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Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet Blogs

  • kareng's Blog
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  • The Patient Celiac
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  • Trials and Tribulations
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  • Research on South African Celiac Tours
  • lindylynn's Blog
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  • Melissa.77's Blog
  • Keating's Not-so-Glutenfree life
  • AmandasMommy's Blog
  • Coeliac, or just plain unlucky?
  • bandanamama's Blog
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  • Ellenor Whitty's Blog
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  • Scott's Celiac Blog
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  • Angie Baker
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  • Shelby
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  • Silly Yak 08's Blog
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  • NotMollyRingwald's Blog
  • Searchin for a Primary Care Dr. In Redlands That is Knowledgeable about Celiac disease
  • num1habsfan's Blog
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  • Celiac-Positive
  • Jason's Mommy's Blog
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  • Lauren Johnson's Celiac Blog
  • I love my plant Cactus <3
  • Chele's Blog
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  • Blues Boulevard
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  • Inspiration
  • Cindy Neshe's Blog
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  • What I've Learned
  • Da Rant Sheet
  • Michael Fowler's Blog
  • Living in Japan with Ceoliac Disease
  • mkmaren's Blog
  • MJ
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  • Joe pilk
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  • My Blog
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  • GlutenFreeLexi's Blog
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  • SadAndSick's Blog
  • HONG KONG GLUTEN, WHEAT FREE PRODUCTS
  • Guth 101's Blog
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  • Gail Marie's Blog
  • Healthy Food Healthy You
  • SydneyT1D - Diabetic and Celiac YouTuber!
  • GFGF's Blog
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  • SMAS: www.celiac.com
  • gardener1's Blog
  • Naezer's Blog
  • JordanBattenSymons' Blog
  • JillianC
  • Sugar's Blog
  • Blanche22's Blog
  • Jason's Blog
  • Gluten-Free Sisters :)
  • Eab12's Celiac Blog
  • ohiodad's Blog
  • Newly Self Diagnosed?
  • misscorpiothing's Blog
  • anshika_0204's Blog
  • Petroguy
  • abqrock's Blog
  • WhoKnew?'s Blog
  • Soap Opera Central
  • nurcan's Blog
  • Cindy's Blog
  • Daughter_of_TheLight's Blog
  • nopastanopizza's Blog
  • w8in4dave's Blog
  • Mr J's Blog
  • Rachel Keating's Blog
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  • krisb's Blog
  • deetee's Blog
  • CAC's Blog
  • EmilyLinn7's Blog
  • Teri Kiefer's Blog
  • happyasabeewithceliac's Blog
  • quietmorning01's Blog
  • jaimekochan's Blog
  • Cheryl
  • Seosamh's Blog
  • donna mae's Blog
  • Colleen's blog
  • DawnJ's Blog
  • Gluten Challenge
  • twins2's Blog
  • just trying to feel better's Blog
  • Celiac Teen
  • MNBelle blog
  • Gabe351's Blog
  • moosemalibu's Blog
  • Coeliac Disease or Coeliac Sprue or Non Tropical Sprue
  • karalto's Blog
  • deacon11's Blog
  • Nyxie's Blog
  • Swpocket's Blog
  • threeringfilly's Blog
  • Madison Papers: Living Gluten-Free in a Gluten-Full World
  • babinsky's Blog
  • prettycat's Blog
  • Celiac Diagnosis at Age 24 months in 1939
  • Sandy R's Blog
  • mary m's Blog
  • Jkrupp's Blog
  • Oreo1964's Blog
  • keyboard
  • Louisa's Blog
  • Guts & Brains
  • Gluten Free Betty
  • Jesse'sGirl's Blog
  • NewMom's Blog
  • Connie C.'s Blog
  • garden girl's Blog
  • april anne's Blog
  • 4xmom's Blog
  • benalexander60's Blog
  • missmyrtle's Blog
  • Jersey Shore wheat no more's Blog
  • swezzan's Blog
  • aheartsj's Blog
  • MeltheBrit's Blog
  • glutenfreecosmeticcounter
  • Reasons Why Tummy tuck is considered best to remove unwanted belly fat?
  • alfgarrie's Blog
  • SmidginMama's Blog
  • lws' Blog
  • KMBC2014's Blog
  • Musings and Lessons Learned
  • txwildflower65's Blog
  • Uncertain
  • jess4736's Blog
  • deedo's Blog
  • persistent~Tami's Blog
  • Posterboy's Blog
  • jferguson
  • tiffjake's Blog
  • KCG91's Blog
  • Yolo's Herbs & Other Healing Strategies
  • scrockwell's Blog
  • Sandra45's Blog
  • Theresa Marie's Blog
  • Skylark's Blog
  • JessicaB's Blog
  • Anna'sMommy's Blog
  • Skylark's Oops
  • Jehovah witnesses
  • Celiac in Seattle's Blog
  • March On
  • honeybeez's Blog
  • The Liberated Kitchen, redux
  • onceandagain's Blog
  • JoyfulM's Blog
  • keepingmybabysafe's Blog
  • To beer, with love...
  • nana b's Blog
  • kookooto's Blog
  • SunnyJ's Blog
  • Mia'smommy's Blog
  • Amanda's Blog
  • jldurrani's Blog
  • Why choosing Medical bracelets for women online is the true possible?
  • Carriefaith's Blog
  • acook's Blog
  • REAGS' Blog
  • gfreegirl0125's Blog
  • Gluten Free Recipes - Blog
  • avlocken's Blog
  • Thiamine Thiamine Thiamine
  • wilbragirl's Blog
  • Gluten and Maize-Free (gluten-free-MF)
  • Elimination Diet Challenge
  • DJ 14150
  • mnsny's Blog
  • Linda03's Blog
  • GFinDC's Blog
  • Kim UPST NY's Blog
  • cmc's Blog
  • blog comppergastta1986
  • JesikaBeth's Blog
  • Melissa
  • G-Free's Blog
  • miloandotis' Blog
  • Confessions of a Celiac
  • Know the significance of clean engine oil
  • bobhayes1's Blog
  • Robinbird's Blog
  • skurtz's Blog
  • Olivia's Blog
  • Jazzdncr222's Blog
  • Lemonade's Blog
  • k8k's Blog
  • celiaccoach&triathlete's Blog
  • Gluten Free Goodies
  • cherbourgbakes.blogspot.com
  • snow dogs' Blog
  • Rikki Tikki's Blog
  • lthurman1979's Blog
  • Sprue that :)'s Blog
  • twinkletoes' Blog
  • Ranking the best gluten free pizzas
  • Gluten Free Product
  • Wildcat Golfer's Blog
  • Becci's Blog
  • sillyker0nian's Blog
  • txplowgirl's Blog
  • Gluten Free Bread Blog
  • babygoose78's Blog
  • G-freegal12's Blog
  • kelcat's Blog
  • Heavy duty 0verhead crane
  • beckyk's Blog
  • pchick's Blog
  • NOT-IN-2gluten's Blog
  • PeachPie's Blog
  • Johny
  • Breezy32600's Blog
  • Edgymama's Gluten Free Journey
  • Geoff
  • audra's Blog
  • mfrklr's Blog
  • 2 chicks
  • I Need Help With Bread
  • the strong one has returned!
  • sabrina_B_Celiac's Blog
  • Gluten Free Pioneer's Blog
  • Theanine.
  • The Search of Hay
  • Vanessa
  • racecar16's Blog
  • JCH13's Blog
  • b&kmom's Blog
  • Gluten Free Foodies
  • NanaRobin's Blog
  • mdrumr8030's Blog
  • Sharon LaCouture's Blog
  • Zinc, Magnesium, and Selenium
  • sao155's Blog
  • Tabasco's Blog
  • Amanda Smith
  • mmc's Blog
  • xphile1121's Blog
  • golden exch
  • kerrih's Blog
  • jleb's Blog
  • RUGR8FUL's Blog
  • Brynja's Grain Free Kitchen
  • schneides123's Blog
  • Greenville, SC Gluten-Free Blog
  • ramiaha's Blog
  • Kathy P's Blogs
  • rock on!'s Blog
  • Carri Ninja's Blog
  • jerseygirl221's Blog
  • Pkhaselton's Blog
  • Hyperceliac Blog
  • abbiekir's Blog
  • Lasister's Thoughts
  • bashalove's Blog
  • Steph1's Blog
  • Etboces
  • Rantings of Tiffany
  • GlutenWrangler's Blog
  • kalie's Blog
  • Mommy Of A Gluten Free Child
  • ready2go's Blog
  • Maureen
  • Floridian's Blog
  • Bobbie41972's Blog
  • Everyday Victories
  • Intolerance issue? Helpppp!
  • Feisty
  • In the Beginning...
  • Cheri46's Blog
  • Acne after going gluten free
  • sissSTL's Blog
  • Elizabeth19's Blog
  • LindseyR's Blog
  • sue wiesbrook's Blog
  • I'm Hungry's Blog
  • badcasper's Blog
  • M L Graham's Blog
  • Wolicki's Blog
  • katiesalmons' Blog
  • CBC and celiac
  • Kaycee's Blog
  • wheatisbad's Blog
  • beamishmom's Blog
  • Celiac Ninja's Blog
  • scarlett54's Blog
  • GloriaZ's Blog
  • Holly F's Blog
  • Jackie's Blog
  • lbradley's Blog
  • TheSandWitch's Blog
  • Ginger Sturm's Blog
  • The Struggle is Real
  • whataboutmary's Blog
  • JABBER's Blog
  • morningstar38's Blog
  • Musings of a Celiac
  • Celiacchef's Blog
  • healthygirl's Blog
  • allybaby's Blog
  • MGrinter's Blog
  • LookingforAnswers15's Blog
  • Lis
  • Alilbratty's Blog
  • 3sisters' Blog
  • MGrinter's Blog
  • Amanda
  • felise's Blog
  • rochesterlynn's Blog
  • mle_ii's Blog
  • GlamourGetaways' Blog
  • greendog's Blog
  • Tabz's Blog
  • Smiller's Blog
  • my vent
  • newby to celiac?'s Blog
  • siren's Blog
  • myraljo's Blog
  • Relieved and confused
  • carb bingeing
  • scottish's Blog
  • maggiemay832's Blog
  • Cristina Barbara
  • ~~~AnnaBelle~~~'s Blog
  • nikky's Blog
  • Suzy-Q's Blog
  • mfarrell's Blog
  • Kat-Kat's Blog
  • Kelcie's Blog
  • cyoshimit's Blog
  • pasqualeb's Blog
  • My girlfriend has celiacs and she refuses to see a doctor
  • Ki-Ki29's Blog
  • mailmanrol's Blog
  • Sal Gal
  • WildBillCODY's Blog
  • Ann Messenger
  • aprilz's Blog
  • the gluten-free guy
  • gluten-free-wifey's Blog
  • Lynda MEADOWS's Blog
  • mellajane's Blog
  • Jaded's Celiac adventures in a non-celiac world.
  • booboobelly18's Blog
  • Dope show
  • Classic Celiac Blog
  • Keishalei's Blog
  • Bada
  • Sherry's blurbs
  • addict697's Blog
  • MIchael530btr's Blog
  • Shawn C
  • antono's Blog
  • Undiagnosed
  • little_d's Blog
  • Gluten, dairy, pineapple
  • The Fat (Celiac) Lady Sings
  • Periomike
  • Sue Mc's Blog
  • BloatusMaximus' Blog
  • It's just one cookie!
  • Kimmy
  • jacobsmom44's Blog
  • mjhere's Blog
  • tlipasek's Blog
  • You're Prescribing Me WHAT!?!
  • Kimmy
  • nybbles's Blog
  • Karla T.'s Blog
  • Young and dealing with celiacs
  • Celiac.com Podcast Edition
  • LCcrisp's Blog
  • ghfphd's allergy blog
  • https://www.bendglutenfree.com/
  • Costume's and GF Life
  • mjhere69's Blog
  • dedeadge's Blog
  • CeliacChoplin
  • Ravenworks' Blog
  • ahubbard83's Blog
  • celiac<3'sme!'s Blog
  • William Parsons
  • Gluten Free Breeze (formerly Brendygirl) Blog
  • Ivanna44's Blog
  • Daily Life and Compromising
  • Vonnie Mostat
  • Aly'smom's Blog
  • ar8's Blog
  • farid's Blog
  • Sandra Lee's Blog
  • Demertitis hepaformis no Celac
  • Vonnie Mostat, R.N.
  • beetle's Blog
  • Sandra Lee's Blog
  • carlyng4's Blog
  • totalallergyman's Blog
  • Kim
  • Vhips
  • twinsmom's Blog
  • Newbyliz's Blog
  • collgwg's Blog
  • Living in the Gluten Free World
  • lisajs38's Blog
  • Mary07's Blog
  • Treg immune celsl, short chain fatty acids, gut bacteria etc.
  • questions
  • A Blog by Yvonne (Vonnie) Mostat, RN
  • ROBIN
  • covsooze's Blog
  • HeartMagic's Blog
  • electromobileplace's Blog
  • Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom
  • Fiona S
  • bluff wallace's Blog
  • sweetbroadway's Blog
  • happybingf's Blog
  • Carla
  • jaru24's Blog
  • AngelaMH's Blog
  • collgwg's Blog
  • blueangel68's Blog
  • SimplyGF Blog
  • Jim L Christie
  • Debbie65's Blog
  • Alcohol, jaundice, and celiac
  • kmh6leh's Blog
  • Gluten Free Mastery
  • james
  • danandbetty1's Blog
  • Feline's Blog
  • Linda Atkinson
  • Auntie Lur: The Blog of a Young Girl
  • KathyNapoleone's Blog
  • Gluten Free and Specialty Diet Recipes
  • Why are people ignoring Celiac Disease, and not understanding how serious it actually is?
  • miasuziegirl's Blog
  • KikiUSA's Blog
  • Amyy's Blog
  • Pete Dixon
  • abigail's Blog
  • CHA's Blog
  • Eczema or Celiac Mom?'s Blog
  • Thoughts
  • International Conference on Gastroenterology
  • Deedle's Blog
  • krackers' Blog
  • cliniclfortin's Blog
  • Mike Menkes' Blog
  • Juanita's Blog
  • BARB OTTUM
  • holman's Blog
  • It's EVERYWHERE!
  • life's Blog
  • writer ann's Blog
  • Ally7's Blog
  • Gluten Busters: Gluten-Free Product Alerts by Celiac.com
  • K Espinoza
  • klc's Blog
  • Pizza&beer's Blog
  • CDiseaseMom's Blog
  • sidinator's Blog
  • Dr Rodney Ford's Blog
  • How and where is it safe to buy cryptocurrency?
  • lucedith's Blog
  • Random Thoughts
  • Kate
  • twin#1's Blog
  • myadrienne's Blog
  • Nampa-Boise Idaho
  • Ursa Major's Blog
  • bakingbarb's Blog
  • Does Celiac Cause Sensitivites To Rx's?
  • delana6303's Blog
  • psychologygrl25's Blog
  • Alcohol and Celiac Disease
  • How do we get it???
  • cooliactic_BOOM's Blog
  • GREAT GF eating in Toronto
  • Gluten-free Food Recommendations!
  • YAY! READ THIS!!
  • BROW-FREE DIET BLOG
  • carib168's Blog
  • A Healing Kitchen
  • Shawn s
  • AZ Gal's Blog
  • mom1's Blog
  • The Beginning - The Diagnosis
  • PeweeValleyKY's Blog
  • solange's Blog
  • Cate K's Blog
  • Layered Vegetable Baked Pasta (gluten-free Vegetarian Lasagna)
  • Gluten Free Teen by Ava
  • mtdawber's Blog
  • sweeet_pea's Blog
  • DCE's Blog
  • Infertility and Celiac Disease
  • What to do in the Mekong Delta in 1 Day?
  • glutenfreenew's Blog
  • Living in the Garden of Eden
  • toddzgrrl02's Blog
  • redface's Blog
  • Gluten Free High Protein
  • Ari
  • Great Harvest Chattanooga's Blog
  • CeliBelli's Blog
  • Aboluk's Blog
  • redface's Blog
  • Being in Control of Your Gluten-Free Diet on a Cruise Ship
  • jayshunee's Blog
  • lilactorgirl's Blog
  • Yummy or Yucky Gluten-Free Foods
  • Electra's Blog
  • Cocerned husband's Blog
  • lilactorgirl's Blog
  • A Little History - My Celiac Disease Diagnosis
  • How to line my stomach
  • sewfunky's Blog
  • Oscar's Blog
  • Chey's Blog
  • The Fun of Gluten-free Breastfeeding
  • Dawnie's Blog
  • Sneaky gluten free goodness!
