be pretty good.

[lacey]

I'm going through the same thing! It's quite a challenge and pretty discouraging. Perhaps you'll find a bit of comfort knowing you're not the only one ? Best of luck to you! Stay strong.