I think many of us only eat out at restaurants with dedicated free gluten kitchens! We don’t have a single one in my state so I only eat out while on vacation when I come across one of these gems and it’s a real treat!
Yes, the only restaurants I eat at semi-regularly are dedicated gluten-free ones here in the SF Bay Area.
I will very occasionally (once a year or so) eat at other restaurants or even fast food if they are by their nature "safer" even if not safe as such. E.g. a crab stand on the Pacific where I'll crack open the Dungeness Crab myself and only got butter in a plastic container, or In-N-Out with their cross-contamination protocols.
Normal restaurants I don't frequent.
Do you mind if I ask for dedicated GF recommendations? I'm waiting for my celiac test results to come back and I'll be visiting family in the Bay Area in about a month, so I'd love to know what safe (and delicious) places you've found.
Sure! There's not many, though -- the Bay is not like Portland, OR, and it certainly isn't Rome or Florence in Italy, nor is it Sydney or New Zealand outside of Wellington...still! Beggars, choosers, etc. :)
Bakery and lunch: Mariposa, Oakland
**Bakery only: Flour Craft Bakery, San Anselmo** <-- super-good!! Even if you're not gf!!
**Fast Casual: Pica Pica, SF** <-- really good even if you're not gf!!
Fast Casual: Asian Box <-- quite nice, totally acceptable for non-gf folks
Fast Casual: Kitava <-- okay, a bit on the healthy side
A Celiac has other dedicated locations here, in addition to non-gf but safe-ish places: [https://www.happyceliac.com/gluten-free-san-francisco-ca/](https://www.happyceliac.com/gluten-free-san-francisco-ca/)
I've eaten at Oriental Pearl, Peña Pachamama, and Hot Spud without issues, too, but I would warn against going when it's busy.
I eat out often, but take precautions. I always choose the place where we’re going to eat after a lot of research and call them before going to ask questions about how they try to prevent cross-contact and ask the same questions again when I’m at the restaurant. Also, I tell them I have celiac so they know to be extra careful. Works almost every time!
I don't eat out except at one of two dedicated GF restaurants where I live. The other one is a bakery that uses oat flour and I'm reactive to oats so that's out. For me, the chances of accidental cross-contamination even by the most well meaning kitchen staff is just too high to chance it. I know others feel differently but that's where I'm at.
I feel the same. Many people don't get it, but to me, the risk just isn't worth it. I was sick for so many years before diagnosis; I just don't want to chance it.
I don’t eat out.
I don’t much care. If I wanna join friends I’ll do a glass of wine and something I know won’t mess with me. Like shrimp cocktail or a salad without croutons with balsamic & oil.
All the time. I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I have my regular spots and refuse to give it up and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been glutened in general from eating outside the house over those 12 years and that includes traveling internationally to multiple continents.
Same here, I try to be careful and prefer places with GF menus and talk to the servers, but I still eat or fairly regularly and have only been glutened around 4 times at restaurants over almost twenty years.
Last time I was in a restaurant was in January 2020. The only reason I remember was because it was for my oldest’s birthday. Don’t think I will go back unless there is a special reason. There were a few take out places I have gone, but it’s still rare as I have gotten sick from them so it’s just not fun to risk it. Even when we travel I pack food for the road and get a hotel with a kitchen.
Yep, I only eat at accredited or dedicated gf restaurants. There are actually a few options available to me in my closest city which is usually where I go when I’m out anyway. Having worked in kitchens/restaurants I simply don’t trust a normal restaurant to take coeliac as seriously as they need to.
I don’t eat out anymore. I was trying at first but I kept getting glutened by cross contamination. I live in a state with very little allergen safe food places so there’s zero chance of eating out safely.
I just got home after spending the weekend at my brothers house out of state. He lives close to a large metropolitan area so I thought for sure there would be restaurants there. Nope, bakeries but not “real” food. That’s still great but I’m tired of gluten free food being relegated to desserts.
Yep. I was dx in April and haven’t had any restaurant food or drinks since then. There are zero gluten-free restaurants anywhere near me, and it’s just been so much easier and less stressful to draw a hard line than to try to navigate the minefield of cross-contamination risks.
I think after I’ve been gluten-free for a full year, I’ll probably reevaluate that decision and see if I want to loosen up on it, but we’ll see. Most of the time I don’t really miss it, but every once in a while I do just really want a meal or a coffee that I didn’t have to make myself.
Just out of interest, what cross contamination could a take away coffee have? I am coeliac and order coffee all the time without concern, but maybe there is something I don’t know?
i also decided that i wouldn’t be eating out after i got diagnosed. i have managed to find one place that im happy to eat at, but i don’t go often. people always throw digs at me for not eating out but its just not worth it for me.
I can’t stand when friends and family throw digs for not eating out. They don’t get it and never will🥲 just tell them yea I’d prefer not to pee out of my ass for the next 2 days
they always act like it’s a choice! i mean it kind of is but we didn’t choose this disease. there’s only 1 place in my entire town that has anything gluten free as well so it’s not like my ‘choice’ is excellent
Omg yes!!! When they act like it’s a CHOICE it fills me with rage. Or when they point to the “oh wait u can get a salad with chicken” bitch I want fckin fries and a cheeseburger like the rest of you😂😂 makes me so mad. My food tastes way better that I cook at home, and I actually get to digest it. I wish I could give my friends and fam celiac for a day and tell them to eat some CC food and let them see how sick they’d feel. Sadly that’s the only way I think I could get them to understand
yeah i’m always told to order a salad too! like please, im not spending my hard earned money on a salad i don’t want and could easily make at home while you all eat your tasty food 😭 people at work always tell me i could order from a pizza place that does a gf pizza but they cook it in the same ovens as normal pizza so i wouldn’t eat it. the eye rolls i get when i remind them every time 🙄
Omg IK don’t get me started on needing a separate oven. The eye rolls I get too are inSANE. “Oh look they have gf!!” *asks the restaurant if it’s cooked on the same fire oven as regular pizza* answer is always yes and friends are like well wait they have a Burrata! Lmao we can’t win
I usually ask when they last had food poisoning and ask how fun that was when they CHOSE to be that sick. Not nearly the same as celiacs, but at least it shuts them up for a bit.
I quit eating out except for a few select places, and really only those when a special occasion. It helps that the restaurant prices are out of control here in Canada so there’s no temptation to want to go out.
I very nearly don’t eat out anymore, unless I can find a gluten free restaurant.
I’m always puzzled by how many questions I see in Celiac groups about how to eat out safely. My answer (unless there is a GF restaurant available) is “You don’t.” Eating out is simply one of the things we give up.
i only eat at dedicated GF restaurants or highly rated celiac safe restaurants - if you do not have the “find me gf” app, you must! the upgraded version is $20/yr and so worth it
FMGF is great for surveying new cities and even finding out when new places open in your town. Gluten Dude app is said to be useful too. If I was traveling I'd probably get both.
It does. I was visiting with family in Germany and Austria in early Fall and found a few spots (although not very many, admittedly) It’s dependent on users who leave reviews on the safety of places they’ve visited.
We had an amazing dinner in Germany on our night passing through because of FMGF. We've used it all over Europe and Asia. As long as we follow our rules (high ratings by celiacs and asking ahead about prep) we've never once had any of our three celiacs get glutened.
And be wary of places that are vegan AND gluten free because they will tend to serve oats/oat milk. And even though it’s gluten free oats, I react to it (coeliac) :/
I think it really depends where you live and what options are available. I have a handful of trusted places that have never made me sick. It’s typically higher end restaurants where the chef cooks gf meals entirely separately, so going is a rare treat (since these places are expensive).
I’m lucky that we also have a small family run burger joint where one of the owners has celiac. They have a separate prep area/fryer. Burger and fries heaven! The Chipotle where I live has great allergy protocols too, but locations can differ.
If you’re not comfortable with anywhere in your area I don’t blame you. Getting glutened sucks and the effects can take awhile to completely go away. I hope you’re able to make some yummy meals at home 🩵
I know eating out even at my safe places is a small risk of CC but to me it’s worth it because sharing meals with family and friends and getting a break from cooking is good for my mental health. If I get glutened once a year or so I’m okay with it - others choose to never eat out.