  • Chicago cubs shirts- A perfect way of showing love towards the baseball team!
  • Granny Garbonzo's Blog
  • GFzinks09's Blog
  • How do I get the Celiac.com podcast on my mp3 player?
  • quantumsugar's Blog
  • Littlebit's Blog
  • Kimberly's Blog
  • Dayz's Blog
  • Swimming Breadcrumbs and Other Issues
  • Helen Burdass
  • celiacsupportnancy's Blog
  • Life of an Aggie Celiac
  • kyleandjra.jacobson's Blog
  • Hey! I'm Not "Allergic" to Wheat!
  • FoOdFaNaTic's Blog
  • Wendy Cohan, RN's Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Cooking Classes
  • Lora Derry
  • Dr. Joel Goldman's Blog
  • The Ultimate Irony
  • Lora Derry
  • ACK514's Blog
  • katinagj's Blog
  • What Goes On, Goes In (Gluten in Skin Care Products)
  • What’s new in hydraulic fittings?
  • cannona3's Blog
  • citykatmm's Blog
  • Adventures in Gluten-Free Toddling
  • tahenderson67's Blog
  • The Dinner Party Drama—Two Guidelines to Assure a Pleasant Gluten-Free Experience
  • What’s new in hydraulic fittings?
  • sparkybear's Blog
  • justbikeit77's Blog
  • To "App" or Not to "App": The Use of Gluten Free Product List Computer Applications
  • Onangwatgo
  • Raine's Blog
  • lalla's Blog
  • To die for Cookie Crumb Gluten-Free Pie Crust
  • DeeTee33's Blog
  • http://glutenfreegroove.com/blog/
  • David2055's Blog
  • Gluten-Free at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco
  • Kup wysokiej jakości paszporty, prawa jazdy, dowody osobiste
  • Janie's Blog
  • Managing Hives & Gluten Allergies
  • Bogaert's Blog
  • Janie's Blog
  • RaeD's Blog
  • Dizzying Disclaimers!
  • Dream Catcher's Blog
  • PinkZebra's Blog
  • Hibachi Food and Hidden Gluten Hazards (How to Celebrate Gluten-Free)
  • jktenner's Blog
  • OhSoTired's Blog
  • PinkZebra's Blog
  • gluten-free Lover's Blog
  • Gluen Free Health Australia
  • Melissamb21's Blog
  • Andy C's Blog
  • halabackgirl9129's Blog
  • Liam Edwards' Blog
  • Celiac Disease in Africa?
  • Suz's Blog
  • Gluten-Free Fast Food
  • mis_chiff's Blog
  • gatakat's Blog
  • macocha's Blog
  • Newly Diagnosed Celiacs Needed for Study in Chicago
  • Poor Baby's Blog
  • the loonie celiac's Blog
  • jenlex's Blog
  • Sex Drive/Testosterone can be Depleted by Certain Foods
  • samantha79's Blog
  • 21 Months into the Gluten-free Diet
  • WashingtonLady's Blog-a-log
  • James S. Reid's Blog
  • Living with a Gluten-Free Husband
  • runner girl's Blog
  • kp3972's Blog
  • ellie_lynn's Blog
  • trayne91's Blog
  • Gluten-free Lipstick!
  • Nonna2's Blog
  • Schar Chocolate Hazelnut Bar (Gluten-Free)
  • pnltbox27's Blog
  • Live2BWell's Blog
  • melissajohnson's Blog
  • nvsmom's Blog
  • Diagnosed with Celiac Disease and Still Sick
  • snowcoveredheart's Blog
  • Gluten Free Nurse
  • Gluten-Free Frustration!
  • Melody A's Blog
  • novelgutfeeling's Blog
  • Trouble Eating Out Gluten-Free...Good or Bad?!
  • dilsmom's Blog
  • theceliachusband's Blog
  • amanda2610's Blog
  • Pancreas and Celiac Disease Link?
  • epiphany's Blog
  • Patty55's Blog
  • The Latest Gluten-Free Food Recalls
  • kenzie's blog
  • CVRupp's Blog
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  1. Celiac.com 03/01/2024 - Imagine you and a friend are trying to decide on a place to meet up for dinner. But with celiac, this is a high-stakes decision – the last gambit you took on a restaurant left you sick for days, and you've had enough of the same two places you always eat at. Truth is, gluten-free (GF) food is not necessarily hard to come by – many restaurants today offer accommodating choices or are flexible with their menu items. However, finding them has never been easy. Many user-submitted reviews are either out-of-date or even contradictory, and even if you go the extra mile and contact the restaurant, the staff member on the other end of the line may not be fully aware of all the relevant dietary considerations. But even if potential diners do get the all-clear, there's no actual way to verify the information they receive is legitimate. As a result, those with celiac or gluten sensitivity are left to take any dietary information they discover with a grain of salt. Reaching Your Destination: Atly's Gluten-Free Eats Map Atly, the user-generated social mapping platform revolutionizing location-based knowledge sharing, has created a new Gluten-Free Eats map entirely dedicated to helping celiac individuals find suitable restaurants seamlessly and quickly. Developed in conjunction with dieticians and nutritionists and with feedback from those within the celiac and GF community, the map provides a uniquely high level of detail, imparting a degree of confidence that other platforms are simply unable to deliver. To truly accommodate celiac eaters, the map categorizes restaurants based on their respective friendliness levels – those that are 100% GF verified, celiac friendly, or those that are accommodating and serve GF dishes in non-GF kitchen settings, allowing users to make well-informed decisions. Unlike other discovery platforms, Atly goes the extra mile to contact restaurant owners and staff to understand just how safe the food and kitchen stations are for patrons with celiac or gluten sensitivity – information which is routinely updated and reverified. For restaurants that fall into the "gray area," the map provides users with an essential list of cuisine-tailored questions that celiac and GF customers need to remember to ask their waiters. At sushi restaurants, for example, Atly's GF platform reminds users to request soy sauce that does not contain malt vinegar. Limitations of Current Digital Platforms Despite its popularity, Google Maps leaves much to be desired – especially for those with celiac disease. While it can offer users quick general overviews and concise reviews of places that may be gluten-free, it does so without any substantiated verification process. And even the apps and websites facilitated by and tailored to gluten-free communities have their own shortcomings. On top of delivering a clunky user experience, these platforms suffer from stagnant user-generated information. What's more, they tend to focus on 100% gluten-free locations as opposed to non-GF restaurants that are accommodating. Because of these limitations, many are relegated to painstakingly filtering through the vast "gray area" of dining options – that is, the restaurants that accommodate GF needs but aren't wholly dedicated to GF cuisine or aren't necessarily branded as GF or celiac-friendly. Celiac and GF consumers deserve a thorough and easy-to-use tool that enables them to find a restaurant quickly, offering confidence to anyone following a GF lifestyle. All You Can Eat Those suffering from celiac or gluten allergy have to be diligent, and insufficient solutions complicate that task every time they want to dine out. It should be just as easy for a GF person to find a restaurant as it is for someone who isn't. Likewise, they should feel just as relaxed and confident at a restaurant as someone without celiac. Fortunately, Atly's new Gluten-Free Eats map transforms uncertainty into an all-you-can-eat buffet. By fostering up-to-date restaurant information, verification processes, and tiered safety rankings, individuals with celiac are not limited to the same old GF-only options. Going out no longer needs to involve endless Google searches, anxiety-filled dining experiences, or the risk of falling ill. It can be the enjoyable experience it was meant to be. Atly's Gluten-Free Eats map is currently available to early-bird subscribers for $6.99 per month. For more information about the map and to start exploring, click here.
  2. In one’s journey, there are many phases, experiences, connections, voyages, events, happenings, longings, dreams, revelations, unexpected turns, and everyday life. My journey has been filled to the brim with these and more. My Dream - to receive certification as a culinary nutrition expert and continue serving and encouraging others in their journey to wellness. I have lived a blessed life. Among the most incredible blessings have been: A tremendously large and deeply loving extended family. Marrying a husband who could not love me more, standing by me for 47 years. Children Who Love Home and exhibit “Home is Where Mom and Dad Are.” A home and church life that taught values, standards, and the meaning of love, friendship, and loyalty to God, Family, Country, State, and self. Wonderful lifelong friends spanning the globe. A vocation steeped in a life of serving others. Passions that have been allowed to flourish. The opportunity to see firsthand where God’s miraculous theater of the New Testament unfolded and followed the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Seeing our children follow their Christian upbringing into adulthood. Finding Dr. Christine O’Brien, who guided me toward wellness. (Functional Medicine Doctor and more) The opportunity to navigate the Academy of Culinary Nutrition Expert Certification Program. These and many, many more are only but a speck in the journey of my lifetime. My unexpected turn - the diagnosis of Celiac Disease. While this was not a devastating diagnosis, it was undoubtedly one, at first, that seemed unnavigable. But my upbringing of standards, values, loyalty, and a “Can Do” attitude, and the fact that the 15-year journey to health finally birthed an answer, I was highly motivated to abide by the plan that eventually would heal my body. 5 years later, unexpectedly, an additional 25 food items were restricted. Still committed and with excellent guidance from Doctor O’Brien, the journey continued. Home | Complete Health & Wellness | Lewisville, TX (dfwwellnesscenter.com) Making any significant dietary change is hard. One must look at the big picture. Our initial thoughts: “How can I cook for myself and the rest of the family?” What about attending multiple meetings and traveling frequently? One can only suffer being told, “You can eat salad,” so many times. We must remember that it is our journey. If we want the journey to be smooth, we must plan ahead, pack the right items, including emergency items, and alert our hosts of any needs. In doing so, above all we must be patient; it takes time for others to understand and remember our parameters. Although Gluten-Free was easy for me, I realized that everyone did not know what that meant. Most family and co-workers were sensitive to plan for me initially. But as time went on, sometimes it was easier to ensure there was salad. Restaurants were so afraid; they would only cook my food with salt and pepper. The things that helped me enjoy this journey were: 1. Researching to fully understand for myself what I could and couldn’t eat. 2. Carrying Garlic Salt, Cholula, and Ghee in my purse for serendipitous eating out. 3. Parties – I took gluten-free crackers for dips/cheese trays or a dish/dessert or planned to eat before or after the party. 4. Restaurants- look at the menu online, call ahead or arrive early, and speak to the chef. These steps helped reduce my stress and others who did care, but didn’t know how to accommodate me. This journey could be rough, and we could cave into excuses, but if given the chance, take time to understand, be prepared, and above all - Enjoy All the Blessings, including the wonderful world of beautiful foods that await us.

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  4. Celiac.com 08/28/2023 - Living with celiac disease comes with its unique set of challenges, and one of the most intricate aspects is managing your dietary needs in social situations. Whether it's dining out at a restaurant, attending parties, or simply joining friends or colleagues for a meal, navigating celiac disease in these scenarios requires a blend of awareness, communication, and preparedness. In this article, we will delve into practical strategies that individuals with celiac disease can employ to effectively manage their dietary requirements while still enjoying the social aspects of eating with others. The Etiquette of Bringing and Serving Gluten-Free Food In many social gatherings, it's not uncommon for attendees to contribute dishes to the meal. For individuals with celiac disease, bringing and serving gluten-free food is not only a way to ensure their dietary safety, but also an opportunity to educate and engage others in understanding their needs. Here are some etiquette considerations to keep in mind: Communicate Ahead of Time: If you're attending an event where you know food will be served, consider reaching out to the host in advance to discuss your dietary requirements. This gives them a chance to accommodate your needs and helps avoid awkward situations. Bring a Dish to Share: Prepare a delicious gluten-free dish that you can bring to the gathering. Not only will this ensure you have safe options to eat, but it also introduces others to the idea that gluten-free cooking can be good, and it can spark positive conversations about the gluten-free diet and celiac disease. Label Clearly: If you're contributing a gluten-free dish, label it clearly to prevent cross-contamination. Use a bold marker or tape to clearly indicate that the dish is gluten-free, and include a separate serving utensil that is also labelled. Identify Danger: If you are at a gathering that offers different foods on a shared table, be sure to look over everything closely before eating anything. Could the potato chips have cookie crumbs on them? Notice how things are laid out, how people are taking food from the various dishes, and avoid anything that might be contaminated. Does every dish have its own serving utensil? If you are at a BBQ, hopefully you can speak with the cook and be sure that your burger wasn't cooked where he might be heating up wheat buns. Pay attention to the details, and if things look sketchy, sometimes it's best to avoid eating at all (but hopefully you brought a safe dish or backup snack). How to Not Embarrass Others When Declining Unsafe Food Politely declining food that doesn't meet your dietary needs can sometimes be a delicate task, especially when you don't want to offend the host or others. Here are strategies to handle this situation with grace: Express Gratitude: Start by thanking the host for their thoughtful gesture in offering you food. Emphasize your appreciation for their effort while gently mentioning your dietary restrictions. Educate Politely: Politely explain that you have celiac disease, which means you can't consume foods containing gluten. You might mention that even small amounts of gluten can cause health issues for you. Suggest Alternatives: If possible, suggest alternatives that would be safe for you to eat. This not only showcases your positive approach but also eases the host's concern about accommodating your needs. The Best Strategies for Dining at Restaurants Safely Dining out at restaurants requires an extra level of vigilance to ensure your meal is truly gluten-free. Here are effective strategies to consider: Research Ahead: Before choosing a restaurant, research their gluten-free options online or call ahead to inquire about their practices for avoiding cross-contamination. If you've been invited to a restaurant by others, find their online menu to see if they have gluten-free offerings, or call the restaurant directly during non-busy hours to see if they offer safe dishes. Be Specific with Servers: When you arrive at the restaurant, communicate your dietary needs to the server clearly and confidently. Ask about menu items, ingredients, and preparation methods. Emphasize Cross-Contamination: Stress the importance of avoiding cross-contamination to the server. Ask if they can take extra precautions, such as using separate utensils and cooking surfaces. If they offer gluten-free pasta, be sure that it is cooked in a separate pot from regular pastas. Avoid Risky Dishes: Opt for naturally gluten-free dishes or items that require minimal modifications. Steer clear of foods that are more likely to be contaminated, such as fried items or dishes with complex sauces. Other Considerations for Social Situations Carry Gluten-Free Snacks: Keep a stash of gluten-free snacks in your bag or car. This ensures you have a safe option in case the available food is not suitable for you. Educate Friends and Family: Take the time to educate your close friends and family about celiac disease. This creates a support network that understands your needs and can advocate for you in social situations. Develop Go-To Dishes: Master a few gluten-free recipes that you can confidently prepare and bring to gatherings. This guarantees you have a delicious option and encourages others to enjoy gluten-free food. Likewise, understand how different dishes are prepared so you can ask the right questions when eating in a restaurant or someone else's home. Navigating celiac disease in social situations requires a blend of proactive planning, effective communication, and an understanding of your own needs. By employing the strategies outlined in this article, you can confidently participate in social gatherings, enjoy meals at restaurants, and foster an environment of awareness and inclusion. Remember, your health and well-being are of paramount importance, and with the right approach, you can savor every social occasion while staying true to your dietary requirements.
