Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

Allentown/hellertown/lehigh Valley Pa


earthtoneNJ

Recommended Posts

earthtoneNJ Rookie

Took a quick weekend trip to the Bethlehem Pennsylvania area. I didn't find many gluten-free places looking online, but found a few on Urban Spoon. We chose Relish and Sagra and liked both.

Relish is in Allentown PA. It's an upscale lunch counter type place, very sunny and pleasant. We both had salads with chicken, great fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked, juicy grilled chicken. I had the Thai and loved it - sweet, but not too sweet. The highlight was the sweet potato fries! They confirmed the fries are cooked in dedicated oil & gluten-free. YAY! Haven't had sweet potato fries in a year and a half, and these were really good - crispy and tasty. They seemed pretty knowledgeable about the ingredients.

Sagra is in Hellertown (very short drive from Bethlehem). They only serve dinner, somewhat to our surprise when we tried to get in at 1:30. The food was delicious and the cocktails I loved - the cucumber martini was top-notch, and the grapefruit was good as well. Nice-looking wine list. The BBQ duck was really good and Gluten-free Casein-free by default (I think). I didn't ask aabout other gluten-free options since the duck was what I wanted, but it seemed like a place that would happily accommodate special requests (the chef came out to talk with the guests and seemed very eager to please).

Since we're used to Manhattan prices both places seemed like bargains, but I'm not sure if locals would feel the same.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,072
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    3rdearesl
    Newest Member
    3rdearesl
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Maybe celiac but maybe NCGS that was misdiagnosed as IBS morphing gradually into celiac. Is NCGS a new category to you? It shares many of the same GI symptoms with celiac disease but does not damage the small bowel lining like celiac.
    • knitty kitty
      Thiamine has antifungal properties.  The body uses thiamine to keep bacteria and yeasts from overgrowth in the digestive system.   Fluconazole use can cause thiamine deficiency.   Supplementing with thiamine in the form Benfotiamine would be beneficial as Benfotiamine promotes intestinal healing.   Thiamine and the other B vitamins tend to be low in Celiac due to malabsorption.  Talk to your doctor about supplementing vitamins and minerals.
    • Scott Adams
      Welcome @Natalia Revelo, your experience is profoundly difficult and, sadly, not entirely unique within the celiac community. It's the frustrating reality of "silent" or ongoing damage that isn't captured by the MARSH score alone, which only measures active villous atrophy. Your normal biopsy suggests your diet is preventing the classic autoimmune attack, but it doesn't mean your gut has fully healed or that other issues aren't at play. The inflammation from your newly discovered milk and egg allergies is a huge clue; this constant allergic response can create a low-grade inflammatory environment that severely hampers nutrient absorption, effectively creating a "leaky gut" scenario independent of celiac damage. This is likely why your iron stores deplete so rapidly—your body is both unable to absorb it efficiently and may be losing it through inflammation. While the functional medicine path is expensive, it's clearly providing answers and relief that traditional gastroenterology, focused solely on the gluten-free diet and biopsy results, is missing. To move forward, continue the gut-healing protocols your functional doctor recommends (perhaps exploring alternative options to glutamine that won't irritate your cystitis), maintain your strict avoidance of all allergens and irritants, and know that true healing is a multi-faceted process. You might seek a second opinion from a different gastroenterologist who is more knowledgeable about non-responsive celiac disease and the complex interplay of food allergies and micronutrient absorption, but your current path, while costly, seems to be leading you toward the steady health you need.
    • knitty kitty
      Have you had a DNA test to look for Celiac disease genes?  If she doesn't have any celiac specific genes, look for another explanation.  If she does have Celiac genes, assume they are turned on and active Celiac disease is progressing.  All first degree relatives (mother, father, siblings, children) should be genetically tested as well.   Sometimes blood tests are ambiguous or false negatives if one has anemia, diabetes or thiamine deficiency.  Certain medications like antihistamines and steroids can suppress the immune system and result in false negatives or ambiguous results on antibody tests.  
    • Heatherisle
      That was just the visual report, so need to wait for confirmation or otherwise from the results. They did take a biopsy from the upper end of the duodenum(D1). D2 looked unremarkable on the camera. Just wish we didn’t have to wait so long for the results as she’s naturally a very anxious person. But thanks so much for taking the time to answer me
×
×
  • Create New...