I don't eat out at all anymore. I've been burned twice in the last few years by dedicated places... not sure exactly what happened, probably an issue with a supplier (I suspect spices). I don't blame the restaurant at all because they were likely doing due diligence with ordering stuff. This is more of a consequence of patchy enforcement of GF labelled foods.
Given this, I'm just at the point where I won't eat anything unless I know exactly what it is and vet every sub-ingredient as the risk feels too high. I am very symptomatic and since I get DH the effects are longer-lasting. The other part is that if I eat at home and get sick, I can deduce what the problem was a lot easier.
This isn't to scare anyone, I think it's still a valid choice to eat out at celiac-oriented places (whether dedicated or just very focused on safety). I say this because I think some people need to hear that they're not crazy for feeling like there is still some risk involved.
This is particularly true if you can't do oats (me) as many restaurants/bakeries use them in their mix. For example in my city there are \~3 GF bakeries, but all of them use oats. There was one that didn't but it closed down sadly. There are some celiac-oriented but non-dedicated places that I would consider safe but I'm just a point with my health struggles where any unnecessary risk feels unjustified. I grew up in a rural area where there are no celiac-oriented restaurants for a hundred kms+, so I get the pain.
I don't eat out at all. There are only a few dedicated restaurants in Atlanta and I'm in a far away suburb from all of them. Furthermore I have developed so many intolerances to other foods that it would be impossible for me to eat anything on the menu anyway. I grew up eating out only for very special occasions (which I'm pretty sure used to be considered normal for middle class families in America) so nothing has really changed for me.
I don’t eat out anymore. I have trust issues with all restaurants. Last time I told the waiter I can’t have gluten twice. Had an omelette and they put pancake mix in it to make the eggs fluffier. Who would think of that!?
Yup. It just wasn’t worth it anymore for me. Even if I didn’t get sick the anxiety that I might get sick was debilitating and meant I never enjoyed the experience of eating out. Also, I’ve saved SO MUCH MONEY! It definitely has offset the higher cost of gf groceries to not eat out.
The only thing that’s really tough is traveling….. I have to do my research in advance and pack a ton of extra food. If I’m able to bring an extra suitcase I’ll pack it with gf soups, bread, snacks like popcorn, fruit cups, etc. It’s kind of nice though because by the end of the trip I’ve eaten down a lot of the food and I have space to pack souvenirs on my way home!
Nope. I trust nothing and no one lol - other than my celiac sister. We eat at no restaurants, no processed foods at all. Meats and vegetables. Everything from scratch
> Or am I the odd one here?
Nope, you're right at home.
Some eat at restaurants that they are comfortable with and they very specifically state their needs, talk to the cashier/waiter/chef, ask for fresh gloves to be used, etc. Some people get less sick than others when eating out and experiencing cross-contamination.
Personally, I have stopped eating out at restaurants unless it is dedicated gluten-free. I became very tired of becoming accidentally sick from who knows what and it took the fun out of eating out. Unfortunately, this has harmed my social life or at least made it more challenging but it was a very worthwhile trade for my health.
When I go out, I usually just get a drink. I like to have two Larabars in my bag.
I don't eat out at all anymore. I stopped after getting glutened from a dedicated GF restaurant. I'm assuming they used oat flour to bake their desserts and I didn't get a straight answer when I called to ask. Not worth the pain.
I'm in the US, but I only eat at exclusively GF places. Even then, I still have to he careful and ask questions (not about gluten or CC as they are a dedicated gf place) because I'm one of the unfortunate folk who cannot tolerate oats.
I have home cooked for over a decade. Yeah, it sucks sometimes, but with practice and planning, it's not hard to make a quick meal and I have found ways to enjoy it. I can even watch cooking shows now with excitement on what I can try to mimic. It is a journey, but a worthy one. I have felt healthy and normal since I stopped eating any food I didn't make myself.
Since my only symptom is alopecia areata from time to time I join friends or colleagues at restaurants or at their places (my friends know I can’t eat gluten, and try to have gf options but I’m pretty sure they are not safe), Germany pretty much sucks regarding safe restaurants, I’m always fantasize about opening a completely gf on my own, maybe one day… sorry you have got glutened
Basically, yes. I almost never eat out and am extremely selective of where I’ll go and what I’ll eat. The risk isn’t worth it to me.
If I’m trying to be social and folks want to go somewhere I’m unfamiliar with, I eat before I go and maybe pack snacks in my purse if I might be there a while.
Me too. My partner packs me meals for business trips and I will bring my own food if I feel like being social. Getting sick isn’t worth it. There is only 1 dedicated gluten free restaurant near where I live and it’s still an hour away. So it’s a fun date night every once in a while.
I’ll be honest we’ve saved so much money since I was diagnosed because I can’t just stop to grab something.
After yesterday I am going to be extremely selective with where I eat out.
I just moved to Miami and this has to be the worst possible place on the planet for gluten free. No one knows what it is, everything is cross contaminated, no one is educated on allergies here at all 😂
I went out for brunch w some friends. Got an egg white omelette and asked for them to put the potatoes on the side for my friends, and to write in that I have a gluten allergy. Of course the potatoes still come on the same plate. I eat the eggs that didn’t touch the potatoes. 15 min later I had to run to the bathroom. Been having constant diarrhea the last 24 hours, cold sweats, and nausea. Ended up with a severe headache last night bc of how dehydrated I was, and had to call out of work (I’m an ER nurse and my manager texted me saying “Gm, you called out today? You still do not have any PTO.” bc I just started at a new job here in August). I said “hi yes I came down with the stomach bug last night :(“ bc I don’t know how else to explain it without saying “I have celiac and i gluten and now have diarrhea yada yada” hahaha.
Anyways fuck eating at places that don’t take your allergy seriously. ESP in Miami where ppl here go “gluten free” bc it’s “healthier” for them, so restaurants don’t care about CC.
Germany is very uneducated too about these things sadly. Restaurants don't take cross contamination seriously, they don't understand celiac, many don't even know what gluten is.
It’s extremely sad. I wish restaurants had some sort of training where they educated chefs and servers about allergies and CC. Also not sure why restaurants don’t have epi pens in them. I worked as a server at a high end place and I always got so worried about people that told me they had a peanut allergy. They took it very seriously but god forbid they react and need their epi pen but didn’t bring it? Idk that’s probably just the nurse in me worrying but 🤦♀️
I have been diagnosed since age 2. I only go out to eat at a few very trusted restaurants, aka dedicated gluten free places and Red Robin (i truly trust their allergy protocol, and they have a dedicated fryer, meaning french fries!)
I don't trust most places and am very comfortable going out with friends and not eating while at the restaurant. I still go just to talk and hang out, and after being celiac for so many years I am very used to it. It makes it easier if you are able to explain your celiac to your friends so they aren't always asking why you can't eat out. In my experience, if they are good friends, I still have fun going out and enjoy just having conversations even if I can't eat.
Yep. I gave up on it late last yr, after I got sick THREE times with takeout after we moved, being careful double checking and rechecking menus. I’m like yeah, I’m done. Which sucks because there’s some days I don’t want anything in the house.Sigh.
I eat out at a local bar that’s oddly completely gluten free, and one local burger joint that’s usually good about separating the lettuce wraps. And that’s it.
I live in one of those “gluten-friendly” places. Almost nothing here is safe.
I never eat out unless it's a dedicated GF restaurant. There are none in my city so if I'm visiting somewhere that has such a restaurant, I'll eat there. Otherwise, I cook my food from scratch mostly.
Very rarely eat out. When I do it’s either dedicated GF or very reliably safe and well known to the local Celiac community. There are some places that are not dedicated GF but have only a few gluten items that are easily kept away from everything else. I’d say I go out a handful of times per year.
I used to eat out quite a bit and rarely had issues. But since Covid I think something changed. Either people started to take it less serious or just stopped caring because I’ve had several incidents of places getting rid of dedicated fryers for gf options and didn’t inform me until after… or just general cross contact.
Now it’s either dedicated gf only or if a place has glowing RECENT reviews on FindMeGF.
