One of the issues gluten intolerant and celiac people face is how to avoid unintentionally having a reaction after eating out. This is something most of us face every time we decide to deviate from our usually safe methods of controlling our food intake. And what do we do if the unthinkable happens?
Eating out with food intolerances can often be a challenge.
Never eating out would mean we deny ourselves a lot of great social interaction as well as convenience. Fortunately, there are many more gluten-free choices than ever… we still have to be careful.
This brings up an incident that happened to us. We were out for a walk. We love to walk down a quaint street in a small town and browse through the shops. Sometimes there is a street fair going on, and this is a lot of fun. There is usually a coffee shop, and since coffee, tea, etc., are gluten-free, it is a treat to go in and sip on a cuppa. Usually, we can only look wistfully at the baked goods or other offerings.
You get used to it, but once in a while, you look to see if there is anything you can have.
On one such occasion, we read a sign in a coffee shop, “TRY OUR NEW GLUTEN FREE COOKIES.” Yes, sure enough, a nice little selection of tiny little cookies looked right up at us and dared us to try them.
Being skeptical after previous bitter experiences, I asked the usual questions.
What is in the cookies?
Are they made here?
What precautions were taken to avoid cross-contamination?
Well, somewhat satisfied with the answers, we ordered an assortment of cookies to share since we are both gluten-free and proceeded to enjoy them with our coffee.
What could make the experience better?
Asking questions and getting the right answers took some time. The server did not have ready access to the ingredients list or other matters relating to their creation.
Yes, she said, “They are baked here.” But she did not have information about what steps are taken to avoid cross-contamination. She also had to leave the counter and those waiting behind us to locate the ingredients list.
So what’s the deal with having an Ingredients List?
You might say… “Well, if it says gluten-free… why do you need to know the ingredients list?” Well, that is because, unfortunately, many of us on a gluten-free diet, not by choice, have other food intolerances and need to know that the particular ingredient list is safe for them.
Some possible Allergens… or Intolerances.
Believe it or not, some gluten-sensitive people must also avoid Corn, so Tapioca is a good substitute, but what about those people who are also tapioca intolerant? The most common combination for some is both gluten and dairy. Some can’t tolerate eggs. I know a woman who is egg intolerant, and although she is not gluten intolerant, the food choices can be very limiting. Even others are allergic to Soy. Some can’t tolerate legumes at all. Or one of the touted safe grains, if processed correctly, is Oats. Yet even Oats are not tolerated by many. So Restaurants and Coffee Shops with ingredient lists are most appreciated.
It would be good if this information were available with the goodies for sale. It would save time. Many of the larger chains are now recognizing this and including symbols that share food intolerance information alongside their offerings.
Below is a picture of some allergen symbols to look for.
Gluten-Free, You Can Do It -by Trina Astor-Stewart. Contains charts for Trina’s Flour and Bread Mixes. Three Series Of Mixes: Original, Corn, Nightshade, Tapioca, and Rice Free Mixes. Over 300 Recipes. The ebook is available on Amazon.
