Eating out Gluten Free
Eating out at a restaurant is so nice to do on occasion. It’s relaxing, gives you an opportunity to talk with your spouse or family, and you can have something you may not otherwise have for dinner. When you must eat gluten free foods, eating out may not be so easy.
Eating gluten free foods at a restaurant can be SCARY because you just never know if you can trust the chef and other employees to do what needs to be done to make sure it’s completely gluten free and not cooked alongside or in something that was also used for a non-gluten free product. While this may be difficult, if you have an understanding of what questions to ask, you’ll feel better about eating at that restaurant.
More and more restaurants are adding gluten free meals to their menu so it’s easier for those that must be careful to have the ability to eat out as well. To find out if your favorite restaurant has this type of menu, I recommend that you call your location. Sometimes what one location does is not the way another location does it, so it’s better to check than to assume and find out after it’s too late that you can’t eat there. You will want to ask specific questions about how they deal with food allergies before you go to the restaurant.
Another way to be certain you can eat at a specific restaurant is to know what they serve; this will help you to plan what you can have before you get there. Eating gluten free foods may not allow you to eat at certain restaurants, but when you look at the menu ahead of time you’ll know for sure.
If you’re uncertain if a meal is gluten free and would have no cross contamination, it is important to ask questions. Make sure that your server knows you have an allergy to gluten (wheat) and make sure they understand that it’s important for you to find meals that in no way contain this item and that no cross-contamination could be possible. When your server and the chef knows your situation, they’ll help you to find a meal that you can have to eat. It is also a good idea to speak to a manager and make them aware of your allergy.
It can seem intimidating to go out to a restaurant when you have a food allergy, and you may feel limited in what you can eat and where you can go to eat. When you’re informed, and when you know what questions to ask, and you know for sure you can have, going out to eat at a restaurant won’t be that intimidating.
What steps do you take to make sure your food is safe when eating out??
Going Gluten Free and Dairy Free on the Allure of the Seas
Curt and I just returned from an amazing trip aboard the Allure of the Seas (the largest cruise ship in
the world!!). It was an incentive trip that I earned through my work as an Independent Sales Consultant and Vice President Sales Leader with Norwex.
I was initially somewhat apprehensive about going on a cruise again. We went last year on a different ship and Curt got pretty bad DH symptoms from cross-contamination with gluten in the various foods. We found out on that trip that the staff would do things like tell him that a pan of bacon was gluten free, and then we would realize days later that they layer bread in the bottom of the meat pans, which results in cross-contamination with the gluten in the bread. I would recommend watching for things like this if you take a cruise.
We did our research prior to the trip. I contacted Royal Caribbean and was told that we could bring our own salad dressing and any non-perishable items such as protein bars. They said that they did supply soy milk for coffee etc., but did not have dairy free butter available. We found individual packets of Walden Farms gluten free dairy free salad dressing through the website http://www.minimus.biz/Gluten-Free.aspx. We also purchased quite a few packets of Justin’s Natural Almond Butter in various flavors from the same website. Curt packed several boxes of his favorite protein and meal bars for times away from the ship when he might not be able to find adequate food.
The first night on the ship, we spoke to our dining room waiter and the head waiter about Curt’s dietary needs. They were very accommodating and took notes. His choice of meal the first night was somewhat limited, but they did have gluten free bread available. He enjoyed having the almond butter to put on it. Before we left the dining room for the evening, the head waiter came to our table and took Curt’s meal order for the following night; carefully pointing out which items could be made gluten and dairy free. He was pleased to have an excellent meal each evening in the dining room. One special touch was that the chef made a special gluten free dessert each night for Curt. We had a few others in our group who were also gluten and dairy free, and this was a nice touch for them.
The Allure of the Seas had many restaurants and cafes. One cafe that we stopped at a few times in 
the evening offered ‘design your own pizza.’ We were pleased to find that they offered gluten free pizza crusts. Curt had several pizzas there (avoiding the cheese of course), until one night we realized that they were using the same spoon to spread sauce on both gluten containing and gluten-free pizza crusts. That was the one ‘fail’ we noticed with regard to cross-contamination on the ship. They were careful to cut it on a separate cutting board with a clean knife.
The lunchtime favorite for our group was the Park Cafe. They had a salad line where employees would create a special salad and toss it, putting in as many of the ingredients as you would like. Curt found many options that were gluten and dairy free. The Park Cafe also had some delicious roast beef available at a carving station, and plenty of fresh fruit. For those of us that can enjoy gluten, they also had delicious pastries and desserts.