  5. Celiac.com 07/08/2023 - France is known for its delicious cuisine, from croissants to crème brûlée. However, for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, traveling to France may seem like a daunting task. But fear not, with proper planning and preparation, gluten-free travel in France can be an enjoyable and stress-free experience. Booking a Gluten-Free Meal on Your Flight Many major airlines, including Lufthansa, United, American, and Delta, offer gluten-free meal options on their flights. When booking your flight, be sure to request a gluten-free meal in advance. It is important to confirm this request with the airline a few days before the flight to avoid any last-minute surprises. I highly recommend packing gluten-free sandwiches and bars during your flight, and during your entire trip. It's always best to be safe instead of sorry, and in my experience the times I ended up sorry were when I got too hungry, usually while traveling. Booking Gluten-Friendly Hotels and Vacation Rentals in France When booking accommodations in France, it is important to do your research and find hotels or vacation rentals that cater to gluten-free travelers. Using travel apps like Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, you can search for hotels and rentals that offer gluten-free options. Many hotels offer gluten-free breakfast options, and some may even provide gluten-free snacks or meals upon request. When booking a hotel in France, it's important to call ahead and ask about their gluten-free breakfast options. While many hotels offer gluten-free options, it's always best to confirm in advance to avoid any disappointment or inconvenience during your stay. Additionally, some hotels may be willing to cater to your dietary needs and provide gluten-free snacks or meals upon request. Taking the time to research and communicate your gluten-free needs can help ensure a comfortable and stress-free stay in France. Hotel Breakfast Buffet. Image: CC BY-SA 2.0--opera.cadet The Advantages of Staying in Vacation Rentals vs. Hotels Staying in a vacation rental can provide more flexibility and options for gluten-free travelers. Vacation rentals often come equipped with a kitchen, allowing you to prepare your own meals and ensure they are gluten-free. Popular vacation rental apps like Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo, and HomeToGo offer filters to help you find rentals with a kitchen and other amenities that cater to gluten-free travelers. How to Eat Gluten-Free in French Restaurants When dining out in France, it is important to communicate your gluten-free needs to the waiter or restaurant staff. Many restaurants in France offer gluten-free options, but it is important to ask about cross-contamination and ensure that your meal is prepared in a gluten-free environment. Apps and like Yelp and TripAdvisor can help you find restaurants that cater to the gluten-free crowd, and you can read reviews that are written by other gluten-free travelers. To help communicate your needs, consider carrying a basic gluten-free restaurant card written in French that explains your dietary restrictions (we recommend keeping it simple). Gluten-Free Restaurant Card in French: Gluten-Free Restaurant Card Translated into English: French Restaurants are not world famous for their ability to cater to those with gluten-free requirements, so a great fallback is to find a Vietnamese or Turkish kebab restaurant, as they offer many naturally gluten-free options, but be sure to use your restaurant card and speak to the staff about your needs. Both of these options can be found in most medium to large sized towns and cities throughout France. A French Bistro. Image: CC BY 2.0--awsheffield Finding Gluten-Free Foods in Grocery Stores French supermarkets like Leclerc, Carrefour, Les Mousquetaires, Système U, Auchan, Casino, Lidl, Cora, Metro, and Aldi offer a variety of gluten-free products, including popular French gluten-free food brands like: Valpiform Gerblé Céliane Schär Bjorg Jardin Bio La Vie Claire Gerblé Sans Gluten Le Pain des Fleurs Priméal. Use search engines like Google and Bing to find the nearest supermarket that offers gluten-free products. Each of these supermarkets, hypermarkets, or discount stores offer a wide range of food and grocery products and each of these companies has its own network of stores and may have different store formats and offerings based on their business models. Lidl Supermarket. Image: CC BY-SA 2.0--Billy McCrorie The Importance of Packing Gluten-Free Snacks and Sandwiches While Traveling As mentioned, it is very important to pack gluten-free snacks and sandwiches when traveling in case you cannot find gluten-free options on the go. This is especially important when traveling by train, bus, ferry/boat, plane or car. Popular gluten-free snacks and sandwich options include rice cakes, nuts, fruit, and gluten-free bread with fillings like cheese or meat. In conclusion, gluten-free travel in France requires proper planning and preparation, but it can be a fun and enjoyable experience. Use travel apps like Booking.com, Expedia, and Tripadvisor to find gluten-friendly hotels and rentals, communicate your dietary needs when dining out, and pack gluten-free snacks for your travels. Bon voyage!
  6. Celiac.com 07/01/2023 - Germany is a wonderful destination for travelers with celiac disease. With its rich cultural history, charming villages, bustling cities, and scenic landscapes, there is so much to see and do. However, traveling with celiac disease requires some planning and preparation to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip. In this article, we will provide tips and resources to help you plan your trip to Germany with confidence. Booking a Gluten-Free Meal on Your Flight Booking a gluten-free meal on your flight is essential to ensure that you have safe and delicious food to eat during your journey. Many airlines, including Lufthansa, United, American, and Delta, offer gluten-free meal options. When booking your flight, make sure to select the gluten-free meal option and notify the airline of your dietary needs. You can also check with the airline's customer service to confirm your meal request. Be careful if you book a flight using sky miles on one airline, but fly on a partner airline. For example I used United Sky Miles to buy my ticket on Lufthansa, and because of this the my gluten-free meal selection did not carry over to Lufthansa, but luckily I called ahead and discovered this, and they made the update (which must be done at least 24 hours before your flight leaves). Booking Gluten-Friendly Hotels in Germany When booking your hotel in Germany, make sure to choose a hotel that offers gluten-free options with their breakfast or is located near restaurants that cater to gluten-free diets. Many hotels in Germany, especially in larger cities, offer gluten-free breakfast options, such as gluten-free bread, cereal, and pastries, and including breakfast is often an option with an extra charge when booking the hotel. I highly recommend including breakfast because most hotels offer a buffet with minimal risk of cross-contamination, or, if you don't want to take any chances at all, they usually offer fruit like apples or bananas, hard or soft boiled eggs, and cereals and yogurt that are still in their package. One inexpensive and decent option is the German hotel chain "Motel One," which I stayed in with great success. When going down to the breakfast buffet I try to bring a couple of slices of gluten-free bread with me, just in case they don't offer it. It is also great to have this with you so you can "borrow" something from breakfast to make a sandwich for later, or hit a nearby market and buy some things to make sandwiches so you can be prepared for the day's adventure. Some things from the Motel One buffet. They also had fruit, yogurt and gluten-free cracker-bread. You can use travel websites like Booking.com, Expedia, and Tripadvisor to search for hotels that offer gluten-free options, and sometimes the very best way to get this crucial information is to send the hotel an email with specific questions, or to call them directly and ask to speak with the person who is in charge of the breakfasts (this is best done during the 11AM - 4PM German time period so you reach the right person, but they are not too busy to talk with you). The Advantages of Staying in Vacation Home/Apartment Rentals vs. Hotels Staying in a vacation home or apartment rental can offer many advantages for travelers with celiac disease. You can prepare your own gluten-free meals in a fully equipped kitchen and have more control over your food choices. Companies like Booking.com, AirBnB, Vrbo, and HomeToGo offer a wide range of vacation home and apartment rentals in Germany that cater to gluten-free travelers. Eating in German Restaurants Eating out in Germany can be a challenge for travelers with celiac disease, but it is possible to find gluten-free options. It is important to communicate your dietary needs to the restaurant staff and ask about gluten-free options. You can use a gluten-free restaurant card written in German to show to the waiter or restaurant staff. The card should state that you cannot eat gluten and ask for their assistance in selecting safe and delicious gluten-free options. Just like in the USA, many restaurants have gluten-free menus or mark gluten-free items on their menu with symbols like "GF." Although most German people you will encounter can speak English well enough to understand you, just in case here is a basic example of a German restaurant card with its English translation: Gluten-Free Restaurant Card in German: Gluten-Free Restaurant Card Translated into English: Gluten-Free Restaurant Fallback A great fallback is to find a Vietnamese restaurant, as most of their food is naturally gluten-free. Finding a Vietnamese restaurant in Germany is no problem in most medium to large sized towns and cities, and during my last trip to Germany I went to several and had no issues. Turkish kebab restaurants and kiosks are another great option, as they are also found throughout Germany, and most offer many naturally gluten-free options. I went to several of them and had zero issues. Gluten-Free Kebab in Frankfurt, Germany Finding Gluten-Free Foods in Grocery Stores Germany has a wide range of grocery stores that offer gluten-free options, including Aldi, Real, Rewe, Edeka, and Kaufland. You can look for gluten-free products from major brands like: Alnavit Bauckhof Drei Pauly Hammermühle Resch & Frisch Schär Schnitzer Seitz. Make sure to read the labels carefully and look for the gluten-free certification symbol and/or the word "glutenfrei." In general, the larger the physical size of the store, the more gluten-free brands and products they will carry, and the larger stores usually have their own gluten-free section, which makes gluten-free shopping a breeze. Below is an example of a huge gluten-free section in a large German supermarket. A gluten-free food section at a large German supermarket. The Importance of Packing Gluten-Free Snacks and Sandwiches While Traveling It is always a good idea to pack gluten-free snacks and sandwiches when traveling to ensure that you have safe and delicious options while on the go. This is especially important during long flights, train rides, ferry or boat rides, hikes or car trips. You can pack gluten-free snacks like nuts, fruit, gluten-free crackers, and granola bars. You can also make your own gluten-free sandwiches with gluten-free bread and fillings like cheese, ham, and vegetables. Schär gluten-free sandwich bread can be found at many German supermarkets. Conclusion Traveling to Germany with celiac disease requires some planning and preparation, but it is definitely doable. By using the resources and tips provided in this article, you can have a safe and enjoyable trip to Germany, where you can indulge in the rich cultural history and delicious cuisine without worrying about gluten. Gute Reise!
  7. Celiac.com 06/24/2023 - Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disorder that affects approximately 1 in 100 people worldwide. It is a condition in which the body's immune system reacts to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, causing damage to the lining of the small intestine. This damage can lead to a range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and malnutrition. The only treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet, which can be challenging, especially when eating out. Fortunately, many restaurants in the USA offer gluten-free menus, making it easier for those with celiac disease to enjoy a meal out with friends and family. In this article, we will explore 10 major USA restaurant chains that offer a gluten-free menu, providing examples of items from their menus that are safe for those with celiac disease to consume. Outback Steakhouse Outback Steakhouse is a popular chain that specializes in steak and seafood. Their gluten-free menu includes a range of appetizers, salads, entrees, and sides, such as the Victoria's Filet, the Queensland Chicken and Shrimp Pasta, and the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. PF Chang's PF Chang's is an Asian-themed restaurant chain that offers a dedicated gluten-free menu, which includes a variety of starters, soups, salads, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at PF Chang's include the Chang's Spicy Chicken, the Ginger Chicken with Broccoli, and the Vegetable Fried Rice. Red Robin Red Robin is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in gourmet burgers. Their gluten-free menu includes a range of burgers, salads, sides, and entrees, such as the Royal Red Robin Burger, the Grilled Turkey Burger, and the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Salad. Chili's Chili's is a Tex-Mex themed restaurant chain that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a variety of starters, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Chili's include the Margarita Grilled Chicken, the Ancho Salmon, and the Loaded Sweet Potato Fries. Olive Garden Olive Garden is an Italian-themed restaurant chain that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a variety of appetizers, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Olive Garden include the Grilled Chicken Parmigiana, the Herb-Grilled Salmon, and the Garden Salad. Carrabba's Italian Grill Carrabba's Italian Grill is a chain of Italian restaurants that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a range of appetizers, salads, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Carrabba's include the Chicken Bryan, the Filet Fiorentina, and the Sautéed Broccoli. Maggiano's Little Italy Maggiano's Little Italy is another Italian-themed restaurant chain that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a range of appetizers, salads, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Maggiano's include the Grilled Chicken Caprese, the Grilled Salmon Lemon and Herb, and the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. The Cheesecake Factory The Cheesecake Factory is a popular chain of restaurants that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a range of appetizers, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at The Cheesecake Factory include the Fresh Grilled Salmon, the Glamburger, and the Skinnylicious Caesar Salad. Bonefish Grill Bonefish Grill is a seafood restaurant chain that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a range of starters, salads, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Bonefish Grill include the Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa, the Saucy Shrimp, and the Steamed Asparagus. Applebee's Applebee's is a popular casual dining restaurant chain that offers a gluten-free menu, which includes a range of appetizers, entrees, and sides. Some examples of gluten-free dishes at Applebee's include the Cedar Grilled Lemon Chicken, the Bourbon Street Chicken and Shrimp, and the Garlic Mashed Potatoes. It's important to note that while these restaurant chains offer gluten-free menus, there is always a risk of cross-contamination, which can be dangerous for those with celiac disease. It's important to communicate your dietary restrictions with your server and ask them to take extra precautions when preparing your food. Furthermore, it's crucial that restaurants train their staff to understand the severity of celiac disease and the importance of following written procedures when preparing and serving gluten-free food. This includes using separate utensils, cookware, and surfaces to avoid cross-contamination. In conclusion, for those with celiac disease, eating out can be a challenge. However, with more and more restaurants offering gluten-free menus, it's becoming easier to enjoy a meal out with family and friends. It's crucial to communicate your dietary restrictions with your server and to be vigilant about the risk of cross-contamination. Ultimately, it's up to the restaurants to train their staff properly and follow written procedures to ensure the safety of those with celiac disease. Please note that it is always a good idea to check each restaurant's website or contact them directly for the most up-to-date information on their gluten-free menu options: Outback Steakhouse - https://www.outback.com Red Robin - https://www.redrobin.com P.F. Chang's - https://www.pfchangs.com/menu/gluten-free The Cheesecake Factory - https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/menu Chili's - https://www.chilis.com/menu BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse - https://www.bjsrestaurants.com Carrabba's Italian Grill - https://www.carrabbas.com Uno Pizzeria & Grill - https://www.unos.com/menus/ Bonefish Grill - https://www.bonefishgrill.com Applebee's - https://www.applebees.com/en/menu

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  9. Celiac.com 05/31/2023 - We get a lot of questions from people looking for gluten-free food of one kind or another. Our articles on the Best Phở restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco, have been very popular, and a number of readers have asked about where to get good phở in Phoenix. Phở, for those in the know, is the delicious broth-based soup, made from beef, oxtail or chicken, that is the national dish of Vietnam. We've done an article about how most types of phở are naturally gluten-free, as long as you remember to use only gluten-free condiments. Phở is almost always served with a variety of condiments, including bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, mint sprigs, scallions, and saw-tooth leaves, bird's eye chilis, sliced jalapeño peppers, Sriracha (Rooster) Sauce, and lime wedges. Sriracha Rooster Sauce is gluten-free. Beware of hoisin sauce, and make extra sure it's gluten-free; if you're not sure, then avoid it. NOTE: Definitely avoid egg noodles in your phở, and it is worth asking when you order whether or not the egg noodles are cooked separately from the standard phở rice noodles. Gluten-free Phở in Phoenix There are so many good phở restaurants in the Phoenix, that it's hard to count them all, let alone list them here. If we missed a favorite phở spot of yours, or if you know of a good one that's not on our list, please share it in the comments below and we'll be sure to add it to our list. NOTE: Restaurants can change owners, employees, recipes, etc., without notice, so it's always important to call ahead or ask about the gluten-free status of anything you order, including their phở. If you're looking for great phở in Phoenix, here's a list of thirteen places to start: Rice Paper Vietnamese Restaurant Rice Paper Vietnamese Restaurant - 2241 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85006 Pho Thanh Pho Thanh 1702 W Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85015 Pho Noodles Pho Noodles 8700 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85020 Pho 43 Pho 43 - 2844 N 43rd Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85009 Pho King Kitchen Pho King Kitchen - 3141 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Da Vang Restaurant Da Vang Restaurant - 4538 N 19th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85015 Pho Leo Pho Leo - 1702 E Camelback Rd #106, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Pho Leo - 2045 E Broadway Rd #102, Tempe, AZ 85282 (also near Central Phoenix) Kai Hoan Kai Hoan - 1537 East Apache Boulevard, Tempe Pho Vietnam Pho Vietnam - 15440 N 7th St #6, Phoenix, AZ 85022 Pho 20 Pho 20 - 1517 E Northern Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85020 Pho DaLat Pho DaLat - 3202 E Greenway Rd #1289, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Pho 602 Pho 602 Vietnamese Restaurant - 2120 N 35th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85009 Pho Viet Pho Viet Vietnamese Restaurant - 1941 E Camelback Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Little Saigon Little Saigon - 7016 N 57th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85301
