Calling Bren (and others wanting to eat out!)

[G'ma Mary]

Bren;

I decided it was time to start a new thread. I also wanted to attract others (especially "newbies") who want to eat out.

There are tons of on-line "helps" regarding eating out and remaining gluten free. However, in general, I would suggest that you always go with the attitude that anything you order can be subject to "contamination". With that in mind, do your homework before you leave, go prepared to educate the wait staff as well as the chef and plan to enjoy your time away from the kitchen. Once I've done all that, I "let go" of the worry about my diet and I do the best I can. It has happened that I come home with a reaction, but more often than not, if I'm prepared, I do not.

I can't remember where I got most of the info and little tools I have, so I just now Googled "Eating out Gluten Free" and got lots of the sites I have visited frequently as well as some new ones I haven't seen.

One of the best things I have is a card that I carry in my purse (actually, I carry more than one because on occasion it is not returned to me). I forget which site I found these on, but I did not create it. I live on the TX/Mex border, so the one I carry is in Eng on one side and Spanish on the other. Below are both sides of my card:

"I have a disease that will be aggravated by my diet.

If I eat any food, product, chemical additive, or stabilizer containing even a trace of wheat, rye, oats, barley, triticale, grain vinegar, malt or any derivatives of these grains, I will become ill.

I am able to eat foods containing corn and rice.

If necessary, please check with the chef to make sure my food does not contain any of the ingredients listed above and help me order a meal I can safely enjoy.

Thank You very much!"

"No hablo su idioma. Sufro de Infantilismo Intestinal.

Por lo cual no puedo comer ningun alimento, producto, aditivo quimico o establizador que contenga trigo, centeno, avena, trigo, sarraceno, cebada, "tritacale", vinagre de grano, malta, o ninguno de los derivados de estos granos sin enfermerme.

Puedo comer cualquier alimento que contenga maiz y arroz.

Si es necesario, por favor averigue con el cocinero para asegurarse que mi comida no contenga ningun ingrediente de los especificados anteriormente y ayudeme a ordenar una comida que pueda disfrutar.

Muchas Gracias!"

If you make these, just add anything else you can not eat (id; dairy, eggs, etc). Unless you or someone you know can read and write Spanish, you may have trouble translating the additions, but this is a good starting place. If you want or need them, there are similar cards available (in many languages) for sale from various web sites. You could probably find them when you Google "Eating out Gluten Free". I make sure this is always in my purse, then I pull it out if I need it.

The process that has always worked for me is to search the menu for something that "looks" GF and what I might want to eat. Then, when the wait staff is taking my order I say (something to the effect of) "I would love to be able to try _________. Would you please suggest that to the chef, and also give them this card and ask if my choice would be safe for me to eat. If I need to, I am very willing to change my order so I can stay well."

My son & DIL invited me out to a rather nice place several weeks ago. I'd never been there, but I knew it was a sea food place, and I absolutely love fish! I went, along with this card. We got a waitress who spoke almost no English - about enough to take our order. My DIL is bilingual, so helped all of us with our orders. I chose a grilled fish, mixed vegetables and a baked potato, then did as I suggested above. We suggested the waitress read the Spanish side and show it to the chef. Our waitress returned to tell me that the fish would be cooked plain with absolutely NOTHING added and would be wrapped in foil to protect it from anything that may be on the grill. When my food arrived, my potato was totally dry! I asked about some butter or something and was told they use a butter blend and the chef was fearful some of the ingredients may not be safe for me! She came back several times to see how everything was and every time asked me individually if my meal was tasty and appeared "safe". We were extremely impressed with this place!

Other times when I show them the card, I am brought a print-out of GF suggestions, or sometimes even a menu just for us!

If you have a specific restaurant in mind, you can also go to the website and usually there is a spot on the site indicating "safe" and "unsafe" GF foods. Many places address more than just this one intolerance.

I hope some of this is helpful!

G'ma Mary

[G'ma Mary]

One other suggestion. I found a great site a short while ago. Go to www.GlutenFreeChecklist.com and you can sign up for daily e-mails. What you get is something called "What's for Dinner?" When you open it, it is a GF recipe (not always free of other concerns, though) and a box below the recipe saying something like "if you want out of the kitchen, look at this restaurant menu" and there is a link to the GF menu from some restaurant - usually a national chain. This is received in my in-box mid-afternoon, so it is just in time for dinner. I don't use it that way, but I really do love it! I've found more and more places that have GF menus!

G'ma Mary

[JLH]

Thanks for the link, I just signed up for the email.

[MaggieRedwings]

Thanks for that link too and I also signed up.

Love, Maggie

[bren711]

THANK YOU! so much for taking the time to start this tread..I signed up also..
you are all so sweet, and Im so thankful for your support! Today Im sad, its getting to me. My dr is not supportive, she just wants to put me on entocort which Im not ready to do. she said "your fine, your test is negative to celiac so you can eat gluten foods" I dont agree as much! some things bother me, some dont..I thank God for all of you! have a blessed day! I will figure this out sooner or later and learn from my mistakes of giving in to eating the wrong things!

[JLH]

Bren, most doctors "poo poo" (pun intended) the gluten connection but I believed it from the minute I found and read the PP web site. I now KNOW it to be a fact because it has worked for me.

My GI doctor is even listening to me now. It is a miracle after the way I had to fight to get her to order the EnteroLab tests (in case insurance would cover some of it.)

[G'ma Mary]

Bren;

My dr said the same thing about eating gluten when I first found out about the correlation between diet and MC. Somehow, back then I felt I needed his approval to do the diet. So, when he said I didn't need it, I didn't do it. Well, I have often said the third time's a charm, because the third time I talked with him about diet he said "I can guarantee it will not help you, but I can also guarantee it will not hurt you. So, if it makes you feel better, then do it." (What an attitude!!!)

Anyway, with the support of the potty people, I decided to go gf and give it a full year before I would give up on it. It only took me 3 months (that felt like "only" since I was thinking in terms of a full year, but if I hadn't had that information before starting, 3 months would have been forever!) to begin to see relief and 6 months to be totally symptom free. That was by using diet only - no meds!

So, from my experience, those of us here who have done it are much better informed than our docs who went to school and have letters after their names! I'd encourage you to continue the diet, but I can't tell you how to live your life. I just know it is what worked for me!

Remember, you always have us - 24/7. Even the best of docs have office hours, and very few if any have ever lived with this like we do.

Keep us the good work!
G'ma Mary

[Gloria]

Bren,

Here are some links for dining out GF:

http://www.clubceliac.com/GlutenFreeGuideEatingOut.htm

http://www.glutenfreeceliacweb.com/chai ... ree-meals/

http://www.outpostnaturalfoods.coop/ed- ... 0Guide.pdf (a guide for Milwaukee, WI, but has chains listed)

http://www.celiactravel.com/restaurant-cards.html

Gloria