If you need to adhere to a Gluten Free diet, dining out can be hell. I sit there half the time explaining to my waiter what gluten is, to finally resort to asking to speak to the Head Chef in hopes the guy or gal knows what I am talking about.
More and more restaurants are becoming aware of the various needs of their public. Some are offering completely separate menus or a symbol signifying the GF meal. Times are changing and we now have various listings on the internet to locate a restaurant that can cater to our needs.
One very simple suggestion is to call ahead and ask the hostess or whomever answers the phone if they have a GF menu, are aware of GF needs etc. He or she may not have a clue what you are referring to and at this point I ask to speak to the manager, owner or chef. If they have no clue what you are talking about, head elsewhere. There are a number of sources with a simple search on the internet for “gluten free restaurants” but you will need to narrow the search in your area with a town or city name.
There are a few sites dedicated to asking restaurants to sign up to be placed in the database for general use. Here is one: Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program Diners can use this website to locate restaurants that offer gluten-free meals.
From our home to yours, Tina Turbin
If you have any questions or suggestions just email me at info (at) GlutenFreeHelp.info.
Dear Tina,
I am not officially diagnosed gluten sensitive. About 10 weeks ago I changed my diet to a gluten-free diet and my health is doing MUCH better, even the appearance of my complexion has highly improved. I have been struggling with many health problems and poor complexion for about 31 years. Yesterday I shipped my blood work for the ALCAT tests. I will see if the result for gluten sensitivity comes back positive. I have to say even if the ALCAT tests don’t show that I am sensitive to gluten, the improvements in my health are sufficient for me to stay on a gluten-free diet.
I recently read the book “The Gluten Connection, How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health – And What You Can Do to Take Control NOW”, by Shari Lieberman, PhD, CNS, FACN. The book was dedicated to her husband, Augusto, whose love and support has made monumental tasks so much easier. The author is a nutrition scientist. She helps people eat right to be healthy. As a private practitioner, she is frequently the professional of “last resort”. People come to her, often through medical referral, after they have unsuccessfully tried other, often easier, remedies for their health problems. It was through these cases of last resort that she became intrigued with gluten sensitivity, also known as gluten intolerance.
Dr. Lieberman has been researching gluten-free diets for more than 20 years. Through her experience, she has found that going gluten-free can alleviate the sort of vague complaints for which doctors may not find a cause, as well as chronic conditions for which mainstream medicine may offer little hope of relief – including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue, Crohn’s disease, asthma, and psoriasis. In fact, as many as 85 percent of Dr. Lieberman’s clients who follow gluten-free diets report often dramatic improvement in their health.
I found the book very informative and factual.. I recommend it. The CONTENTS include:
PART 1: SOMETHING YOU ATE – Grain Danger – Allergy or intolerance?
PART 2: GLUTEN SENSITIVITY’S MASQUERADE – Gluten and Skin Diseases – Neurological Disorders – Other Autoimmune Diseases –
Digetive Disorders – Undiagnosed Diseases and Conditions – From the Files of Heath Professionals – Are you Gluten Sensitive?
PART 3: GOING GLUTEN-FREE – Setting Yourself Free – Supplementing Your Hsealth – What if Going Gluten-Free Doesn’t Work? – Why Didn’t My Doctor Tell Me About This?
The book includes some recipes, the tests you can do to know if you are gluten sensitive and other useful information.
Sincerely, Lucie
Lucie Bilodeau, Artist
http://www.luciebilodeau.com