GLUTEN FREE DINING OUT AND TRAVEL

Traveling and dining out can be one of the most challenging parts of the gluten free diet.  Being in a foreign city or country and having to rely on someone else preparing the food can be stressful.  But with a little preparation and flexibility, you can travel anywhere gluten free.   

Dining out Gluten Free:

Before we were diagnosed with Celiac disease, we loved eating out – nearly every Friday you would find us at one of our favorite local restaurants letting some one else cook the meal and serve us.  The pleasure of eating out was something that I initially mourned when we went gluten free.

Our First time Eating Out Gluten Free was a Disaster!

The first time we did go out, it was a disaster!  We went to a hamburger restaurant during the busy lunch hour at a very busy mall.  We were not sure what we were doing and our waiter was even worse.  When the food finally did arrive, the GF burger was on a bun.  We sent it back.  Our daughter who was too self-conscious about the diet at that time was in tears by now.  Of course, while we were waiting for the new burger, our other kids gobbled their lunch and were more than ready to leave by the time the Gluten Free Kid's burger arrived.  Then she did not like the bunless burger.  This was before the gluten free bun, and the hunk of hamburger meat was not appealing to her.  So we went home and cooked lunch.

It was months before we went out again but the second time we were armed with information, called before we went to confirm they could prepare a GF meal,  picked a  gluten free friendly restaurant and went before the dinner rush.  Success!  We went to Outback Steak house and had a great time; they were so nice that they even gave us complimentary Thunder Down Under desserts.

Eight years into this gluten free diet and we do not eat out as much as we used to.  Even though it is much easier to get a gluten free meal, there is still always the chance of cross-contamination.  Few restaurants have gluten free kitchens and we have had a number of bad experiences eating at restaurants that even had gluten free menus. We have been served GF pasta that contained a wheat noodle in it, only to find out the GF pasta was cooked in the same water as the wheat pasta. 

Once we were in Washington DC on vacation and called the restaurant to see if they could accommodate our diet.  The hostess assured us everything would be fine.  When we ordered, the waiter assured us he had accommodated the gluten free diet many times.  A few minutes later he came back and asked if butter had gluten in it because he could not get an answer out of the kitchen because no one spoke English!

At the same time, we have traveled the world gluten free and had many, many great dining experiences.

Busy Risotteria in NYC

 How to Dine Out Gluten Free:

• Unless you have eaten at the restaurant before, call ahead and make sure they can accommodate your diet and find out exactly what they can make for you.  Do not rely on the hostess – ask to speak directly to the Chef.  If not available, then ask for the kitchen manager.  Insist on knowing what they can prepare safely – don’t stop at a “rest assured we can cook for you.”

• When you are seated, ask for the Chef or the kitchen manager.  Don’t rely on the waiter. It is not the waiter who is making your food.  It is the kitchen staff that will be preparing your food. 

• Be as polite and congenial as possible.  You will be surprised how well they react to a customer who is happy and actually appreciates good service.

• Hand them a copy of the Gluten Free Dining Card which sets forth explicit steps to be followed in preparing your food.  Don’t be intimidated, this is your good health you are protecting.  Most Chefs are actually very happy to help you out. 

• When in doubt, go without.  If you are not getting a good feeling and are unsure about something, just leave. 

• If the Chef goes out of his way to make you a safe and good meal, send your compliments.  Thank them profusely for the service and help.  You will be doing the next gluten free customer a favor by leaving a good impression. 

Gluten Free Dining Card:

Print the following dining card on card stock. Try a 4 x 6 note card with the beginning instructions on the front of the card and the numbered directions on the back.  Then laminate it, fold in half and carry it with you. Use this card whenever you eat out.  Don’t assume that because a restaurant has gluten free food, they will necessarily follow all of the precautions listed below. 

The following directions also come in handy for friends and family who want to cook for you.  Send these directions with your gluten free kid on sleep overs, to summer camp, and to other parents in the class who may be preparing snacks. 

Gluten Free Dining Card

I have an illness called Celiac Disease and have to follow a strict Gluten Free Diet. I will become very ill if I eat even a crumb of gluten, so please read the following carefully.

