How often??

Professor · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 757

I'm reading posts about going out to eat, and I still rarely do -- just too much risk of cross-contamination. I go into atrial fibrillation now (I used to only get a pounding heartbeat thing) -- the doctor says it's because I have absolutely zero gluten, and am no longer even the tiniest bit sensitized to it.

At any rate, I was wondering how often others go out to eat? So to satisfy my curiosity, please reply:

1) Sit-down restaurants -- how many times per YEAR?

2) Fast food -- how many times per YEAR?

3) Eating at other people's houses -- THEIR food, not bringing your own -- if you do this, how many times a year?

THanks so much! Really wondering about this . . .

Lexi

Professor · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 757

Oh, I should reply, too!

1) 3-4 times a year (about every 3 months? -- same restaurant, and I know only one appetizer I can order safely, so the rest of my meal is just margaritas)

2) 4 times a year (again, maybe every 3 months at the most!) I drive thru McD's and get an order of fries to share with my granddaughter

3) 0 -- no, I never dare to eat things at other people's homes, that they have prepared. I just bring an Amy's dinner if it's a rush-job, or if I have time, make myself a lovely platter of shrimp, etc.

Lexi

Judy · Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 235 Location: Massachusetts

While my hubby doesn't have the reaction you have, we rarely eat out.

1 - restaurants - Maybe 5 times a year

2 - fast food - never as neither of us like fast food

3 - about once every couple of months - We generally go to relatives homes and they are wonderful about cooking gluten free foods for him. I always get a phone call before the dinner party asking if what they want to make him is ok. My cousin made a lovely chicken dish wrapped in dough and she cooked a special chicken dish just for him. My brother makes a killer venison stew and he uses rice flour for the thickener and the proper Swanson chicken broth.
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Judy

Demo · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 270

We dine out sit down about once a month(Pf Changs,Outback,Bravo's in Pittsburgh serves gluten free pasta cooked in it's own water). Fast food rarely. Dining at other homes is rare unless it is a close relative, fully aware of all precautions! Smile

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

NickisDragon · Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 330 Location: S.E. Michigan

I eat out a lot! I hate cooking just for me.
Sit down - 2-3 per month. There are a few tried and true restaurants where I know I can get a safe meal and I stick to those.
Fast Food - 2-3 per week. Occasionally Wendy's chili and baked potato or burger w/o bun, of course. Mostly Taco Bell. Their southwest steak bowl, chicken bowl or pintos and cheese seem to be safe for me.
Others' houses - only family and they're careful to provide what we need.
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The Love we withhold is the pain that we carry.
Nicki

B-Day: January 18
DX: October 2005

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

Nikki,

Do you have CD bloodwork done on a regular basis? How sensitive do you feel you are? I find the sensitivity levels of people facinating...

Taco Bell's GF Menu - http://www.yum.com/nutrition/allergen/allergen_tb.asp Scroll all the way down, they will have a few suggestions for GF souls.
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Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

Professor · Joined: 19 Oct 2005 Posts: 757

Jeannine1 · Guest

I eat out somewhat a lot, but only at the higher end places.

1. - dine in - I work at a place that buys my lunch most days & we only order from the higher end places - & I know what I can eat from those places. We always order & eat at the office. Here in Houston, for me that would be Carrabba's, P.F. Chang, Goode Seafood, Cafe Express, Pappasitos, & some fancy Steak Place.
Then I get to go orders for myself about 2 times a month.
So I guess my total eating out for that is 15 times a month x 12 months = 180 times a year.
I will also eat at Cracker Barrell.
I sometimes eat at Souper Salad but I never eat their salad dressing & skip the sunflower seeds - some of those have wheat on them.

I did get glutened recently from Barry Hill Tamales, I had the nachos & I forgot about the grill base on the grilled chicken. At least that is what I think it was, but it could have been the shredded cheeses. I was sick...... I had eaten something from there before with no problems, but I had forgotten what I ordered !

2. fast food = hardly ever. I stopped at McD once a couple months ago & paid $1.80 for ONE hashbrown. I thought it was too greasy & cost way too much. My fast food is fruit & nuts. If there is none in the house (rarely) I will stop at the grocery for a banana or something.

3. Eating at other people's houses - never - unless it is my son's house. I really like having an excuse not to go to these food functions. No one really gets their feelings hurt, because I can say "you know how sensitive I am to foods". I am really sensitive & I do not want to even be in the kitchen touching anything where all the flour stuff has been.

In Houston it seems a lot of people are eating out that have CD. There are a lot of nice restaurants here & the waiters & managers are more than willing to help you. Actually, the service here at a restaurant is better than anywhere in the country, I think so, at least.

Our local support group has a dining out group & they investigate the GF items in a restaurant & leave laminated GF menus in the restaurant if the restaurant does not already have one. I usually eat alone so I really enjoy these outings with people that are ordering the same things as me. & it is funny to see how some of us like the same things !!!

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8096 Location: WI, USA

duchessisa · Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2005 10:27 pm Post subject:

we eat out 2-3 times a week. We have only four places we go to but they are favorites. One believe it or not is a taco truck!!!! I bought food with the suggestion of a friend and asked if anything was wheat free. To my suprise almost everything was! My daughter loves thier tacos with nothing more than meat and cheese on a corn tortilla. Because they are two blocks from her school 4 days a week, we go there for lunch fairly often. I was suprised by the food, it's really quite good. Admittedly I was afraid of them before.

grantsmom · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 30 Location: West Michigan

i couldn't get the site to work either...so i tried:
http://www.yum.com/nutrition/

and i worked Very Happy

Joanjet · Guest

2-3 times a week. It's usually the same places but every 2 0r 3 months we'll go to a new place. I ran off and got laminated some GF cards (at CeliacTravel.com (the beauty of these cards is that they can translate into many different languages) and lately just pass them to the waitress. They are usually helpful. I have been saying lately " Is there anything I can eat here". Today we stopped at a truck stop for a home cooked meal and the waitress took a look at the card and said "I'm familiar with this" and brought me a lovely plate with all kinds of gf food.

NickisDragon · Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 330 Location: S.E. Michigan

Al, I'm always very careful to follow the Taco Bell guidelines and have never had a problem. In terms of sensitivity, I started out with just chronic fatigue and brain fuzz which always heightened immediately after eating. Now I still have chronic fatigue but it's MUCH less and doesn't revolve around food so much. I am anemic, diabetic and arthritic and haven't noticed much of a change there--but it's early in the game. Now that I've been gluten free for a few months the response to getting glutened is almost immediate. Within 20 minutes I'll be in the bathroom for the next day or so. I just today got my enterolab results back--sorry, I don't speak labgab but my gene analysis is HLA-DQB1*0302,0301 and also positive for casein. (Is that something that will be "cured" as a result of staying GF?) I hope so. I'd miss my cheese.
After reading all the other stories, I'm so grateful that my "punishments" are so light. I'm also grateful for all your help. You've been a lifesaver!
_________________
The Love we withhold is the pain that we carry.
Nicki

B-Day: January 18
DX: October 2005

dlp252 · Joined: 23 Dec 2005 Posts: 3

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to this board, I'm glad my first post is a fun one:

1) Sit-down restaurants -- how many times per YEAR? Um, maybe about 10-15 times a year.

2) Fast food -- how many times per YEAR? Probably around 40--I eat at Carls Jr every Saturday with my mom and aunt, lol. They have a great low carb burger.

3) Eating at other people's houses -- THEIR food, not bringing your own -- if you do this, how many times a year? Not very often, even before I was GF. Maybe around 5 times a year max. Now I'll have to be VERY careful though.
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Donna