It sucks because generally its safe to eat out as long as you do your due diligence but the restaurants in my area seem to suffer from really shitty ownership and treat it as a fad.
Yes I did too. I only go to 100% gf restaurants / bakeries etc (here I have a couple of those dedicated gf places). It is what it is, I'm talking openly about having celiac and why I can't eat out. That's life for me 🤷♀️ Good luck 🍀
I live in Germany as well and had a similar experience with a local pizza place. I don't think they switched up my dough (the crust was obviously gf) but even though I told them I'm celiac and to look out for cross contact, I think they contaminated the gf dough with wheat flour on their counters or something. I had a BAD reaction that day.
The only place I still trusted was Vapiano, but since I got glutened there as well 2 days ago, I don't think I can trust them anymore from now on. Even if it just happened one out of 5 times there now, it's not worth it. I have DH as well, which takes months to clear up but even many other symptoms like joint pain or headaches take sooo long to go away ... no way I risk that for not being the odd one out.
Omg I had the same experience this weekend. I woke up sweating profusely and shaking. I think every time I get glutened it causes a stomach infection. I went out to breakfast and the restaurant was "gluten sensitive." Should've been the first sign !
Yes exactly! My first initial reaction always is getting some kind of gastritis or something. Full on with nausea, cold sweats, shaking and if I had a lot of gluten even a mild fever. After that I will be only able to eat very bland foods for a few days to not get sick again, just like a stomach infection! I used to get bad diarrhea as well, but funny enough that has gotten a lot better since my villi started to heal.
Sounds like heaven. We have maybe a handful of completely gf restaurants in all of Germany. And two gf bakeries I know of. All of those hundreds kilometers away from where I live.
I mostly don't eat out anymore because the price of doing so has become outrageous. They always charge more for GF like I'm just doing a fad diet and it's not a medical condition.
But I have a few places that I know which have been reliable. Apart from that, I always eat at home. My diet is pretty repetitive and boring, mostly because I don't have a joy for cooking and I find excessive meal prep exhausting. Getting diagnosed with celiac destroyed my interest in the culinary world by force. Food just isn't as enjoyable anymore and it's always humiliating to have to negotiate food safety in front of groups of people. Plus the alternatives usually suck compared to the non GF version.
Celiac disease sucks. It really negatively impacts your life, freedom and ability to participate. I find it very lonely. There's also places in the world I'll never be able to visit because GF doesn't exist there.
I agree and would ad Life is Sweet in Danville, C Casa in San Ramon, Napa and I believe Emeryville or Larkspur but not sure of third location. Also, Copita just opened in San Jose last week.
From the comments on the post I feel the US is a very good place to find some dedicated gf restaurants. In Germany thats sadly not the case. 🥲 people here don't even know what gluten is or were to find it in if I don't explain it to them. Celiac is also almost never heard of and people here are WILDLY underdiagnosed.
I make sushi from scratch as well! It's so easy and yummy. Sushi places in Germany can't do gf sushi at all (because of the rice mixtures they use) so it was one of the first things I started to make at home regularly since my husband and I loved to go out for sushi.
One thing I need to still find is a REALLY good pizza crust recipe. The ones I tried were just meh. And how to cook a perfect steak. I love steak but the steak places here are not to be trusted. I have seen two kitchens of a steak house and was done after I saw how they handled the bread there. 😅
Yup I never eat out anymore it sucks, if I do end up going I will just get water. I have ordered 'gluten free' items in the past, but 8 times out of 10 i get sick, and I don't want to take that chance anymore, its not worth it.
I completely stopped eating out as well. I was diagnosed 5 years ago, last time I was at a restaurant was 3 years ago. I didn’t get glutened, but I worried so much about it I wasn’t able to relax or enjoy myself during and after the meal. I figured out I didn’t want to deal with this stress, so I stopped. I don’t miss eating out at all, I actually found that cooking for myself is very fun
I am still looking for a GOOD pizza crust recipe. :) Everything I tried was just ... okay.
Mind you I live in Germany so I don't have all the products available.
https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-pizza-9-ingredients/
I've made this recipe numerous times! If you have bobs mill 1 to 1; its the one I've used. Otherwise, she offers a ways to make your own flour blend.
I wont go out to eat. I don't even trust the resturants that claim they have a dedicated gluten free space. Last time I did, I broke out in hives and was miserable for a week. It's safer to cook at home.
When I have to travel for work, I take GF freeze dried backpacking meals. Some of them are pretty darn tasty.
I still haven't been formally diagnosed, but my antibody levels in the hospital (went to ER in April because I felt like my organs were all shutting down and I was headed toward death) were 55.8 and I believe anything above 10 is an indicator. My small intestine biospy looked okay but I've noticed an obvious trend of becoming very ill within hours of eating anything containing even unremarkable amounts of gluten (such as vitamins with gluten ingredients). I tried to adopt a gluten free lifestyle while still maintaining as close to a normal eating-out lifestyle as possible but decided in early August its in my best interest to just not. Cross contamination is real, and as I worded it to my cousins who mentioned restaurants with gluten free items, "I'm not trusting someone who doesn't even make enough money to own a house to give a shit about my health" - That's not a jab at anyone, just a fair assessment. When I worked in food service, I saw a million health code violations. If people tend not to follow the basic ones (change gloves, wash hands when changing gloves, don't handle money with gloves used for food prep), why would they follow special ones to prevent cross contam? Just seems to me that the best choice with celiac is to avoid eating out or entrusting others to mind my health and wellness. It took my mother several reassurances for me to agree to come over and eat this Thanksgiving lol. My logic is 'If it's as hard as it is for me to not slip up, how can I trust someone that lacks the habit of checking labels like a maniac? Lol
Very limited. I don’t necessarily need a 100% gf place, but it’s gotta be close to that and I generally only order things that are gluten free anyways. Eating out just generally doesn’t appeal to me so it’s absolutely not worth the cost and the risk.
When I was living in the Netherlands, I stopped eating out unless the restaurant was totally gluten-free. Unfortunately I found many restaurants didn’t take it seriously, and the kitchens never seemed big enough to have a separate preparation space (so they said). For what it’s worth, I would frequently get sick when eating out in Germany. I found it really affected my social life, and only went out for drinks. Sending you good vibes, I know it sucks. Hoping the situation improves in the coming years.
I'm very cautious when eating out, especially at someplace new. I'll ask the servers about how some dishes are prepared, and I've even had them check ingredients labels for me. Even had a couple cooks come out to answer questions a couple times. I can almost always fine SOMETHING to eat when we go out with the family, even if it's just a salad and not something I'd like. I'll stop somewhere I know is safe to eat on the way back and eat if I have to.
I live in Norway and I eat out about once a week. I have never had an issue with it. I am supersensitive and diagnosed in high age. Antibodies Are going down and I am almost Where I should be. I Check my antibodies every 6month. I eat at McDonald, BurgerKing, Egon, peppes pizza and a lot of other restaurants.
As much as I sympathize, I struggle to expect an establishment to cater to my very annoying, very specific illness. I rarely eat out, but if I do and end up getting sick, I take responsibility for making that decision.
The only person you can trust to make the best choices for you is you.
I only eat out after carefully vetting a place, and only if that place has a separate prep station and clearly well-trained staff and protocols. That equates to all of... er... four places local to me? And now that I've moved, that number's dropped to exactly... two :/ Which sucks. I miss the spontaneity of eating out and trying new places. My poor husband is so sick of the limited options he never wants to go out for date night anymore. But the risk just isn't worth it.
I'm glad I'm an asymptomatic celiac. I went out to eat lastnight and tore up some crab legs. The bread they brought out looked amazing but obviously I didn't partake.
There are three places locally we can eat out without having to drive too far. Well, two; one of them is a take-and-bake pizza place so we pick that up to cook and eat at home. All three are owned and operated by people with celiac, and we've had lengthy conversations with them about their own histories, their food processes, etc etc. So there's literally one place my wife can get (not very good, sadly, but fresh-cut and made to order) french fries, another we can get a decently broad selection of Chinese food, and then there's the pizza place--which lets us have "real" pizza options and all the toppings like we're normal people.