Gluten is found in many food items, but most commonly in flours and grains of wheat (durum, semolina, kamut, spelt), rye, barley and some oats.

 Foods that may contain gluten include soy sauce, blue cheese, breading, imitation bacon, marinades, processed meats, soup bases, thickeners, broth, croutons, gravies, imitation seafood, pastas, stuffing's, salad preservatives etc. 

Foods that are safe include unseasoned and marinated meats, fruit, veggies, eggs, cheese, milk, rice, corn, soy, potato, bean, sorghum, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, arrowroot, amaranth, teff and nut flours,

In addition to being aware of the above ingredients, please take care to make sure my food is not contaminated by other food containing gluten by doing the following:

•  Prepare my food in a clean area on a clean surface.

• Wash your hands and wear clean gloves while preparing my food.

• Use only clean utensils including strainers, tongs, knifes, spoons.

• Use only clean water and oil in clean dishes when  preparing my food – do not use water that has cooked wheat pasta and do not use oil that has had wheat food fried in it such as breaded chicken fingers.

• Do not cut my food on a cutting board that has had bread on it.

• Do not wash my fruit or drain my pasta in a strainer that has been used to drain pasta.

• If grilling food, thoroughly clean the grill with a metal brush before placing my food on the grill.  Marinades often contain gluten.

• If you accidentally add croutons to my salad, please do not just remove them from the salad.  I can still get sick from the contamination of the salad by the croutons.  Please prepare me a new salad.

• Only use new clean tubs of condiments such as butter, mayo, mustard and ice cream.  Previously used tubs may have been contaminated by a utensil that had gluten on it – such as a butter knife or ice cream scooper that was used for a flavor containing a gluten ingredient.

• Do not season my food unless we have discussed the seasonings – use only salt and pepper and no garnish on my plate unless it is fresh and has no sauce.

• Most importantly, when in doubt go without!!   If you are unsure about something, please do not serve it to me without asking.

Click Here for a Printable Version of this Dining Card

GLUTEN FREE TRAVEL

When we first went gluten free I mourned the fact that we would no longer be able to travel. We actually went camping about one week post diagnosis, and not knowing enough at the time, we starved by only eating grilled hamburger without the bun and yogurt and fruit. At that point in time, I could not comprehend how we would ever fly anywhere again with our restricted diet.

Over time and with confidence, we realized we could travel again.  Initially we limited our travel to places with condominiums or apartments so we still had the option of cooking, but we travel now and stay at hotels and dine out for our meals. 

Our greatest gluten free trip was toIreland.  According to the Ireland Coeliac (how they spell celiac) society, Ireland has one of the highest prevalence of celiac disease in the world, which makes it a very friendly place to travel gluten free. 

Cooke's Restaurant Galway Ireland

New York City and Paris both have great offerings.   It is worth a trip to New York just to have a bread stick at Risotteri. 

Breadsticks at Risotteria NYC

Laduree Paris for Macaroons

The hardest place we have traveled to was Germany.  Germany is a beautiful country to visit and I hope to go back sometime but  I am not that crazy about German food in general - it is a lot of sausage and beer, and our standard fallback of a salad when there is nothing else available ending up being cabbage.  Plus the German's were overly concerned about our restrictions to the extent that they would just say "no" to everything.  We wondered around Garmisch for hours one night asking every restaurant we passed if they could serve us.  Finally,  the last restaurant in town thought they could find something gluten free.  It ended up being a great night but it was a stressful few hours looking for some place to eat.

 Whether you are traveling far or just to Grandma's for Christmas, you will have the best  gluten free experience if you spend  some time planning before you go.

Before you Go:

1. First we plan our itinerary - Plan what you want to see and where we want to stay. 

• Consult Gluten Free Hotels Guide for a list of hotels that cater to your diet.  
• Gluten Free Travel Site also has user submitted reviews and tips.

Call the hotel to see if they can accommodate your diet.

2. Find places to eat gluten free - Plan where you will be driving or flying and approximately where you will be around mealtime.  You do not want to have to zig zag across New York to grab lunch. Finally, search the Internet for restaurants with gluten free options.

• If you are traveling to one of the places we have visited, we have done your homework for you. Take a look at our individual travel pages.
• Find Me Gluten Free A great free app for your phone that helps you locate restaurants that can accommodate your diet.
• Triumph Dining Researching were to eat gluten free since 2005.

