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

Thai Restaurants

dhiltonlittle

Recommended Posts

dhiltonlittle Contributor
dhiltonlittle
Posted

Are they generally safe? What are some things to look out for/be aware of besides the fried items?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


AlysounRI Contributor
AlysounRI
Posted

Are they generally safe? What are some things to look out for/be aware of besides the fried items?

With Thai you are generally safe ... there is is soy sauce used in Thai food than in any other Asian cuisine.

The noodles tend to be rice based or the meal is served with rice.

Coconut milk is a staple to make curries.

If you have problems with nuts, you may have to avoid certain things, however, like pad thai.

You might have to ask you server what is in the sauces that come with appetizers.

But the spring rolls are served with rice wrappers and thai food is generally yummy, as is Vietnamese food.

You should be able to eat well at a Thai restaurant and avoid the gluten.

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

HA! I wanted to start a new thread on this, as all the ones I found were old. but glad to see someone else did. I just had pad thai and thai slaw, and I LOVED it! so I was curious as well if others found thai safe. Nice to know there's another restaurant option out there for us!

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

I have a problem with most thai places here in Kona as the language barrier makes me uneasy.

ASked them to make sure they used no flour to thicken the curry and repeated it to make sure the waiter got it -- so he removed the flower on the table -- true story --

Some rice noodles sold here are 80% rice and 20% wheat -- Just have to be careful...

Are they generally safe? What are some things to look out for/be aware of besides the fried items?

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

kenlove -- good thoughts. I'm kind of spoiled, as our local Thai restaurant is owned by caucasian Americans...so the language barrier is not an issue! :)

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I just got glutened at a new Thai place I visited with a friend a couple weeks ago and I made sure the curry had no soy sauce. I asked here and other folks told me that as well as watching out for soy sauce, you can't count on fish sauce or oyster sauce to be gluten-free. Also someone said they asked to see the ingredients on rice noodles at one restaurant and there was wheat listed.

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

I love Thai food. It's one of the places where I feel fairly safe eating. I typically get pad thai or a curry (typically yellow) and ask for no soy or fish sauce and no tofu. I grew up in an area where we had a lot of Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian people and restaurants so I've gotten to know the dishes well and which ones can be made to accommodate me, gluten-free and soy free.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I love Thai food. It's one of the places where I feel fairly safe eating. I typically get pad thai or a curry (typically yellow) and ask for no soy or fish sauce and no tofu. I grew up in an area where we had a lot of Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian people and restaurants so I've gotten to know the dishes well and which ones can be made to accommodate me, gluten-free and soy free.

Could you share some dishes that we could ask for? I'd be so grateful. You mentioned pad Thai and yellow curry. Any others that work well?

conniebky Collaborator
conniebky
Posted

OMG LOL! You were trying to tell him not to use flour and he took the flower centerpiece off the table? OMG that is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not laughin' at you, but that is a REALLY funny story! :P

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

We have many of them here but have a few bad experiences I most likely wont go back -- the good ones have very little English staff.. I used to bring them jackfruit and durian to trade for dinner before I got celiac 5 years ago...

kenlove -- good thoughts. I'm kind of spoiled, as our local Thai restaurant is owned by caucasian Americans...so the language barrier is not an issue! :)

kenlove Rising Star
kenlove
Posted

It really was funny -- The guy was just smiling and My wife and I just started at each other in disbelief -- a classic moment to be sure...

OMG LOL! You were trying to tell him not to use flour and he took the flower centerpiece off the table? OMG that is hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not laughin' at you, but that is a REALLY funny story! :P

Mskedi Newbie
Mskedi
Posted

Unless they make the rice noodles themselves, it's very likely there's some wheat in it. Dried noodles like those used in Pad Thai are generally safe, but fresh noodles like those in Pad See Ew and Lad Naa will likely have wheat.

Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and broth (frequently knorr) all have gluten, and even if you don't order these things, whatever you DO order is likely to be made in a gluten-contaminated wok. Seasoned woks only get cleaned with water -- I wouldn't feel too safe there.

Spring rolls at Thai restaurants are generally wheat, not rice wrappers (I've only seen rice wrappers used at Vietnamese places), thus making anything fried risky. (Plus, wontons would be fried in the same oil.)

Many curry mixes use wheat, but if they make it themselves it's probably safe.

So... as much as I love Thai food, I'd have to say it's probably not the best eating out option. I'm getting my info from someone who grew up in a Thai restaurant kitchen and knows his stuff. Luckily, he also has taught me how to make my favorite dishes at home, so I'm not missing out.

seezee Explorer
seezee
Posted

We go to a Thai restaurant that they know us at and they seem pretty good at telling us what has wheat. So far so good. There are two restaurants we go to and both are small places that they know us at. We have had really bad luck at corporate chain kind of places.

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

I haven't had any problems but they key is to ask questions. Things I love to get (sans gluten/soy of course):

spring rolls, fresh or fried (if made with rice wrapper)

pad thai

yellow, red or green curry

satay

ASked them to make sure they used no flour to thicken the curry and repeated it to make sure the waiter got it -- so he removed the flower on the table

This made me laugh out loud!!

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,549
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Blough
    Newest Member
    Blough
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

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



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • 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.