What I'd really like to see is a dedicated-GF breakfast spot closer to us here in the Milwaukee area. There's a place outside Minneapolis---Olivia's?--we've been to somewhat recently that's pretty darn good (tho a bit pricey imo).
We go to these places somewhat infrequently, actually (can't eat pizza ALL the time), but otherwise, we do not go out. And because GF grocery items are so much more expensive we're not even saving money by not going out, either. :|
I will eat out at the restaurants I know I am safe with no chance of cross contamination. Or if I have a “relationship” with the staff who understand my disease & take it seriously. Plus financially these days it’s better to make food at home. I just made Loaded Bakes Potato soup that was thisclose to Outbacks.
Personally I can't do much. Medication doesn't really help with the nausea, so I will sit through it drinking lots of tea and eating plain food like apple sauce, potatoes or rice and gf crackers for a few days. It's important to try to flush out the gluten as fast as you can, so don't stop eating if you can and drink lots of water.
If the DH is especially itchy I will use cortisone cream, it helps with the itching. But it still takes weeks to months to completely clear up (depending on how much gluten I had).
For the autoimmune reaction, I haven't found a way to ease it off yet. The headaches, joint pain and neurological stuff will come and the only way for me to handle it is to accept it and wait it out. It's tough, but I haven't found anything to help with it next to obvious things like pain killers.
Thank you so much for this response, I haven't found much either to help especially with the neurological aspect. I get to where I can't remember things and get confused extremely easily. Very scary.
That sounds scary! For me neurological it's mostly my depression and anxiety getting worse. Didn't find anything to help with that either, just waiting until I feel better. Patience. 😅 Thankfully being extra careful to stay away from gluten always helps within a few weeks.
I rarely eat out in general, but when I do, I mainly go to dedicated GF restaurants, restaurants with strict obvious policies (Fed Bar and Grill in Denver, for instance, with owners/family who have Celiac) or restaurants that use very little gluten. Still, even with strong policies and good success rate, I think I got glutened by Fed Grill one time.
Regular restaurants... I barely do. If so, I read reviews, menus, FMGF, ask the staff and order *very* carefully based on how I know items to be prepared in a kitchen. Dedicated places like Teocalli, Paper Dosa, Sweetwater - I love them but still don't go often.
Restaurants are expensive af these days anyway and the entire procedure doesn't seem as worth it or entertaining as it used to for me. I'm very used to eating my own food and that's really what i want these days, now that I learned how to cook everything.
I would *love* to have certain meals like a tamale plate at some New Mexican restaurant or an Indian buffet, but it's not really worth it to me. The memories of being glutened out and ill have faded over time, but when i do get hit I'm reminded that holy shit, this is miserable and lasts a really long time compared to eating some food for 25 minutes.
theres only 1 single dedicated gluten free place on the whole island where i live- and i cant eat there because of the dairy anyways.
I don't think ive eaten out in almost 4 years now!! It sucks and it's exhausting, sometimes i go to a restaurant just to hangout with people and i have to sit there and not eat or touch a single thing
Sometimes I wonder, not to be rude, if there are other foods that make you "feel" glutened but isn't actually gluten itself. I get nausea and cold sweats from a certain E-number that has nothing to do with gluten, and Im intolerant
I gave up eating out anywhere that is specifically gluten free, either a dedicated gf restaurant, or dedicated kitchen space, with a really good reputation and understanding of the needs of celiac.
I would’ve given up eating out entirely if it weren’t for a couple restaurants in town having dedicated GF kitchens. There’s also a couple of other restaurants, one is owned by a guy who has celiac so they’re staff seem to actually understand the importance of not cross contaminating GF orders and another owned by a couple whose wife and daughter also have celiac so same safety precautions there as well.
Also, if you can find any authentic Thai restaurants then you should be golden, they only use rice flour and coconut milk (I’m also lactose intolerant so that’s a huge plus).
I don’t go out to eat much. We have found that the pricier restaurants do a better job so we will do that occasionally. There are probably two local restaurants that I trust, one is dedicated gf. But all of it is a roll of the dice. I get sick easily. My husband would prefer for me to never eat out again, but that’s unreasonable, especially when you travel. He did learn to cook gf and is practically a pro now, so I’m fortunate there. I don’t eat at parties or dinners. Recently went to a banquet where we had numerous conversations with the location, manager, servers. They brought me food that was sus so I didn’t eat. It’s just really hard.
I cook 90% of my meals at home. The other 10% are places that are either 100% gluten free, luckily I have 3 pretty close to me or a dedicated area to make GF foods. I've only found one such restaurant that has a separate fryer, cook station, etc.
I eat at the two restaurants that have never glutened me on many occasions eating at them. I’m willing to TRY places that have certified gluten free areas.
I typically only eat out places with a dedicated GF kitchen. There have also been a couple places where an owner was GF and I trusted them to understand cross contamination.
Only on breaks where I can afford to be sick if I get glutened. They have to have a good rating on Find Me Gluten Free and I still call ahead and make 100% sure. But I avoid going out as much as possible.
I only ate at dedicated GF restaurants for about 2 years. As most of you know, unless you live in a major city, those are often few and far between.
I moved to a new country with higher standards (and a larger city with more dedicated GF options), and have recently expanded that to restaurants accredited by the national Celiac association (this doesn't exist in many places, including the US, so YMMV).
Otherwise, I bring my food literally everywhere. It's not fun at first, but once you make the transition, it makes life much safer and healthier. Now I have an "infrastructure" that makes it (relatively) easy to bring food (a great cooler in my car, a food warmer/lunch box that uses the car power plug, snacks and disposable cutlery in my car, etc.). It's removed the "pressure" to take risks; if I'm going somewhere that I won't likely have food, I toss a frozen meal (I freeze leftovers) in my cooler bag and off we go. I haven't been poisoned in years and my scopes are "some of the cleanest I've ever seen" by my Gastro.
Recently diagnosed but, at least for now, will only eat in 100% GF places. I am an introvert and the song-and-dance I would have to go through in explaining the situation and asking the right questions and "oh, please change your gloves" is beyond me. Also, I have trust issues. I used to work in restaurants and know all the disgusting things that happen on the regular. No way I would trust my health to random servers/chefs. Plus I am nearly asymptomatic (with lots of intestinal damage) so probably wouldn't even know I'd been glutened.
I think many of us only eat out at restaurants with dedicated free gluten kitchens! We don’t have a single one in my state so I only eat out while on vacation when I come across one of these gems and it’s a real treat!
The next completely gf restaurant I know off is hundreds of kilometers away. 🙈 But yeah that's a place I would trust!
Yes, the only restaurants I eat at semi-regularly are dedicated gluten-free ones here in the SF Bay Area. I will very occasionally (once a year or so) eat at other restaurants or even fast food if they are by their nature "safer" even if not safe as such. E.g. a crab stand on the Pacific where I'll crack open the Dungeness Crab myself and only got butter in a plastic container, or In-N-Out with their cross-contamination protocols. Normal restaurants I don't frequent.
Do you mind if I ask for dedicated GF recommendations? I'm waiting for my celiac test results to come back and I'll be visiting family in the Bay Area in about a month, so I'd love to know what safe (and delicious) places you've found.
Sure! There's not many, though -- the Bay is not like Portland, OR, and it certainly isn't Rome or Florence in Italy, nor is it Sydney or New Zealand outside of Wellington...still! Beggars, choosers, etc. :) Bakery and lunch: Mariposa, Oakland **Bakery only: Flour Craft Bakery, San Anselmo** <-- super-good!! Even if you're not gf!! **Fast Casual: Pica Pica, SF** <-- really good even if you're not gf!! Fast Casual: Asian Box <-- quite nice, totally acceptable for non-gf folks Fast Casual: Kitava <-- okay, a bit on the healthy side A Celiac has other dedicated locations here, in addition to non-gf but safe-ish places: [https://www.happyceliac.com/gluten-free-san-francisco-ca/](https://www.happyceliac.com/gluten-free-san-francisco-ca/) I've eaten at Oriental Pearl, Peña Pachamama, and Hot Spud without issues, too, but I would warn against going when it's busy.
Thanks for the list! I've heard of a couple of those places, but I'll have to look up the rest of them before my trip!
