Is eating out Gluten Free really safe?

Eating out Gluten free can be fun however; it can also be getting you into trouble.  You know everything you can and cannot have, however if the restaurant is not gluten friendly you could still be getting sick.

 I have explained about cross contamination at home.  However, can be a bigger issue in a restaurant.  Even if you order nothing with gluten in it they can still touch your food to other surfaces that contain gluten. 

If you want to eat out there are a few tips to follow.  If you can find a gluten friendly restaurant then that is the best option.  If they have a separate preparation area then you have a smaller chance of getting sick. 

A lot of restaurants offer gluten free food but are not gluten friendly.  These restaurants are for the people on the gluten free diet and not to be confused with allergy friendly restaurants.  One such example is Domino's.  They offer gluten free pizza delivered.  However it is not made in a separate area and should not be eaten by those with celiac or any sort of gluten sensitivity. While the pizza may be labeled as gluten free the end product is not. 

 Things to keep in mind when picking a restaurant is how ready they are to accommodate your needs, Are they allergy friendly, do they have a separate preparation area? Do they understand what you mean when you say that you need the items gluten free? 

Eating out gluten free is not as easy as knowing what you can and cannot order but with a few minutes on the internet you can make sure that it is still an enjoyable experience. 

Eating out Gluten Free and Split pea soup

Plus Split pea soup recipe

Eating out Gluten free can be a pain, or it can be expensive.  There are many lists on gluten free restaurants, one of which I will include in this, but I am more focused on restaurants that are not gluten friendly.

Waffle house:  This can so easily be made GF, I get the cheese and eggs I checked the oil that they use at my closest Waffle house and found it gluten free.  Since the bread is already made in a different location then it is really easy for them to clean the grill before hand and make items for you without cross contamination.

Denny's:  You can eat GF at Denny’s you only need to be careful since they are not so great at keeping things separate.  However, they have some scrambles that can be eaten without any issues.  Also you can build your own burger and build it without a bun.  However, any fried foods are off the menu as they use a common fryer.

I-Hop: this is best kept to breakfast and order no pancakes.  Also you have to be careful since you cannot have an omelet either.  However, salads with vinaigrette are easy to eat.  Eggs, bacon and hash browns can be eaten but make sure they have a clean grill for the hash browns.

Seafood restaurants: There is almost always something you can eat.  (Unless you have other allergies) I tend to like steamed crab legs and butter with lemon juice, completely gluten free and very safe.   Also baked seafood should be safe depending on the sauces. 

Mexican food: This is an easy place to find gluten free items.  If they are authentic at all then you should be able to have most of the menu.  I have a place around me that I know exactly what I am going to eat when I go in and almost nothing uses wheat flour.  Make sure to ask if they use flour in things like corn chips or if anything is made in a common fryer.

Authentic Japanese:  Traditionally the Japanese did not use wheat based products.  If you can find a place that does hotpot, Rice flour Okonomiyaki, or sushi with authentic ingredients IE no wheat based soy sauce.  You should be ok.  This one gets tricky since you need to make sure they do not use these products.

Authentic Indian food: I recently went to a place and was able to eat almost the entire menu.  The only thing I couldn't eat was the breads and a few appetizers.  Nothing contained gluten and it was fantastic.  There are even some of them who do a buffet.  Yes a nearly gluten free buffet. 

Places to avoid unless they have a GF menu, Chinese, most Chinese food cannot and should not be eaten as they hide gluten everywhere.  Also avoid any buffet that is not primary GF since cross contamination is rampant. 
However, if you choose to go only to GF safe restaurants there is a great list located Celiac friendly restaurants

Please remember that even a safe restaurant can still mess up unless they serve nothing with any gluten in it. If you care not to risk it today then you can always make Slit pea soup and GF corn bread the best I have found is GF Corn Bread

Ingredients

• 1 lbs split peas
• 6 cups Chicken stock or water
• 1 pounds ham or bacon
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 Bay leaves
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 potato, diced

Directions

1. Turn on Crock pot add peas and cover with chicken stock or water
2.  Add ham, onion, salt, pepper and bay. Cover and let sit for 6 to 8 hours
3. Once the soup is finished remove the bay leaves put the soup in to a blender or food processor and mix until it is a smoother texture.  

Serve soup immediately or wait until the next day for the best flavor.