Successful Gluten-Free Dining Out

Going out to enjoy a nice meal at a restaurant can be quite a challenge if you happen to be living a gluten-free lifestyle. If you are gluten-free you no doubt have experienced some difficulty in having a positive restaurant experience. But have no fear, because there are ways to make sure that your gluten-free dining experience is successful and actually gluten-free.

The best way to ensure an enjoyable gluten-free meal is to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. G.I. Joe once famously said that, “Knowing is half the battle,” but in this case knowing is most, if not all of the battle. It is very important to take responsibility to know not only what foods do and do not have gluten, but also what foods you specifically can tolerate. Everyone’s gluten-free diet is a little bit different, so knowing yourself puts you in the driver’s seat. If you know what foods and ingredients to avoid, getting a delicious gluten-free meal at a restaurant should not be terribly difficult. Telling your server that you are gluten-free is a good idea, but do not trust him or her to have enough knowledge to handle the situation properly from that point forward. You are the expert on you. And you probably have much more knowledge about gluten than your server. And you definitely know your own body and tolerances much better. Even if the server does know what gluten is, he or she is not the chef, did not make any of the food, and probably does not have comprehensive knowledge about which menu items contain gluten.

It is also important to be flexible, open to, and knowledgeable about menu alternatives and common sources of cross-contamination. If you are ordering food from a pizza bar, sandwich shop, or bakery, know that gluten is probably floating around everywhere and to be extra careful. Think of it like getting a gluten contact-high, so to speak. Grills are another possible source of cross-contamination. If your piece of salmon is usually grilled on the same surface as the breaded Sand Dabs or breadcrumb-containing crab cakes, ask your server to have your salmon instead poached or baked in a separate pan in the oven. French fries may be gluten-free, but deep fryers are also common sources of cross-contamination. Few restaurants will set aside an entire fryer to fry only gluten-free foods. So maybe a baked potato or rice instead. Salad dressing has gluten? Oil and vinegar will be just fine. Avocado bacon cheeseburger sounds too mouth-wateringly delicious to pass up? Hold the bun and have it wrapped in lettuce instead. And sure that apple pie sounds great for dessert, but a gluten-free ice cream chocolate sundae would probably hit the spot too.

Overall, as mentioned above, the single best way to ensure that you have a pleasurable gluten-free meal at a restaurant is to know yourself and know the food that you are putting into your body. If you are not sure about a certain food, bust out your smart phone and look up the ingredients. Additionally, mentioning to your server that you are gluten-free and having him or her assist in your menu choices will not only help you be better served that night, but will also go a long way toward the restaurant coding their menu and offering more gluten-free items in the future. Still though, it is important to take responsibility for knowing yourself and your own gluten-free diet. Think of it like going to the doctor’s office. Yes, doctors are medical experts, but you are your own best advocate and you are ultimately the expert on you. No one else walks around all day in your skin and uses your brain to perceive the world. Armed with knowledge and flexibility, you should be able to enjoy many positive gluten-free dining experiences at not only restaurants, but also in any situation (like a dinner party) where you are not cooking your own food. Bon appétit.

Article Courtesy:  Andrew Steingrube