Off the Menu: Panera

GLUTEN FREE LIST - Panera Bread **





**Although we try to meet your special requirements, we cannot ensure that these 


items have not come into contact with gluten in our bakery-café.





** Gorgonzola and bleu cheeses are commonly made with mold incubated on wheat.  


Some may choose to avoid these cheeses for this reason and you may substitute 


another cheese if you prefer. Items containing these ingredients are indicated 


below with (G) or (BC).





Salads:    (including the salad dressing)


(source of modified food starch is corn) 


Greek Salad 


Caesar Salad (without croutons) 


Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (without croutons) 


Mediterranean Salmon Salad


Salmon Caesar Salad (without croutons)


Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (without Won Ton noodles) 


Classic Cafe Salad 


Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Salad (without croutons)*


Strawberry Poppyseed Salad 


Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken 


Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (G) 


Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad (G)


Chopped Chicken Cobb Salad (G)


BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad


Fruit Cup: All watermelon


Mixed Fruit Cup: with watermelon, cantaloupe, red seedless grapes, and 


strawberry.








Soups:


Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean


Creamy Tomato (without croutons)


Summer Corn Chowder


Low-Fat Chicken Tortilla Soup





Salad Dressings:


Balsamic Vinaigrette


Caesar


Greek


Poppyseed


Asian Sesame Vinaigrette


White Balsamic Vinaigrette


Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette





BBQ Ranch





Beverages:


Coffee


Juice, both apple and orange


Lemonade


Milk


Soda, fountain and bottled


Tea, regular and Chai Tea


All lattes & Frozen beverages


Strawberry Smoothie


Strawberry Lemonade


Hot Chocolate


Pumpkin Spice Latte 


Gingerbread Latte





Panera Bread Potato Chips

Is every meal out the last one?

I've been having a hard time handling my emotions toward food. I've gained a couple pounds and am at a higher weight than I have been for years. Looking back and consulting my trusted sources I realize that whenever I eat out I feel like it'll be my last meal.

Before I knew what I could eat, and where, I obsessed over finding tasty meals that were in line with my special dietary needs. Would I be able to eat this again? I found myself ordering the most enticing item on the gluten-free menu and eating all of it. NowI know there are multiple restaurants that cater to my diet, and they aren't inconvenient, but still have not convinced myself that I may not find a tasty meal ever again.

This is not something I've ever thought about or dealt with. Normally I can eat healthy and know that if I want to splurge one day during the week that I can...but now I feel as if I don't have that kind of control because I'd have to find the place, find a person to join me and worry about their willingness to eat where I can...it's tiring and makes me feel like a burden.

Now that I am aware of why I've been splurging more than normal I've been able to identify these situations...which is always the first step on the path of change. I'm sick of being a couple pounds over my normal weight but also sick of this disease. There are so many days I want to pick up a Lean Cuisine and know that I'm having a low calorie meal that I can afford and enjoy at the same time...and NOT get sick.

I just wish upon myself the strength to make good decisions and understand that no meal is the end and there are more to come in the future. I have a great support system that fully understands my Celiac and will help me through the physical and mental challenges I face.

Off the Menu: Pluckers

Wednesday night trivia at Pluckers was great! Plus they have a whole gluten-free menu. I can't find it online so I took some pictures so I could have it and share it with you all:

Wings - Gluten-Free Sauces:
Spicy BBQ
Dr. Pepper
Jamaican Jerk
Honey BBQ
Buffalo Medium
Fire in the Hole
Ranch
Goldrush
Cajun
Spicy Ranch
Buffalo Mild
Buffalo Hot

Burgers, Sandwiches and Tenders (Obviously w/out bun)
The Bypass Burger
Chicken Club
Honey BBQ Burger
The Larry Bird
The Boring Burger
Naked Boneless Wings

Sides
Plain Corn on the Cob (no cajun)
Side Salad
Side Caesar Salad


Salads
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad
Honey BBQ Chicken Chop
Grilled Chicken Garden Salad

Gluten-Free Holiday Treats

So, I've been tempted by more holiday treats than I thought I'd be able to indulge in this holiday season. I've baked (just 2 things), talked to various individuals and snacked on multiple types of candy.

I learned that Namaste brownies are AWESOME and taste exactly the same. Just in case they were not going to I did add a package of Nestle milk chocolate chips. I took them to our holiday party for MyEdu and they went before I even got one...and no one knew!

As far as cookies I've made the Red Mill Foods chocolate chip cookies (texture was closer to an oatmeal cookie) and one of my fellow DG's told me their brand has good baked goods across the board.

Finally...candy. Candy canes are fine, so is chocolate as long as it doesn't have a filler or crunchy in it (peanut and other nuts are fine). As I said, for Thanksgiving I had a Hershey bar for desert but now I know I can enjoy a Christmas themed candy selection :)

If any of my readers have other suggestions please comment!

I made it through Thanksgiving!

Okay, Thanksgiving is of course a holiday centered around FOOD. It was my first real holiday since being diagnosed so I was feeling a little down about the whole thing. I knew that I could eat most Thanksgiving food...BUT only if it was modified with all of the special ingredients that I can have. Therefore, I didn't want to put anyone out or their family for that matter because let's face it, having me sit next to the cooks all day watching over their shoulders is not anyone's idea of a relaxing holiday.

My parents came in town the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and my mom as wonderful as she is went ahead and cooked a gluten-free turkey in the oven while I was at work on Wednesday, yay! Just so everyone knows, most turkeys in the grocery store are not gluten-free because of the additives, etc. that are in them...but there are certain brands such as Perdue, Jennie-O, Applegate Farms and Boar's Head that are safe to eat. She could only find about a 5 lb. turkey that was gluten-free at HEB but that was plenty!