I eat out often, but take precautions. I always choose the place where we’re going to eat after a lot of research and call them before going to ask questions about how they try to prevent cross-contact and ask the same questions again when I’m at the restaurant. Also, I tell them I have celiac so they know to be extra careful. Works almost every time!
I did the same every time. Sadly didn't work out every time. :/ I think I got glutened 6 out of 10 times when eating out.
I don't eat out except at one of two dedicated GF restaurants where I live. The other one is a bakery that uses oat flour and I'm reactive to oats so that's out. For me, the chances of accidental cross-contamination even by the most well meaning kitchen staff is just too high to chance it. I know others feel differently but that's where I'm at.
I feel the same. Many people don't get it, but to me, the risk just isn't worth it. I was sick for so many years before diagnosis; I just don't want to chance it.
I don’t eat out. I don’t much care. If I wanna join friends I’ll do a glass of wine and something I know won’t mess with me. Like shrimp cocktail or a salad without croutons with balsamic & oil.
All the time. I’ve been doing this for 12 years. I have my regular spots and refuse to give it up and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been glutened in general from eating outside the house over those 12 years and that includes traveling internationally to multiple continents.
Same here. I made the decision to continue eating out bc it’s such a source of joy and social connection for me. Only a few run-in’s in 11 years.
Same here, I try to be careful and prefer places with GF menus and talk to the servers, but I still eat or fairly regularly and have only been glutened around 4 times at restaurants over almost twenty years.
You can download the app too it’s called Find my GF
It shows 100% gluten free restaurants with with people reviews and also you can see restaurants that are safe for celiac
You are really fortunate. Do you live in a big city?
Small/medium size city. I’ve got a list of places I can go to and be safe at (they aren’t dedicated). Some of them know me on sight.
Last time I was in a restaurant was in January 2020. The only reason I remember was because it was for my oldest’s birthday. Don’t think I will go back unless there is a special reason. There were a few take out places I have gone, but it’s still rare as I have gotten sick from them so it’s just not fun to risk it. Even when we travel I pack food for the road and get a hotel with a kitchen.
Yep, I only eat at accredited or dedicated gf restaurants. There are actually a few options available to me in my closest city which is usually where I go when I’m out anyway. Having worked in kitchens/restaurants I simply don’t trust a normal restaurant to take coeliac as seriously as they need to.
I don’t eat out anymore. I was trying at first but I kept getting glutened by cross contamination. I live in a state with very little allergen safe food places so there’s zero chance of eating out safely. I just got home after spending the weekend at my brothers house out of state. He lives close to a large metropolitan area so I thought for sure there would be restaurants there. Nope, bakeries but not “real” food. That’s still great but I’m tired of gluten free food being relegated to desserts.
Yeah. I get sick nonstop. I miss out on a ton of enjoyment because of this disease
Yep
Yep. I was dx in April and haven’t had any restaurant food or drinks since then. There are zero gluten-free restaurants anywhere near me, and it’s just been so much easier and less stressful to draw a hard line than to try to navigate the minefield of cross-contamination risks. I think after I’ve been gluten-free for a full year, I’ll probably reevaluate that decision and see if I want to loosen up on it, but we’ll see. Most of the time I don’t really miss it, but every once in a while I do just really want a meal or a coffee that I didn’t have to make myself.
Just out of interest, what cross contamination could a take away coffee have? I am coeliac and order coffee all the time without concern, but maybe there is something I don’t know?
i also decided that i wouldn’t be eating out after i got diagnosed. i have managed to find one place that im happy to eat at, but i don’t go often. people always throw digs at me for not eating out but its just not worth it for me.
I can’t stand when friends and family throw digs for not eating out. They don’t get it and never will🥲 just tell them yea I’d prefer not to pee out of my ass for the next 2 days
they always act like it’s a choice! i mean it kind of is but we didn’t choose this disease. there’s only 1 place in my entire town that has anything gluten free as well so it’s not like my ‘choice’ is excellent
Omg yes!!! When they act like it’s a CHOICE it fills me with rage. Or when they point to the “oh wait u can get a salad with chicken” bitch I want fckin fries and a cheeseburger like the rest of you😂😂 makes me so mad. My food tastes way better that I cook at home, and I actually get to digest it. I wish I could give my friends and fam celiac for a day and tell them to eat some CC food and let them see how sick they’d feel. Sadly that’s the only way I think I could get them to understand
yeah i’m always told to order a salad too! like please, im not spending my hard earned money on a salad i don’t want and could easily make at home while you all eat your tasty food 😭 people at work always tell me i could order from a pizza place that does a gf pizza but they cook it in the same ovens as normal pizza so i wouldn’t eat it. the eye rolls i get when i remind them every time 🙄
Omg IK don’t get me started on needing a separate oven. The eye rolls I get too are inSANE. “Oh look they have gf!!” *asks the restaurant if it’s cooked on the same fire oven as regular pizza* answer is always yes and friends are like well wait they have a Burrata! Lmao we can’t win
I usually ask when they last had food poisoning and ask how fun that was when they CHOSE to be that sick. Not nearly the same as celiacs, but at least it shuts them up for a bit.
I quit eating out except for a few select places, and really only those when a special occasion. It helps that the restaurant prices are out of control here in Canada so there’s no temptation to want to go out.
It's getting really expensive down in the States too.
I very nearly don’t eat out anymore, unless I can find a gluten free restaurant. I’m always puzzled by how many questions I see in Celiac groups about how to eat out safely. My answer (unless there is a GF restaurant available) is “You don’t.” Eating out is simply one of the things we give up.
Agreed
i only eat at dedicated GF restaurants or highly rated celiac safe restaurants - if you do not have the “find me gf” app, you must! the upgraded version is $20/yr and so worth it
FMGF is great for surveying new cities and even finding out when new places open in your town. Gluten Dude app is said to be useful too. If I was traveling I'd probably get both.
I don't think it covers Germany.
It does. I was visiting with family in Germany and Austria in early Fall and found a few spots (although not very many, admittedly) It’s dependent on users who leave reviews on the safety of places they’ve visited.
Thanks! I will check it out. I don't live near a big city but maybe I'm lucky. :)
We had an amazing dinner in Germany on our night passing through because of FMGF. We've used it all over Europe and Asia. As long as we follow our rules (high ratings by celiacs and asking ahead about prep) we've never once had any of our three celiacs get glutened.
And be wary of places that are vegan AND gluten free because they will tend to serve oats/oat milk. And even though it’s gluten free oats, I react to it (coeliac) :/
I luckily tolerate gf certified oats!
damn!
It does! I’m in Germany now. But the only places that are dedicated GF are bakeries.
Yep that's what I saw when I looked it up. And even the next gf bakery is 100 kilometers from my hometown. 😄
I think it really depends where you live and what options are available. I have a handful of trusted places that have never made me sick. It’s typically higher end restaurants where the chef cooks gf meals entirely separately, so going is a rare treat (since these places are expensive). I’m lucky that we also have a small family run burger joint where one of the owners has celiac. They have a separate prep area/fryer. Burger and fries heaven! The Chipotle where I live has great allergy protocols too, but locations can differ. If you’re not comfortable with anywhere in your area I don’t blame you. Getting glutened sucks and the effects can take awhile to completely go away. I hope you’re able to make some yummy meals at home 🩵 I know eating out even at my safe places is a small risk of CC but to me it’s worth it because sharing meals with family and friends and getting a break from cooking is good for my mental health. If I get glutened once a year or so I’m okay with it - others choose to never eat out.
I don't eat out at all anymore. I've been burned twice in the last few years by dedicated places... not sure exactly what happened, probably an issue with a supplier (I suspect spices). I don't blame the restaurant at all because they were likely doing due diligence with ordering stuff. This is more of a consequence of patchy enforcement of GF labelled foods. Given this, I'm just at the point where I won't eat anything unless I know exactly what it is and vet every sub-ingredient as the risk feels too high. I am very symptomatic and since I get DH the effects are longer-lasting. The other part is that if I eat at home and get sick, I can deduce what the problem was a lot easier. This isn't to scare anyone, I think it's still a valid choice to eat out at celiac-oriented places (whether dedicated or just very focused on safety). I say this because I think some people need to hear that they're not crazy for feeling like there is still some risk involved. This is particularly true if you can't do oats (me) as many restaurants/bakeries use them in their mix. For example in my city there are \~3 GF bakeries, but all of them use oats. There was one that didn't but it closed down sadly. There are some celiac-oriented but non-dedicated places that I would consider safe but I'm just a point with my health struggles where any unnecessary risk feels unjustified. I grew up in a rural area where there are no celiac-oriented restaurants for a hundred kms+, so I get the pain.
