Haning Out With Friends.

[ashlee.ream]

i was recently diagnosed with celiacs and it is very hard to hang out with friends or even my boyfriend at food places cause they dont know what i can or cant eat and then seeing them eat the things i cant in a way makes me mad. anyone else have this problem?

[Nxsquid]

I think if you explain to your friends exactly what your diet means, they should be a lot more accepting. If you're hanging out a restaurants, find out if they have a gluten free menu (most do) or at least other options for you. If you're at someone's house, you could always ask your friend or their parent if they have anything like gluten-free chips. There's always the option of bringing your own food.

In the end, if they're not understanding, maybe they're not worthwhile friends.

[Chalula88]

In my experience most restaurants do not have a gluten free menu and most of the ones who say they do, really don't (they use the same fryers, ovens, work spaces, etc.).

I really only trust Chipotle (everything except their tortillas are gluten free)and P.F. Chang's (they have a separate kitchen and large gluten free menu).

When I hang out with friends I just eat beforehand and get a drink at the restaurant. It sucks, but it gets easier with time.

[gfpirate]

I absolutely have this problem! Although it doesn't exactly make me mad, it makes me feel sad. Why can't my body just process normal food like normal people? Why does EVERYTHING have gluten in it? And how come NO ONE knows what Celiac is???

The best thing to do is just focus on what you can eat. I'm sure almost every restaurant will have a salad or a steak or an option that's natually gluten-free.

You may want to explain your condition to your friends... in my experience, they usually give me a lot of sympathy and they like to ask me a lot of questions about it. I actually appreciate their interest, rather than them just blowing it off like it's no big deal.

Good luck to you and know that you are not alone!

[ashlee.ream]

awh thanks guys

[AVR1962]

I understand and I know what you are feeling. I have found I eat out alot less now. At first I was hesitant to say anything to any of my friends but once I did, they started asking me questions and I found they were amazingly supportive. I have certain restuarants that I know I can go and eat something. New places I am always cautious. Going to otehr people's houses I always wonder if there will be anything I can eat. I ahve gotten used to eating less when I am out and in some cases where we had nothing but fast food all around us, I was the only one not eating, but I knew I would just get soemthing later. It stinks sometimes purely from a convenience stand point but really I have never felt better in my life and I know that as soon as I get a crumb I would be sick all over again and that keeps me very aware of why I am gluten-free!

[domesticactivist]

The emotional aspect of seeing other people have things you can't have does get easier over time. The more you view it as poison, the less you'll want it, then you'll end up with the problem I have... thinking everyone would be better off without it!

As for eating out, I have a really hard time trusting most restaurants, and I live in Portland, OR, where "gluten-free" restaurants are a dime a dozen! Many of them now just say "gluten-free friendly" or have warnings and describe their practices, because they've learned that cross-contamination is a hard thing to deal with. There are a couple restaurants that are completely gluten-free. You might look into that in your area and see if you can find a new favorite spot.

Another way to get safer food at a place is to go to the same restaurant a lot and talk to the regular staff about how to keep you safe. You can work with them to come up with a safe dish or two that you can order time and again. They'll be happy to have a regular customer who tips well and brings friends!

My preference is to find other things to do with friends. When I do go to a restaurant I usually eat first and just order a drink. I always take my own food to friend's houses or if I'm going to be out and about for long.

[ashleycarmel]

I know! I just recently turned 19 and its really hard to go out to bars or find somewhere to eat! I find the bar to be pretty hard cause people usually get food while they drink as well right, and bars neeevvvveeeerrrrrr have anything gluten free! And my boyfriend always gets food when we go out drinking and it sucks cause I just have to sit there and watch him eat