  10. Celiac.com 10/13/2021 - Los Angeles is enormous. It's also home to a thriving food and eating culture that checks just about every box imaginable. As such, a full guide to eating will be an endlessly updating and refreshing journey. This guide should provide enough good tips, though, to get you a little further down that gluten-free road. Our guide includes lists of 100% gluten-free establishments, other eateries that feature a gluten-free menu, and some stores and markets where you can buy gluten-free food. Because LA is so huge, and there is so much going on, it's certain we've just begun to scratch the surface with this guide. If we've missed a great spot you know about, please share it below, and we'll be sure to add it to the list! Gluten Free Restaurants in Los Angeles The restaurants in this section are either 100% gluten free, or else they offer a gluten-free menu. Still, always double check to make sure the restaurant can get you what you need. Azla Ethiopian Azla Ethiopian offers tasty, 100% gluten free and vegan Ethiopian. Their injera, the teff flatbread, is also 100% gluten-free. Bulletproof Cafe Bulletproof Cafe offers delicious food that is completely free of sugar, gluten, grains, and dairy (except for butter & ghee). Bulletproof offers high-quality food, and easily handles most dietary restrictions. Califlower Pizza Califlower Pizza offers 100% gluten free pizza place for pick-up or delivery. Crust is made with cauliflower, chia seed, and a gluten free flour blend as a base. Their pizzas are gluten free, soy free, and nut free. Honey Hi Honey Hi is a 100% gluten free restaurant in Echo Park “serving food that promotes personal, public & planetary well-being.” Kyes Kyes offers healthy gluten-free and wheat-free wraps from its Santa Monica location. The Kyes menu marks items as gluten-free and wheat-free. The wheat-free items contain ingredients that might have cross-contamination, so anyone with celiac disease will do best to stick with gluten-free items. Moon Bowls Moon Bowls offers “Korean-inspired” bowls that are 100% gluten free for pick-up or delivery. Moon Bowls makes everything from scratch, including sauces. Pikunico Pikunico offers a Gluten Free Menu, Dedicated Fryer, Fried Chicken, and more. Powerplant Superfood Cafe All food at the Powerplant Superfood Cafe is 100% gluten free and vegan, yes, even the double decker pesto burger. Rice MB Rice in Manhattan Beach offers 100% gluten-free sushi. That’s right! Everything is 100% gluten-free, including sauces, ramen, and even the tempura! You're welcome. Sweetfin Sweetfin is a 100% gluten free poke chain, with numerous locations across LA. Think of it as gluten-free sushi in a bowl. Wild Living Foods Wild Living Foods serves 100% gluten-free, plant-based food, with everything cooked below 118 degrees to keep the nutrients and enzymes intact. Gluten-Free Bakeries in LA Breakaway Breakaway offers gluten-free everything. From cookies to bagels, all of their products are made in a dedicated gluten free kitchen and are free of: dairy, casein, peanuts, soy, nuts, and gums. Ecco Un Poco Ecco un Poco offers a great spin on authentic Italian gelato shops. And everything at Ecco un Poco is gluten free. The cones, the cookies, the gelato. Everything. Knock yourself out. West 3rd street close to the Grove and Melrose Place. Erin Mckenna’s Bakery Erin Mckenna’s has two dedicated gluten-free bakery locations in L.A. – one in Larchmont Village, and one on Montana Ave near Santa Monica. All Mckenna's products are vegan, and free from gluten, refined sugar, dairy, and egg. Mckenna's uses gluten-free oats in some products, but not in its donuts or biscuits. Fatamorgana Gelato Fatamorgana offers another great gluten-free spin on the traditional Roman gelato shop. Cones and gelato are all gluten free, all natural ingredients, and myriad flavors. Just off South Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, and in Studio City. Fonuts Fonuts offers 100% gluten free donuts and only gluten-free donuts from shops at West 3rd Street near the Grove and Melrose Place, and another in Studio City. Note: Fonuts donuts are made with almond flour, so beware anyone with almond allergy or sensitivity. Karma Baker Karma Baker is a bakery in Westlake Village that offers delicious, moist, gluten-free cakes, rolls, cupcakes and donuts. Note: Some of Karma Baker's products, including the donuts, use gluten free oat flour. Ask about any oat ingredients, if you have an oat sensitivity. Kirari West Bakery Kirari West is a gluten-free bakery that started in Japan using rice flour instead of wheat. In 2014, they opened their first U.S. location in Redondo Beach. Twice Baked Baking Company Don't let the strip mall fool you. Twice Baked in Long Beach offers incredible gluten-free products, from breads and pizza crusts to our favorites, the bear claws and apple turnovers. Wow Bakes (Delivery or Pickup Only) Wow Bakes is a one person operation, run by a woman named Sharon, who bakes delicious sourdough goods herself in Santa Monica. Wow Bakes offers properly boiled gluten-free bagels that are firm outside and chewy inside like a bagel is supposed to be. They also make a mean gluten-free pop-tart. Wow Bakes ships delicious bread and bagels across the country. Some products are made with oat ingredients, but not bagels, pizza crust, or pop tarts. LA Gluten-Free Grocery Guide Bobs Market bobsmkt.com (424) 322-7797 1650 Ocean Park Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90405 Grocery Stores, Caterers, Food Delivery Service Eddie & Peter Super Market Eddie and Peter Supermarket offers great deals on seasonal produce, excellent service, and plenty that is naturally gluten-free. (323) 667-0311 4920 Santa Monica Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029 Erewhon Markets Since 1968, Erewhon Natural Foods Market has offered organically grown produce, groceries and macrobiotic staples. (323) 937-0777 7660 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036 Natural Sunshine Natural Sunshine offers health foods, supplements, and more. 357 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA Sara's Market Sarah's Market is a much loved, well-stocked East LA business for many decades. (323) 268-6809 3455 City Terrace Dr Los Angeles, CA 90063 Sprout's Farmers Market Sprout's offers fresh seasonal produce, high quality meats and seafood, plus loads of fresh fruits and vegetables, barrels of wholesome grains, nuts and sweets, along with a full-service deli. (310) 500-1192 1751 Westwood Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90024 Super King Markets There are multiple Super King Market locations in the LA area. (323) 225-0044 2716 N San Fernando Rd Los Angeles, CA 90065 The Original Los Angeles Farmers Market The Farmers Market of Los Angeles is the original, and some argue, the best. Take a stroll past myriad stands offering seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables, and plenty of gluten-free things to eat. (323) 933-9211 6333 W 3rd St Los Angeles, CA 90036 Grocery Stores, Fruit & Vegetable Markets, Supermarkets & Super Stores Trader Joe's Trader Joe's offers tons of gluten-free options and has 11 Los Angeles locations. Whole Foods Market There are numerous Whole Foods Markets around Los Angeles. They offer numerous gluten-free items, and offer delivery via Amazon Prime. (323) 964-6800 6350 W 3rd St Los Angeles, CA 90036
  11. Ordering gluten-free food in a restaurant is well covered territory with hundreds, if not thousands of articles on the topic. Most of these articles cover the same territory – research the restaurant beforehand, ask questions to the manager or chef, and tip well. I’m not sure I am going to be able to add anything new, but I’m going to try. If you don’t want to eat out, or are afraid due to cross-contamination risk, I totally understand because studies have shown that restaurant food is often contaminated. At the same time, I would hate to think that this disease is stopping anyone from living their lives. So, if you are satisfied not eating out, that's great, but I like eating out, so I’ve come up with the following ideas. Timing is Everything When Ordering Gluten-Free in Restaurants I recommend that you go to the restaurant during off-hours. In other words, don’t go to the hottest gluten-filled restaurant during the busiest time, which is usually on the weekends. The kitchen is usually slammed then, mistakes can be made, and shortcuts can be taken. Though none of this may be done on purpose, we are still the ones who will pay the price for their mistakes. Try going to dinner at 6 pm on a Thursday night, or even 5 pm or 9 pm on a weekend night. The kitchen will be less busy, and they will be much more likely to take extra time to care for your meal. Ordering Gluten-Free Smartly Ordering a burger without a bun and a baked potato is going to be a safer bet than ordering fried chicken when the restaurant doesn’t offer gluten-free fried chicken. That being said my general rule of thumb is to stay away from pasta or pizza places, but if you can cover it in your questions you might be okay, but I stay away from these places almost 100% of the time. I generally try to order something grilled, not marinated and without any sauce unless the sauce is gluten-free, and plain sides. This approach will keep you safer than anything else. It's important to tell the person who takes your order that your food should be cooked in a separate area on the grill from where bread or gluten items might be made, for example where they heat buns, and to mark your order “gluten-free” and make sure the chef sees this on the ticket. When talking to the servers, ask specific questions. Don’t ask if the fries are gluten-free, ask if they fry other fried items on the menu in the same fryer as the French fries. Don’t ask if the pizza crust is gluten-free, ask if they cook in in a dedicated area in the oven, or keep the gluten-free toppings in a separate area, or if the same preparation area is shared with both gluten and gluten-free pizzas. Likewise, do they cook their gluten-free pasta in the same water as their wheat pastas? Don’t ask if the butter sauce is gluten-free, ask if they use flour or corn starch to thicken the sauce. For soups marked gluten-free, or ones that can be made so easily – like french onion soup, I ask if they make the stock in house or if they buy it. Purchased, pre-made stock is more likely to contain gluten than a stock that they made in house where the chef knows how it was made. These questions require some knowledge of cooking. It is good knowledge to have even if you never cook, because in situations like this, you can ask smart questions to get the answers needed to keep you safe. Become a Regular When They Get Your Gluten-Free Order Right I love a particular local restaurant. After a few times asking for gluten-free items and being safe, the restaurant will get to know you and your needs. Hopefully, they will keep their gluten-free menu items to keep you happy and returning. Make sure to be a good customer and tip well too. Higher End Restaurants May Do Gluten-Free Better Go to the highest end restaurant that you can afford. The nicer the restaurant the more likely it is that you will get a truly gluten-free meal. I was at a restaurant one time that has steak frites–steak and French fries–but it wasn’t marked as gluten-free. They had gluten-free fried items, so I knew they knew what they were doing regarding fried items. I asked why the steak frites was not gluten-free. It turns out that they marinated the steak in a non-gluten-free soy sauce. This is an item that I thought would be safe, but wasn’t, so always, always ask questions. The bottom line here is that someone should only eat where they feel safe. There are lots of precautions we can all take and we have a 2 out of 3 chance of getting a safe meal. So enjoy eating out if you are willing to take that risk, and if you are, follow some of the steps mentioned here so that you can stay safe whenever dine out!
  12. Celiac.com 04/15/2022 - This is the continuation of the book Gluten-Centric Culture, the result of a nation-wide study conducted by Dr. Jean Duane. Chapter 1 opens with the question: How do I gracefully navigate social scenarios with people I love without alienating them or compromising my health? Chapter 2 studies the different cultural norms perpetuated by religious beliefs, government, schools, rules of etiquette, the media, etc. to understand why there seems to be resistance when we disclose to people we need to maintain a gluten-free diet. Chapter 3 examines venues where the long-held “truths” discussed in previous chapters collide in the doctors office, at the grocery store, at school, and at church. Chapter 4 segues to how women’s bodies are particularly challenged and scrutinized in our society. The present chapter looks at family and extended family situations where food sensitivities sometimes interfere with our ability to lovingly interact. The first step to change is to understand the situation. The scenarios from Dr. Duane’s nation-wide study illustrate the many ways that deeply seated beliefs must be re-examined when diagnosed with a disease or living with food sensitivities. The next step is to assign language to call out behaviors and attitudes that do not serve us. The language presented in this book under the main heading of “ideologies” including sacred bread creeds, gluten-doubt beliefs, reluctant tolerance practices, I-know best attitudes, etc. (illustrated in previous chapters) helps us to communicate how our gluten-centric culture is the reason a gluten-free lifestyle is challenging in our society. Ultimately, those living with restrictions take initiative to develop functional strategies, to change attitudes in order to thrive. That is the subject of forthcoming chapters that include inspiring stories of transformation from study participants. Share your gluten-free lifestyle story! Dr. Jean Duane is conducting interviews to be used on her upcoming podcast. See below for details on how to sign up. We’d love to hear from you! Figure 5. 1 – Already really annoying (Licensed with permission from Cartoon Collections.) Jean’s Story - A Thanksgiving to Remember One of my long-time friends invited my husband and me to join her, her husband, her daughter, and her daughter’s children for Thanksgiving in Dallas. There was a time when we all lived near each other and shared in daily life. I looked forward to seeing them again and felt very grateful for being included. My dietary needs had been discretely addressed by my friend’s daughter, the hostess of the dinner, in a series of thoughtful emails inquiring what would be safe for me to eat. I was reassured with her concern and did not bring my normal array of foods. I was further encouraged when I arrived for Thanksgiving dinner to see that my friend’s daughter had set aside a plate of greens with sliced apple and raw walnuts on top for me. It was a compassionate gesture, and I felt included and loved. The husbands of the younger set decided to forge a new Thanksgiving tradition using the turkey fryer in the backyard. They removed every food they could scavenge from the refrigerator and prepared it to fry. A bag of flour was plunked on the counter, as guests eagerly dipped Oreos, macaroni and cheese, ice cream, pickles, baby food—anything they could find—in the flour. A white dust covered the counter where the Thanksgiving foods were sitting, and flour particles were visible in the air. My salad sat uncovered a few feet away. In that moment, all of the preparations made to provide a “safe” meal for me were erased. My salad was tainted with flour dust, as was the air I was breathing in that warm, cozy kitchen. What had moments before felt like a loving, compassionate environment suddenly became adversarial, with me fighting to avoid cross-contamination. I faced a conundrum coupled with that sinking feeling, realizing I was quite hungry – the bacon wrapped almond-stuffed dates that I risked eating (a risk because they were baked in an oven that was also used for baking gluten-containing foods) had long worn off, that there was literally nothing safe for me to eat for dinner. Everything was contaminated with flour dust. I didn’t even have the usual peanut butter energy bar in my purse to sneak-eat in the bathroom. The event was held in my friend’s daughter’s home, where I felt welcomed, but with whom I really hadn’t spent much time. Though she had good intentions, my plight was the least of her concerns. Nearly nine months pregnant, she was trying to entertain a group of 26 people—a group who was developing fun new traditions. The last thing she needed was a needy “mom-friend” asking for special dispensation. The majority of the guests were enthusiastically rolling everything in flour and plopping the blobs into the fryer. My feelings shifted from inclusion and love to isolation and fear. Worse yet, even remaining in the general area where the party was taking place posed danger for me, as I risked breathing airborne flour. I had recently learned that I react to airborne flour from sitting in a pizzeria for two hours. Leaving the scene would be further isolating, making me feel like an outsider. And wearing a mask (I had one in my purse) would be humiliating. (This was before COVID.) So, I moved to the adjoining den where the football game was on TV, pulled my turtleneck over my nose and discretely breathed through it. During dinner, I pretended to eat, switching plates with my husband when nobody was looking, so it appeared that I ate the food reserved for me. I starved until we got back to the hotel late that evening and ate from my “safe” foods before retiring. Cultural Practices at Play in this Scenario Several ideologies/beliefs caused my discomfort at that Thanksgiving setting. First of all, the reluctant tolerance practice was at play as my friend’s daughter tried to accommodate my needs. She had a house full of people she was cooking for, while she was very far along in a difficult pregnancy. I realize that I am projecting the “reluctant” part on her because she did try to accommodate my needs, but I felt like an inconvenience with my restrictive dietary requirements. The able-body bias was in play as the younger set got the flour out and started coating everything in the fridge, sending clouds of flour dust in the air. They didn’t give a wit (and probably didn’t know) about my severe reaction to flour. Further, they likely wouldn’t have believed it, since they might have perceived it as an oddity. My friend’s daughter’s kitchen became unsafe for me when I was put in harm’s way having to breathe the dust. As a friend trying to fit in, it wouldn’t have been acceptable for me to say anything, plus I didn’t want to rain on their parade or to make a scene. Absence of agency was also a factor in this scenario. As one of the older set in a place where the young new families were establishing rituals they would likely reenact for years to come, I didn’t want to be the “weird friend” that they seldom see asserting myself to demand a safe environment. As it is, we stayed in a hotel rather than in the home of a gluten-consuming family—a safe move for me, but an isolating move in their eyes. Exclusionary etiquette rules were also in play. I couldn’t very well hide in the other room and be anti-social. The whole point of us being there was to share with everyone, not