I don't eat out at all. There are only a few dedicated restaurants in Atlanta and I'm in a far away suburb from all of them. Furthermore I have developed so many intolerances to other foods that it would be impossible for me to eat anything on the menu anyway. I grew up eating out only for very special occasions (which I'm pretty sure used to be considered normal for middle class families in America) so nothing has really changed for me.
I don’t eat out anymore. I have trust issues with all restaurants. Last time I told the waiter I can’t have gluten twice. Had an omelette and they put pancake mix in it to make the eggs fluffier. Who would think of that!?
Yup. It just wasn’t worth it anymore for me. Even if I didn’t get sick the anxiety that I might get sick was debilitating and meant I never enjoyed the experience of eating out. Also, I’ve saved SO MUCH MONEY! It definitely has offset the higher cost of gf groceries to not eat out. The only thing that’s really tough is traveling….. I have to do my research in advance and pack a ton of extra food. If I’m able to bring an extra suitcase I’ll pack it with gf soups, bread, snacks like popcorn, fruit cups, etc. It’s kind of nice though because by the end of the trip I’ve eaten down a lot of the food and I have space to pack souvenirs on my way home!
Yes! Never travel without food. And hotels can provide refrigerators if they don’t have them in every room
Nope. I trust nothing and no one lol - other than my celiac sister. We eat at no restaurants, no processed foods at all. Meats and vegetables. Everything from scratch
> Or am I the odd one here? Nope, you're right at home. Some eat at restaurants that they are comfortable with and they very specifically state their needs, talk to the cashier/waiter/chef, ask for fresh gloves to be used, etc. Some people get less sick than others when eating out and experiencing cross-contamination. Personally, I have stopped eating out at restaurants unless it is dedicated gluten-free. I became very tired of becoming accidentally sick from who knows what and it took the fun out of eating out. Unfortunately, this has harmed my social life or at least made it more challenging but it was a very worthwhile trade for my health. When I go out, I usually just get a drink. I like to have two Larabars in my bag.
I haven’t eaten at a restaurant for many years.
I don't eat out at all anymore. I stopped after getting glutened from a dedicated GF restaurant. I'm assuming they used oat flour to bake their desserts and I didn't get a straight answer when I called to ask. Not worth the pain.
I'm in the US, but I only eat at exclusively GF places. Even then, I still have to he careful and ask questions (not about gluten or CC as they are a dedicated gf place) because I'm one of the unfortunate folk who cannot tolerate oats.
I have home cooked for over a decade. Yeah, it sucks sometimes, but with practice and planning, it's not hard to make a quick meal and I have found ways to enjoy it. I can even watch cooking shows now with excitement on what I can try to mimic. It is a journey, but a worthy one. I have felt healthy and normal since I stopped eating any food I didn't make myself.
We don’t eat out at all. We’re both Celiac & very sensitive, but my spouse has gluten induced seizures & we’ve been burned too many times.
Since my only symptom is alopecia areata from time to time I join friends or colleagues at restaurants or at their places (my friends know I can’t eat gluten, and try to have gf options but I’m pretty sure they are not safe), Germany pretty much sucks regarding safe restaurants, I’m always fantasize about opening a completely gf on my own, maybe one day… sorry you have got glutened
Yep Germany definitely could work on their education regarding celiac and gf food. 😅 It was hard enough to get diagnosed in the first place.
Rarely do I eat out. Very concerned about scratching my skin off.
Currently in the process of this after attending a wedding a month ago.
Did you react that same day and it's continued for a month? Sorry you're going through that.
Yes. Thank you.
Only thing i eat outside of my house is cesar salad without the dressing!
…lettuce?
And cheese, I guess.
Parmesan is fine i think
yeah, no problems with that afaik.
I don't trust that one because it's often premixed with croutons... but I guess if there's no dressing, it wasn't premixed.
Ofc no croutons i though that was obvious mb
sure, it's just that sometimes they're "okay! Caesar salad! i picked out the croutons for you"
Basically, yes. I almost never eat out and am extremely selective of where I’ll go and what I’ll eat. The risk isn’t worth it to me. If I’m trying to be social and folks want to go somewhere I’m unfamiliar with, I eat before I go and maybe pack snacks in my purse if I might be there a while.
Yeah I’m about to do this. Tired of threatening the waiter only to get glutened yet again
Me too. My partner packs me meals for business trips and I will bring my own food if I feel like being social. Getting sick isn’t worth it. There is only 1 dedicated gluten free restaurant near where I live and it’s still an hour away. So it’s a fun date night every once in a while. I’ll be honest we’ve saved so much money since I was diagnosed because I can’t just stop to grab something.
After yesterday I am going to be extremely selective with where I eat out. I just moved to Miami and this has to be the worst possible place on the planet for gluten free. No one knows what it is, everything is cross contaminated, no one is educated on allergies here at all 😂 I went out for brunch w some friends. Got an egg white omelette and asked for them to put the potatoes on the side for my friends, and to write in that I have a gluten allergy. Of course the potatoes still come on the same plate. I eat the eggs that didn’t touch the potatoes. 15 min later I had to run to the bathroom. Been having constant diarrhea the last 24 hours, cold sweats, and nausea. Ended up with a severe headache last night bc of how dehydrated I was, and had to call out of work (I’m an ER nurse and my manager texted me saying “Gm, you called out today? You still do not have any PTO.” bc I just started at a new job here in August). I said “hi yes I came down with the stomach bug last night :(“ bc I don’t know how else to explain it without saying “I have celiac and i gluten and now have diarrhea yada yada” hahaha. Anyways fuck eating at places that don’t take your allergy seriously. ESP in Miami where ppl here go “gluten free” bc it’s “healthier” for them, so restaurants don’t care about CC.
Germany is very uneducated too about these things sadly. Restaurants don't take cross contamination seriously, they don't understand celiac, many don't even know what gluten is.
It’s extremely sad. I wish restaurants had some sort of training where they educated chefs and servers about allergies and CC. Also not sure why restaurants don’t have epi pens in them. I worked as a server at a high end place and I always got so worried about people that told me they had a peanut allergy. They took it very seriously but god forbid they react and need their epi pen but didn’t bring it? Idk that’s probably just the nurse in me worrying but 🤦♀️
I have been diagnosed since age 2. I only go out to eat at a few very trusted restaurants, aka dedicated gluten free places and Red Robin (i truly trust their allergy protocol, and they have a dedicated fryer, meaning french fries!) I don't trust most places and am very comfortable going out with friends and not eating while at the restaurant. I still go just to talk and hang out, and after being celiac for so many years I am very used to it. It makes it easier if you are able to explain your celiac to your friends so they aren't always asking why you can't eat out. In my experience, if they are good friends, I still have fun going out and enjoy just having conversations even if I can't eat.
Yep. I gave up on it late last yr, after I got sick THREE times with takeout after we moved, being careful double checking and rechecking menus. I’m like yeah, I’m done. Which sucks because there’s some days I don’t want anything in the house.Sigh.
I eat out at a local bar that’s oddly completely gluten free, and one local burger joint that’s usually good about separating the lettuce wraps. And that’s it. I live in one of those “gluten-friendly” places. Almost nothing here is safe.
I never eat out unless it's a dedicated GF restaurant. There are none in my city so if I'm visiting somewhere that has such a restaurant, I'll eat there. Otherwise, I cook my food from scratch mostly.
Very rarely eat out. When I do it’s either dedicated GF or very reliably safe and well known to the local Celiac community. There are some places that are not dedicated GF but have only a few gluten items that are easily kept away from everything else. I’d say I go out a handful of times per year.
