Gluten-free dining: 5 ways to improve the restaurant experience
Imagine this … you walk into a restaurant ready to enjoy a great meal with friends. As you scan the menu, your mind starts racing and you ask yourself, “What the heck am I going to order here?” Unless you are used to ordering a plain salad with salmon, this scenario is all too real when transitioning to a gluten-free diet (or any selective way of eating).
Here is some good news: while gluten-free dining out may present some challenges at first, it’s easier than you think. Once you eliminate gluten and other processed foods you will start looking and feeling so well that it will stop being a burden and start being easy.
Gluten-free dining guide
1. Choose the right restaurant
This may sound obvious, but start by choosing the right place to dine. While most eateries offer at least a basic garden salad and grilled chicken, it’s a good idea to call ahead and ask for their menu or look at their online menu. Get creative and look at the restaurant’s menu through a flexible lens. If you are invited to a burger joint, you can remove the bun. More important than the menu itself is the chef’s willingness to accommodate, so you might even want to call ahead and explain your food preferences to make sure they can offer options.
2. Plan your meal
Have an idea of what you want to eat before you arrive. Start with your protein and work around that. If I know I want fish, I scan the menu and look for the fish option. Most restaurants post their menu online and it doesn’t take much effort to check it before you go. This way you aren’t left to starve.
3. Embrace limited options
From the second we wake until the time we go to bed for the night, we are forced to make decisions. Once you decide that you are transitioning to a gluten-free lifestyle, your restaurant options are limited. But more isn’t always better. With fewer options, your decision-making process is simplified and you are less likely to overeat or to overstress about the options you have.
4. Remember: When one door closes, another one opens
Once you eliminate the gluten-filled foods and junk, new meal options will magically appear. You may be more inclined to step out of your comfort zone of pasta and burgers and try a crazy salad or chef’s special. The other night there was hardly anything on the menu so we all ordered grilled fish, spinach and asparagus (yeah, even my 6-year-old). If they had burgers or pasta on the menu, I would have had a tougher time getting him to choose something healthy.
5. Tell your server that you are gluten-free and ask questions
Always tell your server that you have Coeliac disease, are gluten intolerant, or are simply avoiding gluten foods. You never know how the chef has prepared a particular meal – restaurant eggs may contain pancake batter to create a fluffy texture, soup may contain a wheat-based thickener, baked potatoes may be coated with flour to create a crispy skin. Telling your waiter or waitress that you are eating gluten-free means they can help you to avoid a potential health problem. Most restaurants will modify a dish to accommodate your preferences.
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More isn’t always better; with fewer options, you are less likely to overeat or to overstress