to cower from the festivities. Nor could I shun the uncovered food set aside for me in such a loving manner. Finally, and this reveals my inner insecurities, but the dietary discretion practice was also activated. I was very aware of my dietary disabilities, and how it made me different from everyone else who appeared to be able to eat anything. The whole situation put me in a quandary, because I didn’t want to assert myself. And because I hadn’t yet come to terms with my disease enough to do something constructive to deal with it, I suffered through in hungry silence. Commensality – the act of sharing food with others. Conundrum – a difficult situation with no clear solution. The Commensality Conundrum Whenever anyone with celiac disease or food sensitivities is faced with sharing food with others at the dinner table, they must struggle with the question: How do I come to terms with being gluten free with my friends and family, particularly when food and gluten related beliefs are constraining us? Since food is served at nearly every gathering, the commensality conundrum presents itself in every aspect of life. While spending time with family, study participants described additional “vexing venues” or places for potential conflict, such as the immediate family table, the extended family table, restaurants, and even the bedroom! Respondents describe how their food allergies or special diets disrupt family traditions, often triggering ridicule by other family members (Bentley, 2005; Masia, Mullen, & Scotti, 1998). For someone with celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten sensitivity diagnosis, this is particularly complicated because sharing food signifies belonging in family and community (Montanari, 2006). Indeed, individuals with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity risk alienation if they do not participate in food festivities or religious rituals (Curtin & Heldke, 1992); or terrible health effects like autoimmune disorders (Green & Jabri, 2003), anaphylactic shock, and even death (Cummings, et al., 2010) if they do. Cherished food rituals shared with family members are challenged when someone has severe dietary restrictions. The Family Meal is Complicated! I was asked to make dinner for some of my older friends. Though we agreed on a Mexican themed meal, they called to tell me they couldn’t eat “hot” foods. So, I adapted my signature recipes to use “mild” versus “hot” chilies in the rellenos. I put the red sauce on the side rather than baking it into the enchiladas like I usually would. While sitting at the dinner table, I noticed my companions weren’t eating much. Neither was I. At that time, I hadn’t honed my cooking skills to make alterations. The “mild” flavor adjustments I made to accommodate their taste buds made my signature dishes bland and boring. I felt compromised as a cooked with all those substitutions, and a little irked that nobody raved about the foods I made. This is how other cooks feel, I’m sure, when altering their signature recipes on the fly to accommodate someone with celiac disease or food sensitivities. When considering the tasks involved in creating a pleasant dinner party, such as “planning, shopping, scheduling, preparing, serving, navigating table interaction, cleaning, packing away, … stocking supplemental ingredients, as well as knowing and accommodating family member diets, preferences, and allergies” (DeVault, 1991, p. 28), the family meal is a “complex social event” (p. 3). Traditional American meals like Thanksgiving dinner regularly include multiple gluten-containing dishes like stuffing, dinner rolls, green bean casserole, and pies. This requires those with celiac disease to inquire about ingredients prior to consuming foods, as described by Stella (# 21): There are times when I have felt uncomfortable because I feel like I am making other people uncomfortable. We were at dinner and when I started asking questions about ingredients, I could see that others around the table were getting annoyed. I felt like I embarrassed those around me, but I felt uncomfortable about eating unfamiliar foods without asking. I didn’t feel uncomfortable enough to stop; I had to continue to ask my questions, but I felt like I was holding everybody up with my questions, trying to figure out what I can or cannot eat. Stella could feel the unease among her family members, but had to persist in order to stay safe. This illustrates the ceaseless endeavor that anyone with food sensitivities or celiac disease has to maintain in order to ensure prolonged health. When a family member is diagnosed with food sensitivities or celiac disease, high-functioning families work together to process the new information and adjust their practices accordingly (Koenig Kellas & Trees, 2006); whereas, dysfunctional families are likely to create a hurtful, vulnerable environment for the ill person (Vangelisti, Maguire, Alexander, & Clark, 2007). Familial dysfunction occurs when members cling to bygone beliefs. They resist changing their own opinions and cause grief to anyone who attempts disruption, as Kaylee (#52) reports. When requesting gluten free foods at a gathering, her sister joked, “Leave it to you to be difficult,” illustrating the reluctant tolerance practice of begrudging compliance and the gluten-doubt belief. Whether harmonious or disharmonious, people living together typically need to cope with the needs of the disabled person or face relationship changes (Frank, 1995). To cope, family members need to work together to revise the “truths” and narratives they tell each other and themselves. Revised stories told among family members help to redefine the experience, creating the prospect of familial functionality. So, rather than saying, “leave it to you to be difficult,” a dysfunctional statement, the sister could have lovingly said, “What can I do to help you eat safely at this family gathering?” Statements like these set the tone for other family members. When it comes to celiac disease or food sensitivities, a family’s degree of functionality plays out around the dinner table, as old beliefs collide with new “truths.” Restrictive diets can be frustrating for all parties involved and can impact every aspect of life and family culture. Women reported less satisfaction with social aspects of their lives after long-term adherence to the gluten free diet (Hallert et al., 2002). They felt isolated from food-related events and relegated to preparing meals at home for themselves. People with cooking skills can usually adapt to a gluten free diet in the home, assuming other household members cooperate, such as in the case of Kevin (#33) whose wife said when he was diagnosed, “I’ll support you, and we’ll get rid of all the gluten in the household.” In uncooperative households, some celiac disease sufferers succumb in order to fit in and eat the allergenic food, even if it means becoming ill as a consequence. In fact, 40% of people with celiac disease do not comply because it’s too challenging (Jackson, 1985). Family life for the food intolerant can be a hard road because of both the “trial and error” associated with determining which foods cause problems and the social consequences of being different (Nettleton, Woods, Burrows, & Kerr, 2020, p. 303). Both disclosure and deception carry the risk of social stigmatization and alienation from family and friends as reported by John (#2), when he sits down to dinner: I feel embarrassed, like I’m being a pain in the ass, inconveniencing other people. That’s what I hate the most about this. I think part of the reason for that is because this whole ‘gluten free’ thing is such a fad. Everybody has a story about their college roommate who is gluten free until [he] orders a Caesar salad and [eats] the croutons. So, a lot of people don’t take it seriously. John feels scrutinized at the dinner table because he feels that many don’t understand that his dietary requirements are life-and-death choices, not a fad. This illustrates both the reluctant tolerance practice and gluten-doubt belief. John’s feeling like a “pain in the ass” is likely from family and/or friends “reluctantly” tolerating or doubting his dietary needs. Crumbs in the Kitchen A non-gluten free home for those with celiac disease is similar to an alcoholic working in a bar, or living in a home full of liquor. The threat of succumbing is constant for the recovering alcoholic, causing high levels of anxiety because of the ever-present reminders (Groh, Jason, Davis, Olson, & Ferrari, 2007). Similarly, a person with celiac disease or food sensitivities dodging gluten crumbs or flour dust whenever preparing or consuming a meal can cause ongoing anxiety. When describing food allergies, events triggering anxiety include potential exposure to allergens, and the possibility of having nothing safe to eat (Mandell, Curtis, Gold, & Hardie, 2005). If a person with celiac disease lives in a “hostile” environment, where others continue to eat gluten, this can cause underlying, unresolved anxiety not to mention on-going physical reactions. Further, the manner in which the person with celiac disease processes conflict is significant. Gianna (#50) describes a hostile scenario in her non-gluten-free home: Oh, I get gluten contamination all the time, especially from my husband. And he doesn’t realize it. He’ll be making a sandwich, and he will grab whatever jelly he wants. He shoves the knife in, spreads it back and forth on the toast and shoves it back in the jelly. So, it is cross-contaminated. That little teeny-tiny bit will bother me. It will make me sick. Because her husband adamantly refuses a gluten-free household, Gianna will live in a threatening environment and a permanent state of apprehension until she takes initiatives to protect self-health. Her husband’s response portrays the I-know-best attitude to his wife’s needs, resulting in her being sickened on a regular basis. Gianna says his lack of cooperation causes her daily strife. To avoid conflict, she dodges the foods that could possibly be contaminated such as the open jelly in the refrigerator. This scenario also illustrates her absence-of-agency in the relationship because she does not have the power to demand that her husband honors her needs. As a result, she lives with the daily risk of contamination, because she and her husband have not come to a mutually agreeable resolution. Jean’s Story - Daddy’s Diet In many families, the father’s dietary requirements become the fare for the rest of the household. My father had his first heart attack at age 55. He endured three bypass surgeries over 20 years. He had stents inserted in the arteries around his heart in between bypass surgeries. On three separate occasions, doctors split open his sternum. Long arteries were extracted from his legs and sewn around his heart, resulting in three-foot-long incision scars, ankle-to-thigh. Recovery from each bypass surgery took six months of rest and physical therapy to regain muscle strength. Over time, plaque would build up in his arteries, and he would start the process all over again. He took all kinds of drugs including beta-blockers and statins, and he regularly put nitroglycerin under his tongue to thwart imminent attacks. Nothing worked until a doctor told us that dietary choices were the cause of his heart disease. After that, our family became vegetarian overnight. We suffered through Momma’s experiments with soy protein (which came in a milk carton and tasted like cardboard), beans (which she’d never cooked before and we promptly rejected), and egg dishes made only with whites. Despite our grumbling, it worked. Daddy lost weight, began running, and enjoyed good health. But compared to the rich American diet we were accustomed to, the vegetarian menu left us feeling deprived and unsatisfied. To protect Daddy, we identified certain foods as culprits the doctors told us caused his heart to clog. We pinpointedegg yolks, saturated fat, cocoa butter, coconut oil, butter, shortening, whole dairy products, and red meatsand eliminated them from our diet. My father’s diet was an obsession for us, becoming an emotional jumble of love, and frustration for my mother whose “job” it was to fulfill his dietary requirements. Everything we ate was a surrogate for something else: meatloaf made with turkey burger and oats, rather than hamburger; vegetables cooked in broth rather than sautéed in butter; cookies baked with oil rather than butter. Those were tough years because we all missed the foods we craved. In our case, the father’s needs dictated the household’s diet, an example of how the head of the household tends to have the most agency. And, even in our modern world, food preparation and dietary adherence is often still considered a woman’s role in traditional marriages. Years later, when I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I thought, “Here we go again!” I didn’t want to suffer through another phase of dietary deprivation! Daddy’s diet experience influenced me to attend cooking school and to develop recipes with tasty alternatives. Patriarchal dietary preferences influence the fare in Ava’s (#7) parent’s home where she observes, “Mom is sick all the time, and she has been hospitalized twice. She needs to be gluten free, and because my dad doesn’t want to, my mom hasn’t gone totally gluten free. She eats half-and-half [half gluten and half non-gluten containing diet].” Ava is certain her mother has celiac disease. Since her father refuses to eat a gluten free diet, her mother feels strongly that it is her duty to cook what her husband wants to eat, and continues to cook and eat gluten-containing foods, thus suffering celiac disease-related symptoms. Further, since gluten free foods are expensive, some families cannot afford to prepare separate meals or don’t have the time. A celiac disease sufferer might decide, for example, that it is easier to comply with her spouse’s desires than fight for change. Many respondents report similar observations, indicating that family members preferred to ignore celiac disease rather than adopt the restrictive gluten free lifestyle. Nevertheless, the burden of compliance often falls on the shoulders of the woman in the household (Crowley et al., 2012). This is true in Robert’s (#12) household. An older gentleman, Robert said that he knows nothing of the nuances of the diet because when he was diagnosed years ago, his wife researched and took classes to learn how best to feed him. Possibly this is a generational phenomena, or perhaps it is a patriarchal attitude, or maybe it is the way his wife shows her love for him. Whatever the reason, Robert felt that understanding food and his diet was his wife’s responsibility. His health or demise is directly correlated to his wife’s ability to finesse a healthy diet for him. Sometimes children exert higher levels of agency, causing strife in the parent-child relationship, as reported by Ava. She describes a contentious situation with her adult cohabitating daughter, before coming to terms with the seriousness of her diagnosis: She gets ‘pissy’ and she says things like, ‘God this has nothing to do with me, I can’t bring anything into the house.’ She wants to bring gluten-containing foods into the house to eat with her friends in her room. I had to put my foot down. I said, ‘you guys can’t eat gluten in the house. If you and your friends want to eat gluten, you have to do it at a restaurant, or you have to stay outside. You need to rinse your hands off. Don’t even come in here and touch my doorknob. You just need to leave that crap outside. If you’ve had a cookie that you had in your room, and I come in there and love on you, or if you come out and kiss me, then I’ll get sick.’ Constantly feeling pressure to allow gluten does not cultivate a meaningful relationship, and this negativity can disrupt familial relationships (Arroyo and Segrin, 2013). Ava reached the breaking point, causing discord with her daughter. She describes getting continually cross-contaminated by her daughter’s negligence. The daughter was not taking her mother’s needs seriously. By saying, “God, this has nothing to do with me,” Ava’s daughter demonstrated a non-adaptive yours not mine principle, making the disease “her mother’s” alone. This illustrates how some family members do not acknowledge the hereditary nature of celiac disease. Interestingly, Ava also describes her daughter’s small stature, halitosis, and migraines, which are all symptoms of celiac disease (Wangen, 2009). Ava describes her resolve to require that her “house be the place that [she is] safest,” taking ownership of her safety and her disease – no matter how her daughter responds. Layla (#65) describes her experience of living with risk of accidental exposure while living with her husband in her mother-in-law’s house. Layla was highly sensitive to gluten and her mother-in-law’s kitchen became a “vexing venue” because her mother-in-law refused to cooperate with Layla’s dietary needs, leaving open containers of flour-containing foods all over. The mother-in-law was highly inconvenienced by Layla’s requests. To avoid the kitchen Layla’s adaptive strategy was to keep her and her husband’s food in her bedroom. She reports, “[My mother-in-law] wanted to have gluten-containing flour in the kitchen. It really concerned my husband and me with having open flour on all of our foods; so, for at least a year, there were problems with how she handled her kitchen.” Here, the mother-in-law exercised a high degree of agency and did not allow Layla or her husband to have a say. She also activated gluten-doubt, not believing that Layla was so sensitive. Needless to say, there was a constant rift between Layla and her mother-in-law. Conversely, Grace (#17) describes a more cooperative kitchen scenario, and though they both had good intentions, adaptations ultimately had to be made. When I was first diagnosed, my husband obviously didn’t have to deal with it, so he would still eat his gluten, and it was just too stressful because of the cross-contamination. We had two different toasters, two different jars of peanut butter, two different everything. And then there were crumbs everywhere, and finally we went to a gluten-free household. Grace describes how she and her husband changed their habits to avoid cross-contamination. After struggles and reaction episodes, they ultimately decided to implement a gluten-free home. This couple quelled Grace’s anxiety by coming to terms with her dietary restrictions through cooperation, together shifting their home-based food practices. The home kitchen and dinner table are prime “vexing venues” for those with celiac disease. But the challenges of gluten free adaptation carry over into all types of relations—even intimate ones. Jean’s Story - Glutenous Interruptus I couldn’t get enough of him. His beautiful blue eyes, soothing voice, and confident manner. He was a charmer, anticipating my every need. My favorite flower, a light pink rose he gave me sat next to my place setting. He remembered the drink I enjoyed and ordered it for me. We were at a posh restaurant that had a harp player playing Vivaldi. The music wafted to the candlelit room where our table was. Floor-to-ceiling curtains billowed in the light breeze and we could hear the ocean’s waves from beyond. He was so engaging, asking follow on questions to everything I mentioned. Our conversation volleyed in a give and take with so many common interests. He smiled often and I remember thinking, “I am so happy this man is in my life.” After dinner, we adjourned to a private room. To continue the mood of the restaurant, I opened the door of the balcony to feel the ocean breeze and put on some soft Portuguese jazz. I gave him some bourbon neat and sat next to him on the couch. He moved closer, his face near to mine. I could smell the intoxicating aromas of bourbon, aftershave, and a hint of cigar smoke. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back in anticipation of a kiss. His lips came so close I could feel mine tingling. I could feel his breath as he exhaled gently. Suddenly I remembered that he had eaten a lot of bread at dinner and that his mustache was likely full of gluten crumbs. Abruptly, I got up and said, “I’m really sorry, but before we kiss, you’ll have to go wash your face,” evaporating that intimate moment. In the Bedroom - Don’t Kiss Me! If you want to kiss me, wash that beard. —Beasley, 2011 Couples interact with each other in different ways. “Interactive styles” can determine whether the relationship is functional or dysfunctional (Brown, 2011, p. 119). For example, when a partner does not attempt to understand or incorporate the dietary restrictions of the other, that disengagement ultimately results in relationship dissatisfaction. By contrast, couples that engage in a “cohesive” style of interaction have better outcomes, where both partners participate and understand the dietary requirements (Brown, 2011, p. 113). How couples handle each other’s needs is a harbinger of how their relationship is going. Survey participants frequently reported unhappiness with relationships, when the household wasn’t completely gluten free and cross-contamination was a constant threat. On the other hand, many respondents reported harmonious, cooperative relationships such as Stella, who describes her husband as follows, “He is wonderful. If I don’t ask immediately upon entering a restaurant, he’s the first one to say, ‘my wife needs a gluten free menu.’” Lillian (#58) reports being cross-contaminated while courting her (now) husband from kissing after he consumed beer and pizza. Now, he rinses his mouth and brushes his teeth before touching her. Contrastingly, for fear of contamination, John says he “won’t snuggle with his wife until after she has brushed her teeth and gargled.” Their intimate encounters have diminished since he was diagnosed because his wife regularly consumes gluten. Eleanor (#20) reports that her husband of 34 years expresses his love and respect by not kissing after he’s had a beer or a sandwich. She said, My husband has seen me in agony, on the floor. He had known me most of my adult life and has seen me sick and not knowing what is wrong with me. He saw me once being taken to the hospital in an ambulance and he followed the ambulance to be with me in the hospital. So, he is glad that I finally know what is wrong. He is not completely gluten free himself for breakfast and lunch, but dinner, which we eat together, he eats gluten free. He will not kiss me if he has had something that is not gluten free. Like if he has had a beer or if he’s had a bite of a sandwich or a cracker that is not gluten free, he’ll tell me, ‘Don’t kiss me.’ Allison (#35) lives with her husband who continues to consume gluten in the household. When he does, and tries to cuddle with her, she says, “We’re not doing that.” Her husband essentially chooses eating gluten over intimacy. She jokes that it’s his way of saying, “Honey I have a headache.” Gluten anxiety can be the final straw in ending relationships. Waffles End a Marriage The stakes are higher than some partners realize because a lack of cooperation and compassion around celiac disease dietary needs can end relationships. When someone feels they have been treated unjustly, in time, they may see this negativity as the final straw. For example, Mila (#10) describes how she attained closure in a dysfunctional relationship with this episode that ultimately broke up her marriage: Probably the most hurtful thing for me was for years of our marriage, every Saturday morning my husband made waffles. That was the one meal of the week that he made. And then when I needed gluten-free waffles he said, ‘I would never make those.’ In all those years, I thought he was making them for me, and he was really making them for his own idea of what a good waffle was. Mila’s spouse communicated his beliefs about breakfast waffles and altering ingredients to make them gluten free did not meet his expectations. When she told me the story, the pain in her voice reflected her heartbreak at his hurtful comment. “I would never make those,” still resonates with her, years after their divorce. Here, the absence of agency doctrine is in play. She thought she had more agency in her marriage and the waffle incident made her realize she didn’t. Also, the able-body bias idea is at work in this scenario. Mila’s husband couldn’t be bothered with her special needs feeling that the only kind of waffles worth eating were those that contained gluten. She describes this incident as the straw that broke the camel’s back—the moment she realized her gluten free needs were not a priority for her (now) ex-husband. Gluten Free Diet Breaks Up “Besties” Dietary requirements broke up Scarlet’s (#14) 30-year friendship. After enduring many medical tests and years of suffering, she triumphantly shared her celiac disease diagnosis and gluten free solution with her friend. Scarlet was happy and hopeful, but her best friend did not reciprocate; rather, she quipped dismissively, “Oh, well. See if it works.” Scarlet describes how her friend made it sound like she was just trying another fad, ignoring the struggles Scarlet had communicated over the years as she tried to find the key to regaining her health. The friend’s lack of compassion caused Scarlet to discontinue the relationship. Scarlet feels her longtime friend did not try to understand the implications of celiac disease, treating her resolve to follow a gluten free lifestyle as a casual fad. Jean’s Story - La Guerre on Pain du Chocolate My friend invited me over for tea on her upper deck garden with a view of Long’s Peak. As we settled in the cushioned rockers, enjoying the ultra blue sky and warm sun, she said, “I went to a French boulangerie and got us pain du chocolate. I know you can’t eat gluten, so I got you these gluten digestive tablets to take before you eat. These pills are supposed to “digest” the gluten so it doesn’t negatively affect you. Isn’t that great?” I know my friend, who I only see every six months because of her incredible life demands, has really gone to a lot of trouble to accommodate me. And how kind that she did that! She has heard me reminisce about eating pain du chocolate while on a trip to Paris, long before being diagnosed. (How I cherish those memories!) And she was trying to recapture that with her beautiful tea array, doilies and all. For a second, I actually considered eating the tablets and then enjoying the pain du chocolate, but I don’t think those tablets work for someone with celiac disease. They may help break down grains for someone with mild gluten intolerance, but for me, they aren’t a solution. (It is also ironic that the word for bread is pain in French, and it causes me pain in English!) I was in a quandary about what to do. I really didn’t want to insult her, but I also didn’t want to poison myself. I decided to explain. I thanked her profusely for going to so much trouble, and offered to reimburse her. (She didn’t let me, so I sent her a gift card for a pedicure at her favorite place in my thank you note.) I think she understood. I watched her eat a pain du chocolate and felt very awkward and deprived. I tried to steer the conversation away from the beautiful foods she arranged, enjoying her companionship and the lovely setting instead. This is an example of the friend’s “vexing venue” where we have to have pre-thought-out strategies for how to deal with situations gracefully without offending anyone, or worse, losing a long-time friend. I feel honesty is the best policy, and as we’ve learned in this document, it hasn’t always turned out to be “best.” But we have to be true to ourselves. Holidays and Restaurant Dining We’ve examined family, home life and even bedroom issues imposed by celiac disease. Next, we’ll expand to the extended family holiday table and restaurant venues. Food is powerfully symbolic at celebrations and holidays (de Certeau, et al., 1998). Familiar food rituals are disrupted when a family member learns they have food sensitivities, especially if the food sensitive person suffers dire physical consequences. The health of the food sensitive person is usually a concern for the entire family and requires both redefinition of family practices and development of new stories to adjust to the changes imposed by a diagnosis. Families exert significant effort to create occasions of enjoying food and conversation together—key features of familial socialization (Ochs & Shohet, 2006). Successful meal planning considers the flavor pairings, food temperature, seating, table scape, and a host of other details. Families take a great interest in the foods they share during mealtime, especially during holidays with lots of guests. Attempting to make traditional foods with alternative ingredients often requires skills that the average home cook does not possess. To put it lightly, “cooking is fraught,” with many things to consider to accomplish a successful meal, especially when trying to accommodate someone with celiac disease (Bowen, Elliott, & Brenton, 2014, p. 21). Hazel (#22) shares a story about how her mother cannot understand why traditional holiday foods are no longer permissible with the gluten free diet. She tearfully describes how the family has certain breads and gluten-containing dishes and how her mother insists they are part of the holiday dinner, even after Hazel told her mother she has celiac disease. She reports: We do family reunions, and I have always been in charge of the food. And getting [mom] to understand that there were things that I couldn’t do anymore, like family favorite dishes, that I couldn’t participate in or even make. It was really hard. She thought that I was mad that I wasn’t in charge of the food. But it wasn’t that. It was just that I couldn’t eat it. That’s probably one of the hardest things. Many deeply held principles are activated in Hazel’s heartbreaking story. The bread is sacred creed is embraced by her mother who wouldn’t alter the traditional holiday foods. Hazel, a mother of two says that both she and her daughter have celiac disease. She also thinks her father does too because he is often very sick after eating wheat and gluten-containing foods. His wife’s gluten-doubt suggests that his malady was in his head. Gradually, though, the mother/wife realized her I-know-best attitude and that gluten was making all of them sick. The mother finally understood and now feels bad for being so harsh and insensitive to her family. Part of the reason Hazel had such a hard time getting her mother to understand her needs is because up until this book, we haven’t had language to discuss when we collide with long-held cultural food practices. Extended family holiday meals pose a serious social dilemma for those with restrictive diets. Social norms dictate that food is shared around the table, but the food is often contaminated with gluten, making the extended family dinner table a “vexing venue.” “Eating together does not necessarily mean all is love and harmony. If the table is the metaphor for life, it represents in a direct and exacting way both membership in a group and the relationships defined within that group” (Montanari, 2006, p. 3). The awkwardness of non-compliance to social norms, regular confrontations with deeply held beliefs, coupled with familial expectations is spotlighted by Emery’s reaction, after she was mocked for her illness: I think that people should realize that it is an incurable autoimmune disease disorder. You don’t make fun of somebody who has cerebral palsy, or something like cystic fibrosis, and say: ‘Oh, that cystic fibrosis person causes so much trouble.’ We just never say that. But the celiac people, they’re totally free to be mocked. Emery highlights a common double standard visible throughout this book that is applied to celiac disease but not other illnesses. Another respondent, Grace, describes her alienation during a holiday ritual. Her husband’s large Italian family has a gift exchange every year, where names are drawn prior to Christmas. She explained how family members could make requests for what they would like, and she always specified, “no food items.” One year, an older aunt drew her name: So, I obviously [requested] gift cards because the easiest thing to get me is a gift card, and she got me an [gluten containing] Italian pastry! That was my gift. Of all people! And, I had to act graciously. And, this is what pissed me off most…my husband did not have my back...I would’ve loved for him to say something. I sat there and had to be thankful about it. Grace was a victim of exclusionary etiquette rules when she had to show thanks for a gift that would make her very sick. She also mentioned that she felt alienated that she could not participate in the customary ritual of breaking the bread and sharing it with the other family members on Christmas morning. Alternatively, if Grace were able to consume the food item given by the aunt, she may have responded with gratitude and feelings of belonging by consuming their Italian traditional foods. Food, in this case, became a symbol of alienation from the family. Liza (#68), however, had a different response when she received a holiday gift she could not consume: My neighbor, who I felt like I had good rapport with, spent Christmas in Europe and brought me a souvenir from her trip to thank me for keeping an eye on her home. She went on and on about how she had this particular spread on her toast for breakfast every morning while there, and how she would sorely miss it because it was not available to purchase in the U.S. She was giving me one of the few jars remaining from her hoard. A true gift, I thought, because it was something she held dear. She asked me if I could eat it, and as I read the ingredients I saw that it contained both gluten and dairy, and that I would not be eating it. So rather than doing the polite thing and acting like it was ‘just the thing I was hoping for,’ considering how much she said she liked this rare delicacy, I decided to be honest. I said, ‘Paula, I am allergic to two of these ingredients and won’t be able to eat it. I feel terrible taking it from you since it is so rare, and knowing I can’t eat it. I would like it if you would take it and enjoy it.’” This story defies exclusionary etiquette rules because Liza didn’t accept the gift graciously. Even though Liza thought she had good rapport with her neighbor and elected honesty, the expected response was that she would “embrace” the jar and tell her neighbor how much she appreciated it. Rather than being disingenuous, Liza elected to be honest. I asked her how her relationship with the neighbor was afterward, and she said it was never the same. She described watching her neighbor return home, walking on the sidewalk, shoulders lowered while holding the rejected gift, and deeply regretted being honest. Liza said from now on, she would “embrace” gifts from people no matter whether she could consume them or not. I’ve thought a lot about this scenario. Recently, I gave a friend a book and a bag of goodies to eat. I don’t know whether she had already read the book, or if she could eat the treats, but the note she wrote me made me feel like that book was “just the exact right thing” and that she would soon be devouring the treats. It made me feel like I hit a home run. There’s a lesson to be learned here! Aren’t You Being Dramatic? The extended family dinner table is where diseases of heredity are discussed. Even though celiac disease is genetic, many participants report they were the only person in the family with the disease. This could be because celiac disease is under-diagnosed in America (Fasano et al, 2003; Green & Jabri, 2003); or, it could be because of social resistance. One in ten family members share celiac disease (celiac.org, 2022). Family members observe the strife experienced of the diagnosed and don’t want to live through that too. Liza (#68) reports how when she told her sister she had been diagnosed with celiac disease, her sister said, “That’s your disease, not mine” and refused to get tested. Those with celiac disease eventually see gluten-containing foods as poison and wish that their family members would not consume it. For example, when watching other family members eating gluten, Lucy (#26) says, “I feel sad when I see them eating it,” knowing what it does to her and fearing what it may do to them. Emery provides an experience of feeling like the only family member who admits to having celiac disease, in spite of others in the family presenting celiac disease symptoms. Emery says, “One has gout and others have all sorts of autoimmune inflammatory issues, and I’m like, well, I know why.” After being diagnosed, discovering that it is a hereditary disease, and observing symptoms in her uncle and nephews at an extended family meal, Emery suggested to her uncle that his family should be tested. He responded saying, “What? Are you sure you aren’t just being dramatic? Are you maybe doing it for attention?” These hurtful slurs caused Emery to defend her disease in ways that other diseases would not have to be defended. Furthermore, it isn’t her disease in isolation. Somebody in the genetic-line passed it along to her. Similarly, Cara (#53) reported a comment from a family member, saying, “You really don’t have to be that gluten free!” Another ignorant message delivered at an extended family meal came from Bert (#63), whose sister said, “I’m sure it’s not that bad” when he described what happened to his body after a minute amount of gluten. These comments exemplify the gluten-doubt belief and yours, not mine attitude. Skylar (#64) says she attends dinners at other people’s homes, puts food on her plate so it looks like she is eating, but doesn’t eat anything. This illustrates another adaptive strategy that conforms to exclusionary etiquette rules where one must appear to be eating and enjoying the foods the hostess offers even though it is “dishonest.” It’s a dining dilemma. Cooks and gift-givers share their food as a way of showing their love. Rejecting it feels like a rejection of the giver, while acceptance by those with food sensitivities feels disingenuous. Is it better to pretend, or to be honest? If we aren’t honest with people we regularly see, we’re perpetuating the “lie” that will likely backfire sooner or later. If we are honest, we risk hurting their feelings and likely won’t be invited back for a meal. I want to believe we can be open and honest with each other about our needs with close friends and relatives, but social norms and rules of etiquette sometimes mandate other tactics. Are You On Some Kind of Freakish Diet? Accepted cultural practices in the restaurant scenario cause awkwardness for those with food sensitivities or celiac disease. Restaurant etiquette includes expectations of eating the chef’s special, not asking for changes, and praising the chef. When sitting at the restaurant table, one is expected to order, but not to be obtrusive about it. Other rules include, don’t be demanding, don’t embarrass others around the table, don’t annoy the server, be open to eating in places where others want to eat, share food, and talk about the flavor combinations. To stay safe, those with celiac disease often break every one of these rules. Interviews reveal dissatisfaction and lack of family compassion stemming from eating outside of the home. Rather than dealing with awkward social situations, many with celiac disease felt homebound in order to remain safe from cross-contamination and reported feelings of grief around lost social interactions. Many expressed a reduction in quality of life. In addition to ensuring safety, eating at home reduces the need for disclosure and negotiating menus with others. However, many celiac disease sufferers still endeavor to eat in restaurants. In this section, we see how participants navigate the restaurant venue, starting with a menu that has no gluten free selections. Quinn (#41) reports: Early on in diagnosis, I visited my older son. He wanted to try a restaurant, and I wanted to go to a gluten-free restaurant. He insisted on the restaurant he wanted saying, ‘I’m sure they’ll have something.’ The waiter said, ‘There isn’t anything in the whole restaurant that is gluten free.’ I couldn’t order anything. I cried and felt isolated and victimized but more than that, there wasn’t anything I could eat. Prior to going to the restaurant, Quinn asked her son to help her review the menu online, or to call first to see if there were accommodations made by the chef. He refused, and she went along, going hungry and remembering her son’s thoughtless comment, “I’m sure they’ll have something” indicating his I-know-best attitude. Quinn’s inability to stand up to her son’s lack of compassion to ensure her dietary needs are met, illustrate her absence of agency in the relationship. And his brush off comment saying, “I’m sure the restaurant will have something” illustrates the gluten-doubt belief. In her story, Hazel describes a humiliating exchange involving a server and her whole family: The waitress said, ‘So, are you on some kind of freakish diet?’ And my daughter said, ‘I am on a restrictive diet.’ The waitress said, ‘Well, it’s not like you need to lose weight.’ My daughter is very, very thin. My daughter said, ‘I’m not trying to lose weight, it just hurts me.’ And the gal just kept arguing, and arguing, and my son-in-law at that point said, ‘Hey, look, here’s what happens if she eats that: she might sit here and poop her pants. So, go fix her a salad.’ My husband was just in shock. I just started laughing. My husband said, ‘I’m so sick of this.’ This episode illustrates the array of reactions to a typical restaurant scenario, as several cultural practices play out. The server would not relent, pushing back and judging the daughter’s request, indicating the able bodied bias. The server’s attitude implied that the only reason someone couldn’t eat food was because they were “freakish,” discounting medical needs for dietary restrictions. The son-in-law graphically detailed her personal symptoms to the ignorant server, which caused the mother to laugh but violated etiquette rules. We don’t talk about such things at the dinner table, after all. The family showed compassion and understanding, trying to defend the daughter’s situation. Finally, the father expressed exasperation at this scenario, likely making the daughter feel the cause of all the unnecessary strife. Other respondents echoed this struggle. In some cases, family members express chagrin when the person with celiac disease orders in a restaurant. Ivy (#40) describes a time when she was out to eat with her daughter and son-in-law, who think she is “high maintenance.” While ordering, the son-in-law interfered saying, “You are going to make the waitress mad.” Her daughter replied calling people with celiac disease, “Glutards.” These painful utterances continued to resonate with Ivy. Anna (#27) described going to a restaurant and ordering a salad, considering it the safest thing on the menu, specifying gluten free. The salad arrived with a dinner roll on top. In a display of solidarity, her husband sent it back, but the server refused, defiantly pulling the roll from the salad and placing it back in front of Anna. The server was enacting the I-know-best attitude, and gluten-doubt belief. These scenes illustrate the process of how family members come to terms to protect each other (or not) with food and gluten-related ideologies that affect behavior. Some family members and friends avoid eating out with those who have food sensitivities or celiac disease, such as when Naomi (#32) reports her sibling saying, “You’re such a pain. You always have to have your own stuff, and won’t share food.” Of course, some respondents report positive experiences in restaurants. The degree to which the listener relates to a story is known as being empathetic, or how much sympathy and compassion the two engaging in conversation share. The more empathetic people feel toward each other, the more they connect to each other. This is usually because both share similar life experiences. For example, if the server also has celiac disease, he or she would likely take care to provide a safe meal to another with celiac disease. In a highly empathetic situation, the restaurant patron is likely to persuade the waiter to conscientiously provide a safe meal. The following interview from Allison indicates an empathetic situation: I can honestly say that there was one person, and it was at a restaurant, shockingly, it was a manager who said, ‘There are people who come in here who have gluten sensitivity, but with you having an actual gluten disease, it is much more serious.’ He said, ‘here are the items that you can have, and I will make sure that they are prepared in an area where there won’t be any cross-contamination.’ He told me where the food was prepared, and he was willing to take me through the kitchen. He went above and beyond what he should have done, and I was so grateful for that. Not many restaurants are like that though. Another respondent, Madelyn (#57), was in Las Vegas and asked the waiter for a gluten free meal. The waiter was very conscientious, and said not to eat from the buffet table because of potential cross-contamination. He “took care of her” with food she ordered separately. On the contrary, Riley (#65) describes a time she went to a restaurant she regularly frequented, ordering the same menu item as usual with different results: I ordered a gluten-free blackened chicken Caesar salad and I have ordered this before, and I started eating my salad and the jerk in the kitchen put the croutons underneath my salad where they were hidden. And I didn't know that until it started eating. I was so mad. And I have had that salad before, and I've never even seen croutons on it underneath anything. So you know it was intentional. And I told the manager, and she didn't really take it seriously. It was like, ‘oh well okay… Let me get you another one.’ Since 2012, those with celiac disease have been deemed “disabled” under the American Disabilities Act. This implies that the dietary needs of those with the disease are required to be accommodated. However, there is an exception for restaurants that says if their signature recipes are fundamentally altered when converting them to be gluten free, they do not have to comply. Until the American Disabilities Act (ADA) is amended to require eating establishments to have at least one “safe” selection on the menu for those with celiac disease, restaurants will continue to be a “vexing venue.” The American Disabilities Act and how those with celiac disease might use it to their advantage will be discussed at length later in the book. Moving Toward Accepting New “Truths” and Living Gracefully This chapter shows how long-held “truths” and generally acceptable cultural practices do not serve those living with celiac disease. The family meal is a complex event fraught with social norms and rules of etiquette. Day-to-day household harmony requires cultivating an understanding with our loved ones, often challenging their long-held truths. Many of the situations discussed in this chapter were uncomfortable, because no strategies had been pre-determined to make it easier. Just like the survival books tell us, we need to have pre-thought-out strategies in order to survive. We need to know how many doors are between our room and the fire escape before going to bed in a hotel. We need to count seats fore and aft in an airplane to know how many there are to an exit before take off. We must know what items to take with us if our home must be evacuated. Similarly, strategies for navigating social situations while living with celiac disease are imperative. These strategies ultimately redefine the ill person’s identity, and change dining dilemmas into pleasant situations. Learning to live with a disease is a process, which is the topic of the next chapters. Podcast Interviews Forum Questions: Describe a conversation you’ve had with a family member that illustrates the yours not mine principle. How have rules of etiquette impeded your safety at an extended family meal? This chapter illustrates examples of telling the truth when receiving a gluten-containing gift, and other examples of accepting a gift as if it’s “just the thing” even though it contains gluten and cannot be consumed. How would you handle it if a good friend or family member gave you gluten-containing food? What strategies do you use when you go out to eat to ensure you have a safe meal? Ideologies in Chapter 5 Ideology Description Chapter Yours, not Mine When family members deny they may have similar genetics as you. 5 References in Chapter 5 Arroyo, A., & Segrin, C. (2013). Family interactions and disordered eating attitudes: The mediating roles of social competence and psychological distress. Communication Monographs, 80(4) 399–424. doi: 10.1080/03637751.2013.828158 Beasley, S. (2011). Minefield loving. Psychology Today, 44(4), 36-37. Bentley, A. (2005). Men on Atkins: Dieting, Meat and masculinity. In L. Heldke, K. Mommer, C. Pineo, and W. Irwin (Eds.), The Atkins diet and philosophy: Chewing the fat with Kant and Nietzsche (pp. 185-195). Chicago, IL: Open Court. Bowen, S., Elliott, S., & Brenton, J. (2014). The joy of cooking. Contexts, 13(3), 20-25. doi: 10.1177/1536504214545755 Brown, L. J. (2011). The role of couple communication in managing type 2 diabetes. In M. Miller-Day (Ed.), Family communication, connections and health transitions (pp. 101-134). New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. Crowley, E. T., Williams, L. T., & Brown, L. J. (2012). How do mothers juggle the special dietary needs of one child while feeding the family? A qualitative exploration. Nutrition & Dietetics, 69(4), 272–277. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0080.2012.01604.x Cummings, A. J., Cummings, A. J., Knibb, R. C., King, R. M., & Lucas, J. S. (2008). The psychosocial impact of food allergy and food hypersensitivity in children, adolescents and their families: A review. Allergy (Copenhagen), 65(8), 933-945. doi:10.1111/j.1399- 3038.2009.00975.x Curtin, D. W., & Heldke, L. M. (1992). Cooking, eating, thinking: transformative philosophies of food. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press. de Certeau, M., Giard, L., & Mayol, P. (1998). The practice of everyday life, Vol. 2. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. DeVault, M. L. (1991). Feeding the family: The social organization of caring as gendered work. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Fasano, A., Berti, I., Gerarduzzi, T., Not, T., Colletti, R., Drago, S., Elitsur, Y., Green, P., Guandalini. S., Hill, I., Pietzak, M., Ventura, A., Thorpe, M., Kryszak, D., Fornaroli, F., Wasserman, S., Murray, J., & Horvath, M. (2003). Prevalence of celiac disease in at-risk and not-at-risk groups in the United States. Arch Intern Med, 163, 286-292. doi: 10.1001/archinte.163.3.286 Frank, A. W. (1995/2013). Wounded storyteller. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Green, P. H. R., & Jabri, B. (2003). Coeliac disease. The Lancet 362, 383-391. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)14027-5 Groh, D., Jason, L., Davis, M., Olson, B., & Ferrari, J. (2007). Friends, family, and alcohol abuse: An examination of general and alcohol-specific social support. The American Journal on Addictions, 16(49), 49-55. doi: 10.1080/10550490601080084 Hallert, C., Granno, C., Hulten, S., Midhagen, G., Strom, M., Svensson, H., & Valimarsson T. (2002). Living with coeliac disease: Controlled study of the burden of illness. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, 37(1), 39–42. doi: 10.1080/003655202753387338 Jackson, P., Glasgow, J., & Thom R. (1985). Parents’ understanding of coeliac disease and diet. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 672-674. Koenig Kellas, J., & Trees, A. R. (2006). Finding meaning in difficult family experiences: Sense-making and interaction processes during joint family storytelling. Journal of Family Communication 6(1), 49-76. doi: 10.1207/s15327698jfc0601_4 Mandell, D., Curtis, R., Gold, M., & Hardie, S. (2005). Anaphylaxis: How do you live with it? Health & Social Work, 30(4), 325–335. doi:10.1093/hsw/30.4.325 Masia, C., Mullen, K., & Scotti, J. (1998). Peanut allergy in children: psychological issues and clinical considerations. Education and Treatment of Children, 21(4), 514-531. No doi. Montanari, M. (2006). Food is culture. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Nettleton, S., Woods, B., Burrows, R., & Kerr, A. (2010). Experiencing food allergy and food intolerance: An analysis of lay accounts. Sociology, 44(2), 289-305. doi: 10.1177/0038038509357208 Ochs, E., & Shohet, M. (2006). The cultural structuring of mealtime socialization. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 111, 35-49. doi: 10.1002/cad.153 Vangelisti, A. L., Maguire, K. C., Alexander, A. L., & Clark, G. (2007). Hurtful family environments: Links with individual, relationship, and perceptual variables. Communication Monographs, 74(3), 357-385. doi: 10.1080/03637750701543477 Wangen, S. (2009). Healthier without wheat. Seattle, WA: Innate Health Publishing. Continue to: Gluten-Centric Culture: Chapter 6 - From Shaky Ground to the Big Shift Back to: Gluten-Centric Culture: The Commensality Conundrum - Chapter 4 - The Body Battleground © 2021 Alternative Cook, LLC
  13. Celiac.com 06/01/2022 - Las Vegas is enormous. It's also home to a thriving food and eating culture that checks just about every box imaginable. It's also home to numerous great restaurants with gluten-free menus, or restaurants that list gluten-free options for their guests. As such, a comprehensive guide to gluten-free restaurants in Las Vegas will be an endlessly updating and refreshing journey. This initial list should provide enough good tips, though, to get you a little further down that gluten-free road. Our guide includes lists of 100% gluten-free establishments, other eateries that feature a gluten-free menu, and other establishments that are happy to accommodate their gluten-free guests. Because Las Vegas is so big, with so much going on, we're barely going to scratch the surface with this guide. If we've missed a great spot you know about, please share it below, and we'll be sure to add it to the list! The restaurants in this section offer a gluten-free menu, or label certain items as gluten-free. Others are happy to accommodate gluten-free guests as requested. Since menus and ingredients can change, it's always a good idea to double check to make sure the restaurant can get you what you need. NOTE: Restaurants can change owners, employees, recipes, etc., without notice, so it's always a good idea to call ahead or ask to make sure they can accommodate your gluten-free needs. The Strip Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Located in Caesar's Palace, Joe's offers a dedicated gluten-free menu. 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South C/O Forum Shops at Caesars, Las Vegas, NV 89109-8900 Joe's Gluten Free Menu Chin Chin Chin Chin serves upscale Chinese and its menu states "Gluten-Conscious options available." Estiatorio Milos Although Estiatorio Milos does not offer dedicated gluten-free menu, they do offer a number of gluten-free items, including grilled sashimi grade octopus, and a huge variety of raw seafood, oysters. They also offer a selection of delicious house made Greek yogurt. Talk to the staff, they'll be happy to steer you and accommodate you, where possible. Located at the Venetian. Firefly Firefly Website 3824 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Just east of the strip on Paradise Road, Firefly, is famous for their Spanish tapas, and bacon wrapped dates Tell the waitstaff you're gluten free and they'll point out menu items, and make sure the kitchen takes extra care in preparing your food. They even use a special toothpick to alert the staff. The Henry The Henry Website 3708 Las Vegas Blvd S Level 1, Boulevard Tower, Las Vegas, NV 89109-4309 Te; (702) 698-7980 Tucked into the Cosmopolitan, The Henry is a modern, casual upscale American eatery, offering a round-the-clock twist on comfort food, and, most importantly, a dedicated gluten-free menu. Mon Ami Gabi Mon Ami Gabi Website 3655 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA Located in the Paris Resort & Casino Hotel, French bistro, Mon Ami Gabi, offers a dedicated gluten-free dinner menu, that includes French classics such as liver pate, filet mignon, crispy duck confit, and crème brûlée. Better still, every meal includes warm gluten-free bread. Almost everything on the breakfast menu, except the crepes, can be prepared gluten-free. Señor Frog's Señor Frog's Website 3300 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109-8916 A number of items on the menu are labeled Gluten-Free, including entrees and rice bowls, such as Carnitas, Mahi-Mahi, and Pineapple Shrimp. All Gluten Free items are listed on the menu. TAO Tao Website 3377 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109 Famous for their crispy coconut shrimp, TAO features Asian fusion cuisine inside the Grand Canal Shoppes in the Venetian Hotel. While TAO does not offer a dedicated gluten free menu, if they know you're eating gluten free, they will happily steer you to numerous gluten free menu items. Veranda Veranda Website 3960 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119, USA AFrom breakfast to dinner, almost everything at the Veranda at the Four Seasons can be made gluten-free. The chef and kitchen are happy to accommodate your gluten-free needs. The staff are all well educated on celiac needs, and prepare gluten-free food in a separate area, using dedicated utensils and equipment. The Veranda at the Four Seasons promises a top notch gluten-free dining experience. Brunch ARIA Resort & Casino Las Vegas Aria makes every effort to keep gluten-free items separate from gluten items. They offer made-to-order gluten-free pizza and pasta, while the buffet includes options like prime ribs, tiramisu, crab legs, and more. Buffet At Wynn Wynn is said to have one of the largest gluten-free options in Vegas. Made-to-order options include gluten-free pancakes, brownies, pizza, and waffles to name a few. Wicked Spoon Located at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, and highly rated by the celiac community, the gluten-free friendly buffet at the Wicked Spoon offers numerous gluten-free options, and an entire gluten-free dessert section, with all gluten-free items clearly labeled. Off The Strip Flower Child Flower Child Website 1007 S Rampart Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89145 Flower Child clearly marks gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan item on the menu. Come late afternoon to beat the lunch and dinner rush and enjoy a relaxing long meal with a friend. In-n-Out In-n-Out has long been a fast-food staple of legions of gluten-free diners on the west coast. There are three locations in Las Vegas: On the Strip 3545 S Las Vegas Blvd l24, Las Vegas, NV 89109 West of the Strip 4888 Dean Martin Dr, Las Vegas, NV 89103 East of the Strip 4705 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89119 What to order: Protein Style Burger (get the spread on the side) Tell the cashier you're gluten free when you order. Ask for your burger protein style, with the spread on the side. Since In-n-Out uses the same spatula to add spread to their non-gluten-free hamburger buns, it's always good to get the spread on the side. Fries are cooked in a dedicated fryer, so the Palin fries are gluten-free. If you order them animal style, be sure to get the spread on the side. Lazy Joe’s Fish and Chips Lazy Joe's Website 7835 S Rainbow Blvd #22, Las Vegas, NV 89139, USA Craving fish and chips? Gluten-free fish and chips, chicken fingers, onion rings, fried calamari, and mozzarella sticks? You need to know about Lazy’s Joe’s. All the fried foods here are 100% gluten-free batter made from corn flour. Though some gluten containing items, but the staff are knowledgeable and understand cross contamination. Fremont Street Area Public Us Public Us Website 1126 Fremont St, Las Vegas, NV 89101 This Fremont Street coffee shop serves craft coffee and gluten free pastries. Casa del Matador 1770 Festival Plaza Dr #190, Las Vegas, NV 89135 Inside Downtown Summerlin The menu denotes gluten free and vegetarian items. The waitstaff and management are knowledgeable and helpful with dietary restrictions. Great tacos and enchiladas, just make sure to ask for corn tortillas.