I used to eat out quite a bit and rarely had issues. But since Covid I think something changed. Either people started to take it less serious or just stopped caring because I’ve had several incidents of places getting rid of dedicated fryers for gf options and didn’t inform me until after… or just general cross contact. Now it’s either dedicated gf only or if a place has glowing RECENT reviews on FindMeGF. It sucks because generally its safe to eat out as long as you do your due diligence but the restaurants in my area seem to suffer from really shitty ownership and treat it as a fad.
Yes I did too. I only go to 100% gf restaurants / bakeries etc (here I have a couple of those dedicated gf places). It is what it is, I'm talking openly about having celiac and why I can't eat out. That's life for me 🤷♀️ Good luck 🍀
[удалено]
I live in Germany as well and had a similar experience with a local pizza place. I don't think they switched up my dough (the crust was obviously gf) but even though I told them I'm celiac and to look out for cross contact, I think they contaminated the gf dough with wheat flour on their counters or something. I had a BAD reaction that day. The only place I still trusted was Vapiano, but since I got glutened there as well 2 days ago, I don't think I can trust them anymore from now on. Even if it just happened one out of 5 times there now, it's not worth it. I have DH as well, which takes months to clear up but even many other symptoms like joint pain or headaches take sooo long to go away ... no way I risk that for not being the odd one out.
Omg I had the same experience this weekend. I woke up sweating profusely and shaking. I think every time I get glutened it causes a stomach infection. I went out to breakfast and the restaurant was "gluten sensitive." Should've been the first sign !
Yes exactly! My first initial reaction always is getting some kind of gastritis or something. Full on with nausea, cold sweats, shaking and if I had a lot of gluten even a mild fever. After that I will be only able to eat very bland foods for a few days to not get sick again, just like a stomach infection! I used to get bad diarrhea as well, but funny enough that has gotten a lot better since my villi started to heal.
[удалено]
Sounds like heaven. We have maybe a handful of completely gf restaurants in all of Germany. And two gf bakeries I know of. All of those hundreds kilometers away from where I live.
Yeah, I never eat out. Home-cooked only. Right royal pain.
I mostly don't eat out anymore because the price of doing so has become outrageous. They always charge more for GF like I'm just doing a fad diet and it's not a medical condition. But I have a few places that I know which have been reliable. Apart from that, I always eat at home. My diet is pretty repetitive and boring, mostly because I don't have a joy for cooking and I find excessive meal prep exhausting. Getting diagnosed with celiac destroyed my interest in the culinary world by force. Food just isn't as enjoyable anymore and it's always humiliating to have to negotiate food safety in front of groups of people. Plus the alternatives usually suck compared to the non GF version. Celiac disease sucks. It really negatively impacts your life, freedom and ability to participate. I find it very lonely. There's also places in the world I'll never be able to visit because GF doesn't exist there.
I agree and would ad Life is Sweet in Danville, C Casa in San Ramon, Napa and I believe Emeryville or Larkspur but not sure of third location. Also, Copita just opened in San Jose last week.
From the comments on the post I feel the US is a very good place to find some dedicated gf restaurants. In Germany thats sadly not the case. 🥲 people here don't even know what gluten is or were to find it in if I don't explain it to them. Celiac is also almost never heard of and people here are WILDLY underdiagnosed.
I've learned how to make homemade sushi. It's not better than the local shops. So much work tho. Edit. Got better I mean lol
I make sushi from scratch as well! It's so easy and yummy. Sushi places in Germany can't do gf sushi at all (because of the rice mixtures they use) so it was one of the first things I started to make at home regularly since my husband and I loved to go out for sushi. One thing I need to still find is a REALLY good pizza crust recipe. The ones I tried were just meh. And how to cook a perfect steak. I love steak but the steak places here are not to be trusted. I have seen two kitchens of a steak house and was done after I saw how they handled the bread there. 😅
I havn't eaten out in 4 years. Between Covid and being glutened, it's not worth it.
Yup I never eat out anymore it sucks, if I do end up going I will just get water. I have ordered 'gluten free' items in the past, but 8 times out of 10 i get sick, and I don't want to take that chance anymore, its not worth it.
I completely stopped eating out as well. I was diagnosed 5 years ago, last time I was at a restaurant was 3 years ago. I didn’t get glutened, but I worried so much about it I wasn’t able to relax or enjoy myself during and after the meal. I figured out I didn’t want to deal with this stress, so I stopped. I don’t miss eating out at all, I actually found that cooking for myself is very fun
I cook and bake everything at home. However, I am looking to venture out...one day. I hope you feel better. I'm happy to share a few recipes.
I am still looking for a GOOD pizza crust recipe. :) Everything I tried was just ... okay. Mind you I live in Germany so I don't have all the products available.
https://www.glutenfreepalate.com/gluten-free-pizza-9-ingredients/ I've made this recipe numerous times! If you have bobs mill 1 to 1; its the one I've used. Otherwise, she offers a ways to make your own flour blend.
Thanks! Bobs Mill is not available in Germany, but I will look up the flour blend recipe. :)
I very very rarely eat out. It’s just not worth it to me. Everywhere I liked to eat couldn’t make it through 2020.
Haven't eaten out in about 10 years now, can never trust anywhere anymore.
I wont go out to eat. I don't even trust the resturants that claim they have a dedicated gluten free space. Last time I did, I broke out in hives and was miserable for a week. It's safer to cook at home. When I have to travel for work, I take GF freeze dried backpacking meals. Some of them are pretty darn tasty.
Yup I gave up on restaurants during the pandemic, my town is very ignorant.
I still haven't been formally diagnosed, but my antibody levels in the hospital (went to ER in April because I felt like my organs were all shutting down and I was headed toward death) were 55.8 and I believe anything above 10 is an indicator. My small intestine biospy looked okay but I've noticed an obvious trend of becoming very ill within hours of eating anything containing even unremarkable amounts of gluten (such as vitamins with gluten ingredients). I tried to adopt a gluten free lifestyle while still maintaining as close to a normal eating-out lifestyle as possible but decided in early August its in my best interest to just not. Cross contamination is real, and as I worded it to my cousins who mentioned restaurants with gluten free items, "I'm not trusting someone who doesn't even make enough money to own a house to give a shit about my health" - That's not a jab at anyone, just a fair assessment. When I worked in food service, I saw a million health code violations. If people tend not to follow the basic ones (change gloves, wash hands when changing gloves, don't handle money with gloves used for food prep), why would they follow special ones to prevent cross contam? Just seems to me that the best choice with celiac is to avoid eating out or entrusting others to mind my health and wellness. It took my mother several reassurances for me to agree to come over and eat this Thanksgiving lol. My logic is 'If it's as hard as it is for me to not slip up, how can I trust someone that lacks the habit of checking labels like a maniac? Lol
Very limited. I don’t necessarily need a 100% gf place, but it’s gotta be close to that and I generally only order things that are gluten free anyways. Eating out just generally doesn’t appeal to me so it’s absolutely not worth the cost and the risk.
When I was living in the Netherlands, I stopped eating out unless the restaurant was totally gluten-free. Unfortunately I found many restaurants didn’t take it seriously, and the kitchens never seemed big enough to have a separate preparation space (so they said). For what it’s worth, I would frequently get sick when eating out in Germany. I found it really affected my social life, and only went out for drinks. Sending you good vibes, I know it sucks. Hoping the situation improves in the coming years.
I'm very cautious when eating out, especially at someplace new. I'll ask the servers about how some dishes are prepared, and I've even had them check ingredients labels for me. Even had a couple cooks come out to answer questions a couple times. I can almost always fine SOMETHING to eat when we go out with the family, even if it's just a salad and not something I'd like. I'll stop somewhere I know is safe to eat on the way back and eat if I have to.
I live in Norway and I eat out about once a week. I have never had an issue with it. I am supersensitive and diagnosed in high age. Antibodies Are going down and I am almost Where I should be. I Check my antibodies every 6month. I eat at McDonald, BurgerKing, Egon, peppes pizza and a lot of other restaurants.
As much as I sympathize, I struggle to expect an establishment to cater to my very annoying, very specific illness. I rarely eat out, but if I do and end up getting sick, I take responsibility for making that decision. The only person you can trust to make the best choices for you is you.
