Gluten Free dining? There is an app for that....

[wmonique2]

It was about to happen....and it's a good thing!

here's the link for your app. And it's free I believe.

http://glutenfreetravelsite.com/mobiler ... QAFlxxq1wc


Monique

[Carriagehouse]

Thanks, Monique! I just downloaded it. My husband and I plan to take some roadtrips this summer, and hopefully go cross-country in summer 2014, so this will be very handy!

[wmonique2]

Leslie,

Wonderful! I know many will find this a useful tool!

Love,

Monique

[hoosier1]

That is a good start to rule out a wider range of restaurants, but take it from someone who travels weekly, the best course of action is to really talk to your server or if possible, the cook/chef as you order. I wish I had a dime for all of the "so called" gluten free establishments or menu items, that in hindsight, clearly were not. I have walked out of many of them.

Good example just this evening in Texas... I went to one of my old reliable restaurants... sounds crazy but it is the Olive Garden. They have a Gluten Free menu and I normally order the mixed chicken grill. Very tasty and normally very agreeable. However tonight, it tasted different to me. Of course I ate half of it (had not eaten all day) before making the inquiry and found out that some of the seasonings did, in fact, contain gluten and other no no's for some of us. Apparently, this particular establishment took a little liberty with the recipe, thinking they were doing me a favor to "spice it up". And to add to the humor, the server kept trying to give me breadsticks. Not his fault because until tonight, I don't think he could spell Gluten. But then again, most of our children lack the ability to spell correctly. But I digress...

As I go about the country, I have found that mostly non-chain restaurants are the safest and the most accommodating to my eating requirements, and most don't advertise being gluten free. They are the restaurants that fly under the media radar, and I don't see any of them on the app.

I eat simpler on the road... mostly a paleo type diet. It may seem a little boring to most, but it seems to work for me and it has taken me well over 2 years to figure most of this out. And what an uphill battle that was as everyone on this board well knows.

Hope this helps all of you.

[jgivens]

I totally agree. Chains are the worst for saying that they are compliant with a GF diet but not having a clue about what that means! I have eaten out twice now since my diagnosis last month and have gone to a local restaurant that I know only buys organic meats and local vegetables. I had a GF lunch plate of chicken breast, green beans (should have been a little more cooked) and rice. Very plain, but something I could eat and I didn't have to be embarrassed with friends eating while I sipped on my tea. This restaurant does not advertise that it has GF entrees, but they do advertise that they buy locally and organically. You pay a little more, but you get what you pay for!