What Can You Eat?

[nobeer4me]

As a recent, new gluten free person. I'm wondering what is safe when dining out.

I love Mexican food. I always get chicken enchaladas w/ green chili and a temale w/ ranchero sause instead of the brown gravy sause. I think I'm safe there. But what about Chineese food? anything safe to eat there? I was going to get a Gyro the other day(meat only) but found out they have the lamb & beef meat mixed with bread crums. BUMMER! There is alway steak and a baked potatoe.

[tarnalberry]

Unfortunately, the ranchero sauce might have wheat in it - and you can't assume that the enchiladas don't either - you have to ask. I find that SIMPLE tacos (in corn tortillas) are often an option, if you leave off all sauces and the like. (Seasoned rice is iffy.)

Chinese food - you have to ask, of course - often has dishes in a white sauce that's thickened with cornstarch, which is ok. Pretty much all the brown sauces are off limits. Steamed items are fine, of course. (PF Changs has a gluten-free menu of some great, normally never gluten-free dished.)

Sushi can often be safe - IF you avoid anything with a sauce on it. (In fact, if I'm not up to asking questions, I find that sushi is my easiest choice - avocado rolls and vegetable rolls.)

"American" food can often be made alright, but you've got to be very careful when talking to the server/manager/chef. Steak and a baked potato can be just fine, but make sure to ask about any seasoning they might put on the steak, or a marinade (both could have gluten), and the same with the potato.

[nobeer4me]

Actually, I did ask at the Mexican place. Corn tortillas on the chicken enchaladas.

They said the ranchero sauce was safe. Its basicly a tomato based sauce. I don't know about Chineese tho, havent gotten that far yet

[LqrMan]

If I eat Mexican food out at a restaurant, I make sure they do not deep fat fry my food with all the other breaded products. I will only eat it if it is pan fried! I would watch out for cross contamination if I were you. Also, you really have to be aware of what thickening agents are used in the sauces! Usually it is a wheat flour and sometimes the chef does not remember using it b/c it is such a natural ingredient for them to use.

Sushi- I love that stuff, probably more now that I'm gluten-free. You need to stay away from Eel anything in sushi! The eel comes in a sauce that is soy based. I always talk to the chef/server to make sure they do not use soy sauce on my sushi. (You could always bring your own gluten-free soy sauce with you when you eat sushi! I always forget to do that..

Chinese-I don't eat much Chinese food at all... However, if I do, I get white rice and steamed veggies/chicken/shrimp to play it safe. Takes all the fun out of eating Chinese food though.

Puerto Rican- I just ate at a PR restaurant yesterday and it was great! I talked to the chef and he made me some seafood paella (no tostones b/c they are deep fat fried). You have to make sure what they serve you is only pan fried...So far so good!

Good luck!

[jaimek]

I got sushi the other night and it came with eel sauce on it. I questioned the sauce and if it contained soy sauce and the waitress said there was no soy sauce in the eel sauce. I returned the roll anyway since I was skeptical about it. Does anyone have an opinion on this? What is in eel sauce if there is no soy sauce in it? Do you think it would have been safe to eat?

[lovegrov]

Most of the eel with sauce does have soy sauce, but this one might have been a different recipe. Also, don't forget to avoid the fake crab. Virtually all has wheat.

richard

[nobeer4me]

If I eat Mexican food out at a restaurant, I make sure they do not deep fat fry my food with all the other breaded products. I will only eat it if it is pan fried! I would watch out for cross contamination if I were you. Also, you really have to be aware of what thickening agents are used in the sauces! Usually it is a wheat flour and sometimes the chef does not remember using it b/c it is such a natural ingredient for them to use.

Sushi- I love that stuff, probably more now that I'm gluten-free. You need to stay away from Eel anything in sushi! The eel comes in a sauce that is soy based. I always talk to the chef/server to make sure they do not use soy sauce on my sushi. (You could always bring your own gluten-free soy sauce with you when you eat sushi! I always forget to do that..

Chinese-I don't eat much Chinese food at all... However, if I do, I get white rice and steamed veggies/chicken/shrimp to play it safe. Takes all the fun out of eating Chinese food though.

Puerto Rican- I just ate at a PR restaurant yesterday and it was great! I talked to the chef and he made me some seafood paella (no tostones b/c they are deep fat fried). You have to make sure what they serve you is only pan fried...So far so good!

Good luck!

Thanks for the insight. The Mexican I order is not deep fried. I will have to ask again about wheat flour in the rachero sause. The one waiter said there wasn't, but I'll ask again to be sure.

Also, I was told I couldn't not have white rice, only brown rice. Isn't there gluten in white rice?

[skbird]

Rice has gluten, as does corn, but this is not the type of gluten that is a problem with Celiacs. It's actually a bit of a misnomer to say we are gluten intolerant as not all glutens affect us. Rice is fine, just be careful when eating out as it might have been cooked in a broth and that could have gluten in it.

Take care

Stephanie

[watkinson]

Hi nobeer4me,

I just saw your post today.

On this site you can order a book that contains gluten-free menus from many restaurants around the country. It costs (I think) $21.95 and is called "Gluten free wheat free gude to eating out."

It's definatley worth the money. You would be surprised at all the places we can eat. I used to love Pannerra, but after looking at their ingredient book, I felt like there was nothing I could eat, except maybe a plain salad. After reading the guide I found out there's tons of stuff. I was especially happy to find out that almost all of the soups ar gluten-free. I love their soup!

Hope this helps, Wendy