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Gluten In Restaurant Chicken?

stellagogo

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stellagogo Rookie
stellagogo
Posted

call me paranoid, but (aside from obvious food service cross-contamination issues) is gluten ever used as a preservative or anything in chicken breasts from large food service distributors? i thought i read something about that once but i might be losing my mind.

i'm so scared to eat anything at this point. this is not easy for a recovering anorexic.

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Kquad Apprentice
Kquad
Posted

some places do inject gluten into their chicken. As sensitive as I am, I just do not eat out anymore

ElseB Contributor
ElseB
Posted

Yeah, I think its injected as some kind of flavour inhancer. Same goes for turkey - I have to remind my mom every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas to be careful when she's buying the turkey!

stellagogo Rookie
stellagogo
Posted
  • Author

thank you. wow. so how do you eat out at all? i rarely go out, but when i do, i almost always order a salad w chicken breast and hope for the best in terms of cc. no wonder i felt terrible the whole time i was visiting my parents (they like to go out a lot). this sucks.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

thank you. wow. so how do you eat out at all? i rarely go out, but when i do, i almost always order a salad w chicken breast and hope for the best in terms of cc. no wonder i felt terrible the whole time i was visiting my parents (they like to go out a lot). this sucks.

You need to be asking the restaurant some specific questions if you are eating someplace without a gluten-free menu. There are dozens of ways it can be cc'd or contain gluten. What's in the seasoning on the chicken? Is it marinaded in anything that might have gltuen (soy sauce)? Is the chicken grilled on the same grill as other items that contain gluten seasonigns and marinades? Is the salad mixed in the same mixing bowl as other salads that had croutons? Are the veggies prepped in the same area/same cutting board as bread? What's in the salad dressing? Safest option for dressing if they can't tell you what's in it is to ask for a little container of olive oil and some lemon wedges.

You need to speak to a manager or a chef NOT just the server when you are seated. Best thing would be to call ahead and talk to the manager/owner/head chef. If they assure you they can safely feed you, when you go then ask for the manager again by name when you first get to the restaurant. Make sure he/she remembers your phone conversation and all your needs. Then make sure you explain to your server your gluten-free needs when you order. If this is a small town and you go to the same place all the time you may get lucky and find they will accomodate you well and remember you after a few times so that you can eat safely with less fuss and question asking. Or you may end up not being able to eat out safely at all at that place.

Your parents may have to find other ways to treat you than taking you out to dinner. My parents now know there are very few places I can eat out and that I just don't enjoy it much since I have to worry about getting sick. I only eat at places with gluten-free menus becuase at least they have a better chance of having trained their chefs on how to avoid cc and I don't have to ask as many questions. If my parents want to treat me or just spend time with me out somewhere they take me to a movie or shopping or something else that doesn't have to involve food. I carry Lara Bars or Enjoy Life bars with me everywhere so if the people I'm with NEED to eat somewhere and there are no safe options for me I can just drink a soda and eat my Lara Bar. It's not really fun watching other people eat, but at least I don't get sick.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

You should always check at a restaurant to make sure they haven't put anything in it and how they cook it but, folks, virtually ALL of the raw chicken and turkeys in grocery stores are safe. Almost every year at Thanksgiving I challenge people to name a commercial, raw, unstuffed turkey brand that has gluten -- and I'm still waiting for somebody to name one. Pretty much all or maybe even all of the "flavor enhancers" or solutions are in fact little more than salt water or sometimes a chicken or rosemary broth.

This thing about poultry being "injected" with gluten isn't quite at the level of a celiac urban legend, but it's mighty close.

richard

stellagogo Rookie
stellagogo
Posted
  • Author

thank you very much.

i guess there is a part of me that is still in denial, as i am self-diagnosed, and after 16 years of anorexia, hardcore restriction and miserable meals, this just seems like some kind of sick joke.

my parents don't take it seriously, either, especially the cross-contamination issue. my mom just thinks of celiac as some sick-unthriving-diarrhea-baby disease and sometimes i wonder if i really am "fine" and just making this all up in my head. the last thing i want is to frustrate people or continue to stick out like a sore thumb every mealtime. several times i've gotten fed up and tried adding gluten back and i seem to feel worse and worse.

anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond..you people make me feel less alone and nuts.

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stellagogo Rookie
stellagogo
Posted
  • Author

thanks, richard.

in addition to dining out and ordering chicken, the restaurant where i was working shut down and i took the rest of the frozen chicken breasts home with me. now i'm scared that chicken like this from a big distributor may contain gluten. i dont worry so much about the chicken i buy from the grocery store as there is nothing other than chicken, water and sodium on the label.

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

[quote name='GlutenFreeManna'

Your parents may have to find other ways to treat you than taking you out to dinner. My parents now know there are very few places I can eat out and that I just don't enjoy it much since I have to worry about getting sick. I only eat at places with gluten-free menus becuase at least they have a better chance of having trained their chefs on how to avoid cc and I don't have to ask as many questions. If my parents want to treat me or just spend time with me out somewhere they take me to a movie or shopping or something else that doesn't have to involve food. I carry Lara Bars or Enjoy Life bars with me everywhere so if the people I'm with NEED to eat somewhere and there are no safe options for me I can just drink a soda and eat my Lara Bar. It's not really fun watching other people eat, but at least I don't get sick.

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