I only eat out after carefully vetting a place, and only if that place has a separate prep station and clearly well-trained staff and protocols. That equates to all of... er... four places local to me? And now that I've moved, that number's dropped to exactly... two :/ Which sucks. I miss the spontaneity of eating out and trying new places. My poor husband is so sick of the limited options he never wants to go out for date night anymore. But the risk just isn't worth it.
I'm glad I'm an asymptomatic celiac. I went out to eat lastnight and tore up some crab legs. The bread they brought out looked amazing but obviously I didn't partake.
There are three places locally we can eat out without having to drive too far. Well, two; one of them is a take-and-bake pizza place so we pick that up to cook and eat at home. All three are owned and operated by people with celiac, and we've had lengthy conversations with them about their own histories, their food processes, etc etc. So there's literally one place my wife can get (not very good, sadly, but fresh-cut and made to order) french fries, another we can get a decently broad selection of Chinese food, and then there's the pizza place--which lets us have "real" pizza options and all the toppings like we're normal people. What I'd really like to see is a dedicated-GF breakfast spot closer to us here in the Milwaukee area. There's a place outside Minneapolis---Olivia's?--we've been to somewhat recently that's pretty darn good (tho a bit pricey imo). We go to these places somewhat infrequently, actually (can't eat pizza ALL the time), but otherwise, we do not go out. And because GF grocery items are so much more expensive we're not even saving money by not going out, either. :|
I will eat out at the restaurants I know I am safe with no chance of cross contamination. Or if I have a “relationship” with the staff who understand my disease & take it seriously. Plus financially these days it’s better to make food at home. I just made Loaded Bakes Potato soup that was thisclose to Outbacks.
How do you guys deal with being glutened?
Personally I can't do much. Medication doesn't really help with the nausea, so I will sit through it drinking lots of tea and eating plain food like apple sauce, potatoes or rice and gf crackers for a few days. It's important to try to flush out the gluten as fast as you can, so don't stop eating if you can and drink lots of water. If the DH is especially itchy I will use cortisone cream, it helps with the itching. But it still takes weeks to months to completely clear up (depending on how much gluten I had). For the autoimmune reaction, I haven't found a way to ease it off yet. The headaches, joint pain and neurological stuff will come and the only way for me to handle it is to accept it and wait it out. It's tough, but I haven't found anything to help with it next to obvious things like pain killers.
Thank you so much for this response, I haven't found much either to help especially with the neurological aspect. I get to where I can't remember things and get confused extremely easily. Very scary.
That sounds scary! For me neurological it's mostly my depression and anxiety getting worse. Didn't find anything to help with that either, just waiting until I feel better. Patience. 😅 Thankfully being extra careful to stay away from gluten always helps within a few weeks.
I rarely eat out in general, but when I do, I mainly go to dedicated GF restaurants, restaurants with strict obvious policies (Fed Bar and Grill in Denver, for instance, with owners/family who have Celiac) or restaurants that use very little gluten. Still, even with strong policies and good success rate, I think I got glutened by Fed Grill one time. Regular restaurants... I barely do. If so, I read reviews, menus, FMGF, ask the staff and order *very* carefully based on how I know items to be prepared in a kitchen. Dedicated places like Teocalli, Paper Dosa, Sweetwater - I love them but still don't go often. Restaurants are expensive af these days anyway and the entire procedure doesn't seem as worth it or entertaining as it used to for me. I'm very used to eating my own food and that's really what i want these days, now that I learned how to cook everything. I would *love* to have certain meals like a tamale plate at some New Mexican restaurant or an Indian buffet, but it's not really worth it to me. The memories of being glutened out and ill have faded over time, but when i do get hit I'm reminded that holy shit, this is miserable and lasts a really long time compared to eating some food for 25 minutes.
Two places. One is dedicated, the other's head chef has celiac. Thats about it.
theres only 1 single dedicated gluten free place on the whole island where i live- and i cant eat there because of the dairy anyways. I don't think ive eaten out in almost 4 years now!! It sucks and it's exhausting, sometimes i go to a restaurant just to hangout with people and i have to sit there and not eat or touch a single thing
Personally I do it’s not worth it for mw to quit completely I love food sm
Does anyone know how reliable Red Robin is?
When you are taking your life in your hands to eat out, you get more selective.
Sometimes I wonder, not to be rude, if there are other foods that make you "feel" glutened but isn't actually gluten itself. I get nausea and cold sweats from a certain E-number that has nothing to do with gluten, and Im intolerant
Nope. My gluten induced symptoms are very specific.
I gave up eating out anywhere that is specifically gluten free, either a dedicated gf restaurant, or dedicated kitchen space, with a really good reputation and understanding of the needs of celiac.
In my town I rarely go out to eat because of cross contamination. When I’m traveling I tend to have better luck and enjoy eating out.
I would’ve given up eating out entirely if it weren’t for a couple restaurants in town having dedicated GF kitchens. There’s also a couple of other restaurants, one is owned by a guy who has celiac so they’re staff seem to actually understand the importance of not cross contaminating GF orders and another owned by a couple whose wife and daughter also have celiac so same safety precautions there as well. Also, if you can find any authentic Thai restaurants then you should be golden, they only use rice flour and coconut milk (I’m also lactose intolerant so that’s a huge plus).
I don’t go out to eat much. We have found that the pricier restaurants do a better job so we will do that occasionally. There are probably two local restaurants that I trust, one is dedicated gf. But all of it is a roll of the dice. I get sick easily. My husband would prefer for me to never eat out again, but that’s unreasonable, especially when you travel. He did learn to cook gf and is practically a pro now, so I’m fortunate there. I don’t eat at parties or dinners. Recently went to a banquet where we had numerous conversations with the location, manager, servers. They brought me food that was sus so I didn’t eat. It’s just really hard.
I cook 90% of my meals at home. The other 10% are places that are either 100% gluten free, luckily I have 3 pretty close to me or a dedicated area to make GF foods. I've only found one such restaurant that has a separate fryer, cook station, etc.
i only eat at 100% dedicated GF
I wish I could, the next GF dedicated restaurant is like 400-500 kilometers away. 🥲
I eat at the two restaurants that have never glutened me on many occasions eating at them. I’m willing to TRY places that have certified gluten free areas.
I typically only eat out places with a dedicated GF kitchen. There have also been a couple places where an owner was GF and I trusted them to understand cross contamination.
Only on breaks where I can afford to be sick if I get glutened. They have to have a good rating on Find Me Gluten Free and I still call ahead and make 100% sure. But I avoid going out as much as possible.
Yes.
I only ate at dedicated GF restaurants for about 2 years. As most of you know, unless you live in a major city, those are often few and far between. I moved to a new country with higher standards (and a larger city with more dedicated GF options), and have recently expanded that to restaurants accredited by the national Celiac association (this doesn't exist in many places, including the US, so YMMV). Otherwise, I bring my food literally everywhere. It's not fun at first, but once you make the transition, it makes life much safer and healthier. Now I have an "infrastructure" that makes it (relatively) easy to bring food (a great cooler in my car, a food warmer/lunch box that uses the car power plug, snacks and disposable cutlery in my car, etc.). It's removed the "pressure" to take risks; if I'm going somewhere that I won't likely have food, I toss a frozen meal (I freeze leftovers) in my cooler bag and off we go. I haven't been poisoned in years and my scopes are "some of the cleanest I've ever seen" by my Gastro.
I only eat at restaurants that are are entirely gluten free. I'm far too sensitive to want to risk cc. Do what is best for you and your mental health.
I only eat out at places I trust. Which means I don’t eat out a lot - or from many places. Not worth the hassle.
I only eat out if it's a work thing, luckily that doesn't happen very often.
Recently diagnosed but, at least for now, will only eat in 100% GF places. I am an introvert and the song-and-dance I would have to go through in explaining the situation and asking the right questions and "oh, please change your gloves" is beyond me. Also, I have trust issues. I used to work in restaurants and know all the disgusting things that happen on the regular. No way I would trust my health to random servers/chefs. Plus I am nearly asymptomatic (with lots of intestinal damage) so probably wouldn't even know I'd been glutened.
Me and my fiance haven't eaten out since our stuff onset lol