• Celiac Restaurant GuideIncludes a list of restaurants that are gluten free. 
• Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program (GFRAP)  State by state listing of restaurants that welcome gluten free diners and have been trained to avoid cross-contamination.

• Gluten Free Travel Site  State by state restaurant reviews.

• Gluten Free Registry A list of gluten free restaurants across the United States.

Before you go, call or email the restaurants to see what they offer, when they are open, and make reservations if necessary.   If the area is unfamiliar, you can chart your driving route and map the restaurants on websites such as Google maps.

3. Print a Gluten Free Dining card to hand out at restaurants or to give to friends if you are staying at someone's house. 

Taking these steps ahead of time will greatly cut down on the stress level once you arrive.

What to Pack:

We always travel with a suitcase of our favorite gluten free pastas, bagels, muffins etc. 

• Udi’smuffin tops and bread travel very well. The bread is good enough that you do not need to toast it.  If we are in a crunch, we will top it with some Justin's Almond Butter. 
•  Purefit bars are perfect when you are stuck without any gluten free options and starving.
•  Dried fruit from Trader Joes is a favorite.
•  Glutino Vanilla Creme Cookies when there are no gluten free desserts available.  
• Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pasta is also good to have on hand.  We were at a restaurant in Germany which did not have any gluten free offerings but did make pasta with a basic red sauce.  It took a little extra time, but they were happy to cook our GF pasta (in clean water) and we had a great meal.
• Check out Minimus - a website that sells travel-sized food items.  Their gluten free list includes items labeled GF by the food manufacturers.  I would always double check on the gluten free status before I ordered the items but they have GF hummus, Justin's Almond Butter, individual salad dressings. 

After you eat all of the food, you will have extra room to bring back souvenirs. 

Flying Gluten Free:

Several airlines now provide gluten free options. 

• Request your special meal when you make your airline reservation.  You usually need to request a special meal at least 24 hours in advance. Even though the airline may offer a meal,  I would never count on an airline to feed my family.  Twice we have found wheat ingredients clearly listed on an item in a GF airline meal and once they just did not have the meal on the airplane. 

• Pack some extra GF snacks.  TheTransportation Security Administration will let you bring food on the airplane as long as it complies with rule 3-1-1 for liquids in carry-on bags.  Snack items such as  "pretzels, potato chips, dried fruit or other dry goods" are fine as long as they will fit in your carry-on.  However, snack items that are "liquids or gels, like pudding, jello or yogurt, etc.," fall under the 3-1-1 rules for liquids for carry-on bags. Which  means you can bring yogurt or jello in your carry-on "only if they are in containers 3.4 ounces or less; packed in a 1 quart/liter zip-top bag; and 1 zip-top bag per person. Larger amounts of non-medicinal liquids, gels, and aerosols must be placed in checked baggage."
  
  Finally, "even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. The final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane."

Lastly, there is an exception to this rule, as "medically required liquids, such as baby formula and food, breast milk and medications are allowed in excess of 3.4 ounces in reasonable quantities for the flight."  However,  "you must tell the Transportation Security Officer that you have medically necessary liquids at the beginning of the screening checkpoint process" and you will subjected to additional security screenings. 

So if you really want to bring that yogurt that is more than 3.4 ounces and you have a letter from your doctor saying it is medically necessary and you are willing to go through extra security, you and your yogurt may make it through.  Personally, I do not think it would be worth the extra hassle.

Share what you learn when you get home!

 Of course, you can always  purchase beverages, liquids or gel-based snacks (aka yogurt) after the security checkpoint and take them on the plane, as they have been previously screened.

We always travel with a carry-on full of GF food. I love these soft lunch bags by BUILT Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote  

Share what you learn when you get home:

If you found a great gluten free restaurant in Shenandoah, Iowa then do not keep the place a secret.  Share it with the rest of us so we can all learn and enjoy from your experience.  I actually started this blog after our first trip to New York City.  I spent so much time researching where to eat before our trip that it seemed a waste to keep it all a secret.  Send me an email and I will be happy to share your experience or post a review on one of the interactive websites.