The Windjammer Cafe offered some gluten free items, but we found that it wasn’t consistent from day to day. The staff were willing to toast some gluten free bread for Curt each morning, and they did point out which eggs, meat and potatoes were gluten free. The biggest risk at the Windjammer was the issue of cross contamination from other guests.
All things said, we were very pleased with Royal Caribbean’s attempts to accommodate a serious 
food allergy. The staff was friendly and eager to assist. Now…for one last picture of us dressed up on the first “formal night.”
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy your travels, and I would love to hear any good tips for traveling gluten free and dairy free!
~ Suzanne
How to Maintain Healthy Eating While Traveling
It’s the time of year when spring break and summer travel plans are being made. You might be flying to grandma’s house or to the beach for a week. Maybe you are planning a two week family road trip to the mountains this summer or a getaway to a north woods lodge.
Traveling upsets our schedules enough, especially when traveling with children. How does one maintain a healthy level of eating while traveling to and fro? Don’t road trips mean stopping at all the local dives and doesn’t flying mean eating whatever is served you on the plane?
Instead of packing the cooler full of the junk food on sale in bulk at the big box grocery store, think about how you want to feel while traveling and how you might feed yourself to get there. If you know you’ll be spending hours (or goodness knows, perhaps days) in the car, it’s important to keep your digestion in sync with a normal day. That might be tough to come by considering your body will not be moving-at all.
For road trips and travelling by car, stocking your cooler with premade sandwiches or mini homemade “lunchables” such as crackers, cheese, grapes, grape tomatoes and a little dip are easy to pull off when you purchase the lunch containers with all of the slots such as bento boxes or the ones made by large retailers for food storage. Single serve yogurt containers go over well, especially when kids have small lap desks to rest them on. Or make your own with yogurt and a spoonful of fruit jam or compote at the bottom in a small clear mason jar. It’s both a delight to the eye and to the belly when sprinkled with a small handful of granola, which could also be packed in a mason jar. Milk, juice or rice milk now comes in small juice box sized containers and everyone should have their own designated water bottle for the trip. Purchasing water by the gallon or having a large water cooler in the back will assure everyone has fresh water to drink (and it’s available for the cleanup that may need to happen along the way). Sliced veggies such as carrots, jicama and celery make for easy munching, as well as nitrate free deli meats.
Think about the activities you’re hoping to take on once you reach your destination. Are you up for adventure such as hiking and camping, or are you going to snooze on a beach and take a leisurely walk in the afternoons? What you eat will affect how you feel, and with liquor and soda being the only items stocked in that hotel refrigerator of yours, you’ll want to have exactly what you desire packed with you.
If you’re traveling with kids, specifically in a hotel, you may pack your favorite dry goods, such as gluten free crackers, rice cakes, cereals or protein powder to make your own quick shakes. If you’re flying and staying in a hotel, chances are you will have a rental car. As in the example above where you’ve driven your car, having mobility is a huge bonus. Find the nearest grocery store and stock up on what you need. Keeping yogurt and pre-sliced fruits and vegetables in your mini fridge is easy. You can even request an extra mini fridge, which hotels are great about, especially when traveling with children. Purchasing simple sandwich making materials is easy as well and doesn’t take up much room, considering the loaf of bread doesn’t need to stay cool. Purchase only goodies you’ll need for around two days at a time. Between munching in between meals or taking little picnics to the beach, you will dine out once or twice per day, so you’ll also save money on the third meal by taking it on the go or crashing in your room.
If you’re flying to a destination, renting a car and staying in a condo, you could grocery shop (with meals planned ahead of time for quick shopping and saving money ) for the entire stay in one fell swoop and visit the local market for fresh fruits and veggies as needed. This allows you the ultimate flexibility, then dining out becomes a treat that happens when you feel like it versus it being the only option for a full meal.
Mostly what eating healthy while traveling takes is a little more organization and planning. There are healthy alternatives to grabbing a quick fix, though it’s not at every intersection that you see a fresh smoothie joint or a gluten free bakery. If in a pinch, while putting gas in your car, grab a stick of cheese or a container of yogurt and a protein bar to buy you a bit of time. Considering you could grab a back of Cheetos and a package of Nerds with a soda, the first option is just as easy and will have you feeling better in the long run, making your travels more enjoyable.