  14. Celiac.com 09/23/2011 - In what looks to be a response to a surge in the demand for gluten-free dining experiences, hotel chains such as Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Omni Hotels & Resorts and Ritz-Carlton Hotels are adjusting their menus and their kitchens to properly accommodate gluten-free guests. Recent projections by industry tracker, Packaged Facts, suggest that gluten-free products will top $5 billion worldwide by 2015. Many savvy hoteliers see that trend to be influencing consumer expectation, and are attempting to position themselves for the future. Smart hoteliers and restaurateurs will also embrace the fact that reaping the benefits of the burgeoning demand for gluten-free eating means more than just serving gluten-free food. It means providing a complete, comprehensive service from product to preparation and delivery; from supply chain to the dining table. For example, says Deborah Ceizler, director of marketing for the Celiac Disease Foundation, “...the contamination issue is the thing to watch for. You can serve hamburger with no bun, but if you’re using the same utensil to put a hamburger on a regular bun there’s [gluten] contamination.” Offering a gluten-free meal means "more than just saying we have a gluten-free menu," she says. adding that, "If you’re making a gluten-free pizza you have to make it in a different place, using different pans." The gluten-free menu for the 65-seat Muse restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland menu includes 11 appetizers and entrees. But, chef Constantine Vourliotis, says, “It’s not a gluten-free menu, it’s a menu that happens to be gluten-free." Muse kitchen handles gluten-free orders “just like any allergy, when the ticket comes in off the machine, the issue is identified and we make sure there is an area free from the allergen. We set up a cutting board and whoever is able to take care of that guest’s needs owns the ticket, says Vourliotis.” They keep sanitation and soap buckets at each station, so the cooks are cleaning and sanitizing as they go. Frederic Chartier, chef de cuisine at Fyve in the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA, who is creating a guide for his staff that notes every item in the kitchen that contains gluten. Other hotels or hotel chains to feature prominent gluten-free menus include: Numerous hotels in the Ritz-Carlton chain introduced gluten-free menus in 2010. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which partnered with a nutritionist and spent a year putting together a training program covering numerous dietary preferences, including diabetes, heart healthy, vegan, raw, macrobiotic and gluten-free. Omni Hotels has announced plans to introduce a gluten-free breakfast buffet station across its chains. The station will include gluten-free cereals, granola, breads and muffins. Each station will have its own table and toaster to avoid cross-contamination with products containing wheat. Stephen Rosenstock, senior vice president of food and beverage of Omni Hotels, recognizes the trend and its importance. “For a number of years, there’s been a growing recognition of people with gluten intolerance,” he says. Rosenstock points out the gluten-free options don’t cost hotels more money. It’s all about sourcing differently and planning for it. Meanwhile, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts continues its industry-leading and comprehensive plan to field gluten-free food requests on a guest-by-guest basis across its vast array of dining establishments. Instead of any one special menu, the company’s restaurants rely on their chefs to modify existing menu items into allergen-free items, including gluten-free. “Each guest who identifies themselves as having a food allergy is met by a chef or leader to discuss their individual needs,” say Gary Jones, Disney’s culinary dietary specialist. The need to do so has been evolving since the early 1990s, says Jones. In 2010, the company served 440,000 guests with special dietary needs between Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort. That includes all allergies and intolerances, gluten among them. “Our guests with food allergies deserve to have the same experiences provided to all our guests,” says Jones. So, if these hotel and restaurant profiles offer any indication, it looks like the going will be a little easier for gluten-free folks on the move into the foreseeable future.
  15. Celiac.com 07/03/2020 - My daughter's birthday is today and she is awesome! Normally, we go out to dinner to the restaurant of her choice. However, her favorite restaurant is one that has ZERO gluten free options. It is an Italian restaurant and we all know that I avoid Italian restaurants and pizza joints like the plague. This causes me a great deal of concern because she is young and without any food restrictions. Is it fair of me to deny her favorite restaurant because I cannot eat there? Should I make her think of others when she is trying to have her family birthday party? Is it ever okay to be selfish? These are all the big questions that I think about when dealing with this disease and my family. This issue only comes up with my children. My husband can go to all of the gluten filled restaurants he wants to when he is at work. When we go out as a family, I restrict where we can go so that I can ensure that I can enjoy a meal out safely while still enjoying everyone's company. It shows empathy and caring for the family unit. Now there are times when I'm not home or have other commitments and their father takes over parenting duties. These are the times they go to the places I cannot. There are 4-5 restaurants around us that I just refuse to go into because I cannot eat there and it makes me sad. So, I avoid it. They enjoy those nights and I try to make sure they can have them at least once a month. However, birthdays are special. They only come once a year. They should be enjoyed and treasured as a special time. These are family times, for now. I know one day they will be up and grown, but for now they are medium-sized. They are both tweens. I want my kids to have what they want on their day because they don't always get to eat out at their special places. This year for my younger child, we've done it differently. This year, I cooked her other favorite food - Mexican food. We had steak fajitas; shrimp tacos; a black bean, corn, and avocado salsa with chips; and refried beans. I made it all and she loved it. I did relent and give her a gluten cake - made in a throw away pan. I bought myself one of the Whole Foods gluten free Salted Caramel Mousse cakes that cost about 10x the gluten box mix and frosting for her cake, but who cares? My Salted Caramel Mousse cake was AMAZINGLY good - if you can, you should buy one! She was very happy with the option of cooking at home and having extended family over for her "family" birthday. The kids played outside. The adults played board games and drank margaritas. It was a great day. Today is her actual day of birth. I will be making her favorite meal - fettucini alfredo with peas and chicken. She will love it! Yes, it will have gluten. No, I don't live in a gluten-free house. Yes, I know how to manage the situation to avoid getting sick. The dishwasher and stainless steel pots, pans, and colanders solve a lot of problems. While I still wonder if the family tradition of taking a person out for their birthday should be their choice or if I should make them go someplace everyone can eat - this year, I've gotten around it. I've made her happy and kept myself safe. I think I've come to a good compromise here. PS - I'll make her dad and brother take her to her favorite place this week sometime. NOTE - This article was written before the COVID-19 Lockdown. While we may not have to make these decisions right now, we will have to make them again in the future. This issue doesn't go away and I fight it each time a child of mine has a birthday!
  16. Celiac.com 09/21/2018 - The English as a Second Language (ESL) pie is so large in countries such as South Korea that there seem to be enough helpings for anyone interested. However, these generous slices may be off limits to individuals with severe food allergies or intolerances, including those with celiac disease. If you have diet restrictions and are thinking of heading to South Korea or another Asian country, the following information will help you decide whether or not this move is a good idea. One might think that Asia, the land of rice-based meals, would be a celiac’s paradise. As one naïve dietician told me before I moved to Seoul, “You couldn’t be going to a better place.” This assumption could not be further from the truth. If cooked with traditional ingredients, many local dishes are gluten-free. However, in Korea, wheat flour is now cheaper than other kinds of flour, despite the fact that it has to be imported. Wheat flour and barley are currently the two most common ingredients in Korean food products. In Korea, eleven major food allergens must be included on product labels: poultry eggs, milk, buckwheat, peanuts, soybean, wheat, mackerel, crab, pork, peaches, and tomatoes. As for anything else, the Korean Food and Drug Administration states that only the five major ingredients in a product have to be labeled. Furthermore, a label need only include intentional ingredients, not things accidentally mixed into a product through cross-contamination. So you can say goodbye to warnings like: “this product may contain traces of peanuts.” Stricter labeling regulations will be put into effect in September 2006. However, these laws will remain less stringent than those in North America and Europe. According to a source at the KFDA, labeling restrictions are similar in Japan and more lax in China and South East Asia. One can easily learn Korean for “I’m allergic to ____” in any phrasebook or from a Korean coworker, friend, or even the guy in the next seat on your Korean Air flight. Yet it is the cultural barrier, not the language barrier, which poses the most difficulties for a celiac. Korean culture revolves around the sharing of food due to food shortages during the Japanese occupation; Koreans do not ask, “How are you?” but, “Have you had your meal?” Co-workers, friends, and even the occasional stranger will offer to share food. The politest way to refuse is by saying, “Thank you, but I can’t. I’m allergic.” Also, rather than saying you are allergic to something in Korean—allerugi—it is much more effective to say you cannot have it. (see the list of useful phrases). Unfortunately, even these statements are unlikely to be fully effective when eating Korean food. Many Koreans are completely unaware that frequently-used ingredients such as tashida soup flavouring and soybean powder contain wheat. Most Koreans I spoke with were shocked to hear that, as a celiac, I could not eat food which had so much as touched gluten. Generally, they assume that people with food allergies are still able to consume a product with a 1-2% trace of the allergen. Food allergies, celiac disease, vegetarianism, and other kinds of diet restrictions are rare in this country and are not taken very seriously. Furthermore, according to gastroenterologist Dr. Kim of Severance Hospital in Seoul, only two people were ever diagnosed with celiac disease in Korea. The world of North American restaurants, where servers cater to those with food allergies, food sensitivities, and plain old picky eaters, is very far away. Koreans generally order what is on the menu without making any special requests. Even Westerners who learn enough of the Korean language to explain their diets often end up being served something they asked specifically not to have. Furthermore, Korean food is not served on personal plates: everyone at the table reaches his or her chopsticks into the various communal dishes, causing cross-contamination. I was at a restaurant with some Korean friends and was trying to explain my gluten-intolerance to them, when one young man told me he was so sensitive to peaches that he could not so much as touch a peach without breaking out into a rash. Five minutes later I saw him eat a dish containing peach slices. This is the attitude of Koreans to food allergies—both theirs and yours. The gluten-free meal which is safest and easiest to find in Korea is samgyupsal. This dish features fatty, thick slices of pork cooked over a clean grill right at your table. Just make sure that all sauces are kept off the grill. Bibimbop is a rice, vegetable, and egg dish usually served with kochujang, a red pepper paste which unfortunately contains wheat. Bibimbop can be ordered, however, with the kochujang on the side. Most foreigners are in Korea to work rather than visit, and having an apartment provides the extra advantage of having one’s own cooking space. There are a few of us who have managed the gluten-free diet in Korea. However, it has not been easy. If you have celiac disease or food allergies and are thinking of moving to this part of the world, I can guarantee you that it will be a monumental challenge. Useful Korean phrases: Thank you, but I can’t. I’m allergic: kamsa hamnida man, allerugi issoyo. I cannot have barley, rye, or wheat: chonun pori hago homil hago mil motmuhgeyo. Barley: pori Wheat: mil Rye: homil Bibimbop with the red pepper paste on the side: bibimbop kochujang garu Grilled Pork: samgyupsal
  17. Celiac.com 12/06/2018 - The growing popularity of gluten-free foods has led to numerous new products for consumers, but it has also led to some problems. One recent study showed that up to one-third of foods sold as gluten-free contain gluten above 20ppm allowed by federal law. Other studies have shown that restaurant food labeled as “gluten-free” is often contaminated with gluten. The problem of gluten in commercial food labeled gluten-free is not isolated to the United States. Recent studies abroad show that the problem exists in nearly every gluten-free market in every country. In Australia, for example, researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne found detectable gluten in almost 3% of 256 commonly purchased “gluten-free” manufactured foods, a study published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday says. Furthermore, the study shows that nearly 10% of restaurant dishes sold as "gluten-free" contain unacceptable levels of gluten. Now, the Australians have a stricter standard than nearly anyone else, so look for them to be on top of potential problems with gluten contamination in gluten-free products. The study did not name the food manufacturers responsible for the contaminated products, but did note that better, more frequent gluten testing by manufacturers would make gluten-free foods safer for people with celiac disease. In a related study, the same researchers found in May that nearly one in ten samples of “gluten-free” dishes from restaurants within the City of Melbourne contained gluten levels in excess of the official Food Standards Australia New Zealand definition of gluten-free. “It’s troubling to think that these foods could be hindering the careful efforts of patients trying their best to avoid gluten,” an author of the study, Dr Jason Tye-Din, said. A spokeswoman from Coeliac Australia said the organization was taking the findings seriously. “The research team that conducted this study has liaised with the food companies and is following up the positive samples with further retesting to ensure the issue is resolved,” she said. In addition to urging consumers to be diligent in reading labels, and to report any suspect products, “Coeliac Australia advises all people with coeliac disease to have regular medical check-ups as they do have a serious autoimmune condition and medical assessment is important to determine that their gluten-free diet is going well and no complications are developing.” Read more at: TheGuardian.com
  18. My daughter who has celiac is currently visiting Rome, Italy, for 2 weeks (July, 2019). Can anyone recommend current restaurants or foods? Most of the posts I've seen about Rome are several years old. Also, any "do's or don'ts" you'd suggest? Thanks!
  19. Hello, I am hoping to get some recommendations for safe gluten-free friendly restaurants on the Kenai peninsula (Alaska). We'll be there for about 10 days and will travel to Whittier, Soldotna, Seward and Homer. I have done some research online but I always like to ask this forum for advice when I travel. Any suggestions are appreciated !
  20. Hi, I live in the Netherlands (Europe) and soon I will be spending my holiday (again) in the Southwest of the US. I have traveled through the US many times before and what I do not understand is why restaurants tell me that I can't have rice with my gluten free diet. When I ask the why not I never get any answer. And why do these restaurants say fries are gluten free even when the fryer is used for other battered food. Is there anyone who can give some answers? Thank you so much for your help.
  21. Celiac.com 11/28/2016 - The title of my article might seem a little shocking to most of the celiac community. Why wouldn't I want restaurants to offer high quality, safe meals to those who suffer from celiac disease or from non-celiac gluten intolerance so they could also enjoy dining out with their family and friends like everyone else? It's not that I don't want restaurants to offer gluten-free options: I do. But, I want them to be high quality, high integrity, and offered by a properly trained and knowledgeable staff. Otherwise, I truly don't think your establishment should bother offering gluten-free options to your diners and guests. The truth is that genuinely gluten-free dishes should be more than just replacing a bun, or using a corn or rice version of pasta in your dishes. Claiming to be "gluten-free" or "celiac-friendly" needs to go much further than just claiming such or simply swapping a product for your gluten-free diner. Without the benefit of training and education, many restaurants are not going to take into account any cross-contamination factors such as where the food is prepared, or who has touched it (and what did they touch last?) or where the plate was prepped and cleaned. It doesn't consider the air-borne flour coating almost every surface of a bakery or kitchen, and, it certainly doesn't involve investigating ingredients in the finished dishes for "hidden" sources of wheat, rye, or barley whose derivatives (such as malt or "flavorings") might be lurking around the kitchen and in prepared foods. There are so many sources of cross-contamination that are simply not explored, or may not even be known by a dining establishment. Unless a typical restaurant or bakery staff is well-versed and knowledgeable in what to look for, the questions to ask, and the proper procedures that will ensure a safe dining experience for gluten-free guests, and until all of the sources of cross contamination are explored and eliminated, it is highly doubtful that a gluten-free dish is truly gluten-free at all. With the FDA's recent updates to the gluten-free standard, restaurants, bakeries and dining establishments need to start following suit. Anyone offering a gluten-free meal should be aware that not only are their customers expecting adherence to the 20ppm of gluten (or less) standard that has been accepted as the standard for certifying something is gluten-free, but that the FDA expects their dining establishment to live up to that standard. As with any product that comes to market with a claim, restaurant menus are subject to abide by the same guidelines. For instance, if you claim something is "reduced fat", then it better, by all means, be reduced fat from the original version of the same dish. The same principal applies to gluten-free dishes with the standards taking full affect in the summer months of 2014. If your restaurant claims it is gluten-free, then it better be gluten-free, and not just "assumed" gluten-free. Living in blissful ignorance can not be an option for restaurants or for any establishment offering gluten-free products. As with any other food allergy or intolerance (FAI) there can be dire consequences for not adhering to procedures for safe preparation and service of food. Not to mention the damage that can be done to an establishment's reputation should the word get out that their integrity or food knowledge is questionable. Personally, I believe restaurants have a lot to gain in terms of offering gluten-free meals, or menu options in their establishment. I believe that restaurants who establish—and enforce- gluten-free procedures to eliminate cross contamination, accidental exposure, and provide training to their staff can benefit greatly in terms of business growth and satisfied repeat guests and their referrals from gluten-free diners to both gluten-free dieters and "traditional" diners alike. Gluten-free diners, just like all diners, place a great deal of faith and trust in people who prepare their meals at restaurants, diners, bakeries and cafes. With this great measure of trust being established at the first encounter with a restaurant guest, it pays to educate everyone from host/hostess to head chef on the proper way to handle gluten-free meals, and for that matter, all FAI's. That is why I recommend that until you are completely certain that your food is gluten-free, and that your staff is in complete compliance with your establishment's gluten-free policy, it is probably better that your establishment NOT offer gluten-free menu options. Those with gluten intolerance and celiac disease would appreciate your honesty and your integrity in doing so. The good news is that we'll be willing to become your dinner guests when you can honestly say that your kitchen staff, servers, management team, and even your host or hostess are educated, trained, and 100% on-board with providing a safe gluten-free experience for all of us. Trust and integrity go a long, long way for those of us with special dietary needs.
  22. I'm doing all inclusive in Aruba this fall; what resorts/hotels offer gluten-free dining options? Not restaurants in town, but rather in the resort itself.
  23. Hi everyone, About a month ago, I was diagnosed with Celiac and it's been a bit of a journey thus far. While I've done a pretty good job of sticking to a strict gluten-free diet, I have had a few moments when I've been craving gluten and broken my commitment (just last week I made a batch of brownies, only to consume 1 and throw out the rest.) For those who have been gluten free for a longer period, I'm curious to know if these cravings stop, or if you always wish you could just pig-out on a deep dish pizza? Additionally, I met with my nutritionist earlier this morning and she informed me that with Celiac, it's incredibly important to pay attention to foods with possible cross-contamination or shared oils (specifically foods like french fries.) I understand this, but how big of a deal is this really? Provided I don't feel physically sick afterwards, is it OK to occasionally have fries that may have shared a friar with other foods?
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