the BASICS of eating out gf

[staircar]

Hi,
So I introduced myself in the symptoms forum. I'm very new to this, not sure if I have celiac or an gluten sensitive. But I have no clue what to eat now when I have to eat out. I'm a college student who can't eat pizza, my options are definitely limited. The only thing that to me that is obviously safe is corn tacos. But I am SO SICK of mexican food right now.

It's so hard not being able to eat like I used to. My boyfriend asked me if I wanted to go to a chinese restaurant yesterday, and I said I didn't know what I could eat. So I ate more mexican food. So... what kinds of foods are safe? I'm asking general foods, not necessarily restaurants. I've read the threads about outback and that's cool. Give me some more options, please!

I read that teriyaki sauce has gluten in it, so that's kind of sad for me. japanese food is out then? italian food is most likely out, except for the salmon at this one restaurant I like, I think. What about chinese food? Is anything with a sauce basically going to be bad for me?

thanks so much

[cruelshoes]

The answer to most of your questions is "it depends".

Eating out is definitely a challenge. If you are eating outside of a restaurant that has a GF menu, you will have to ask a lot of questions. Most people with celiac would be well served to give up eating out for a while (don't panic - I didn't say forever ) until they get a handle on what questions to ask and get themselves healthier.

Corn tacos (all mexican food, really) are not automatically safe. If they fry the shells in the same oil as the flour tortillas they are contaminated. If the seasoning in the meat has wheat as a thickener they are not safe.

Teriyaki sauce is made with soy sauce, which usually has wheat in it. You would need to check with the restaurant on the ingredients. Same deal with chinese food. If the salmon at the italian restaurant is cooked on a common grill, it is contaminated. Other sauces can have a gluten thickener, you would have to ask the chef.

Hpe this post is not too discouraging. There is no blanket answer as to what is safe. I did not eat out for nearly 6 months after I was diagnosed, and now do so very rarely.
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-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
9-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters have negative bloodwork - so far!

A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

[staircar]

thanks for the reply!

everything you said is understandable. The only way I can be sure what I'm eating is safe is to make it myself. Actually my stomach kind of hurt after eating mexican food last night. But I pretty much know it is cross contaminated, they warm up the corn tortillas on the same warmer as the flour ones. Plus I don't know what's in the chicken. I just didn't think I was that sensitive.
It's just really hard to be out with someone and say "no we shouldn't eat out, I'll just go home and eat rice pasta by myself in my room.. alone.." haha. ok maybe it's not that bad. I've been really overdramatic about this whole thing. I just need a lot of time to get used to it.

[cruelshoes]

[nancw]

Welcome - and yep, there is a steep learning curve in learning to eat GF and to stay safe when eating out. As Colleen said, it is a good idea to avoid eating out at first. After you get some of the basics under your belt, so to speak, you can do your research and try a "safe" place - like somewhere with a GF menu. Maybe later you get confident enough to try other places, but only when you know the ins & outs of GF foods and cross-contamination. And sometimes you're going to get glutened no matter how hard you try not to - you take that chance every time you eat outside of your home.

When you want to go out, just make sure to eat beforehand, or have your own food handy in case you need it later. Don't cheat yourself out of good times when there are ways to work around it. If there's one thing GF life has taught me it is to think ahead to make sure I can eat when I need to. It's tough to be hungry and have no GF options available to you.

It must be hard being a college student and GF, but all the effort really can pay off in improved health and well-being. You don't want to throw away all that time and money underperforming because you're all glutened-out, right?
Read, read, and read some more. You'll catch on fast!

[ostrich]

Welcome! I understand the eating alone thing. Yesterday we had a going-away party for a friend at work. Everybody sat around me enjoying their Mexican food while I had some water. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Explain your problem to your friends, then have some fun in the kitchen one night coming up with different GF foods.
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