So, now I had my tupperware of turkey and an invite to my friend Katherine's family's home. I was so excited to spend the day with a family but at the same time still trying to think ahead of what I could eat and how I could stay out of the way. I ended up finding some microwave mashed potatoes at the store as well so I brought those with me. And...don't forget there is always wine.

Of course, with a holiday of 20 people it is chaos anyway, but they were so accomadating of my special meal. Everyone asked me what snacks I could have (cheese) and if I needed anything to prepare my dish. I was able to safely and quickly microwave my turkey and mashed potatoes and plate them just in time for the toasts. I finished off the meal with a Hershey chocolate bar (no pie or cookies for me). Still sounds a little sad but it was amazing to not feel left out on such a family-oriented and traditional holiday.

The day is over now and I've overcome the worry of my first big holiday. Next comes Christmas with the cookies, parties and big meals...I'm working on my cooler list now :)

Off the Menu: P. Terry's

I reached out to P. Terry's to find out if anything what I could eat there (I know they offer burgers in lettuce wraps) and I received the following email from Patrick Terry himself!

Hi Jaime,

You can get a bunless burger and you can also bring in your own bun and we will toast and prepare it with your burger. Our meat is gluten free as well as our fries. I believe our cheese is gluten free (We use Land o Lakes) but researching the web it sounded like a lawyer’s response which always makes me worry.  Everything else should be ok. I hope this helps and I’m sorry that the response took so long to get to you.

Regards,

Patrick Terry

Off the Menu: Benihana

To a Celiac, a place where all of the food is cooked on one big griddle, with soy sauce and multiple courses sounds like a disaster...BUT Benihana was even more accommodating than I thought they could be. It was Mike's birthday and that is his ideal birthday spot - how could it not be? Entertainment AND great food all in one place. I wanted to make sure that we could go there and I could order something so I called ahead of time.

Without even needing to consult the kitchen staff, the hostess had all of the answers. She said that even if we had a big group they would be able to cook all of my food first after the hibachi had been cleaned so that there was no mixing of ingredients. On top of that she mentioned that if I brought my own soy sauce (they have g-free tamari at Whole Foods) that they could use it to cook with and everything would hardly need any substitutions. WHOO.

I learned that they could make almost all dishes on their menu (http://www.benihana.com/menu/teppanyaki) g-free and that all of the chefs were familiar with the special diet. What a relief, I ended up ordering:

No soup - although I could have without the crunchies in the onion soup
Salad - brought my own little dressing packet
All veggies included were fine (olive oil was used to cook)
Fried rice using the G-free soy sauce
Hibachi Chicken (no substitutions needed!)
Strawberry ice cream (for the birthday boy!)

It sounds like a lot but it was wonderful to have such variety in one meal. If you need or want to eat gluten-free this is probably not your first instinct for Asian food but it was great and I would definitely suggest it.

Thundercloud Subs Releases G-Free Bread

So...they haven't been doing much publicity about this, but through an email with Thundercloud Subs they informed me that this Wednesday they are introducing the gluten-free sub bread at their Lake Austin location ONLY.

The address is:
2308 Lake Austin Blvd.
512.479-0440 Mon-Fri 10a-9:30p, Sat 10:30a-9:30p, Sun 11a-8:30p

I personally am thrilled because it is fast, and that is hard to come by.

Flu Season :(

I completely jinxed myself and said that I haven't taken a sick day from work in 2 years...well I still haven't taken a sick day but the flu has definitely gotten to me. I hate to say it, but I still prefer this over the flu shot...although that is not the point of my post today :)

On the right hand side of my blog I have a link to menus - well this includes a "drug menu" for occasions just like this. Although, drugs aren't the only thing you need when you are sick; you also need warm and cold comfort food to take the aches and pains away. I have now come up with a complete 24-hour concoction of medicines, etc. to make me feel better, ALL gluten-free:

DayQuil and NyQuil around the clock - thank goodness
VapoRub
Halls Cough Drops
Hot Lemon Tea
Amy's Rice Mac 'n' Cheese
McDonalds Triple Thick Milkshakes and Wendy's Frostys (I know!!! awesome!!)
Boston Market Mashed Potatoes (I think there are others but haven't found any fast ones yet) - and Whole Foods mashed potatoes ready-to-go
Raspberries (well all fruit)
** Please note  I WAS WRONG Emergen-C is gluten-free, yay!
So, it is possible to be sick and not completely miserable in more ways than one. I'm very much hoping that I feel better ASAP. I think it's time for another dose of DayQuil....

Three months and public outings are still enemy #1!

So, this post is kind of a downer, but for anyone who reads along and is going through a similar situation maybe it'll help you realize that you aren't alone feeling this way!

From the beginning the hardest thing for me has been going out for the day in public places. It forces me to get outside of my comfort zone and live with the uncertainty of when and what I will eat next. I've done my best in situations where I've prepared ahead of time, for example, bringing my own food to ACL and for out of town gymnastics judging trips, but others such as festivals and tailgating for games are another story. Unfortunately, this preparedness also only solves one of the problems...the food, the other is my feelings and frustrations and those continue to be very present.

I love all of my friends and want to say yes to all social events, but it is very hard to do so when I know it will be a mental challenge for me to be around them in a setting where food is the center of attention. For example, last night we went to Wurstfest. Alea and Brett rented a van that was leaving Austin at 3pm and returning around 10pm - to someone who constantly must think ahead this makes you feel quite trapped!!

Anyway, I came prepared with some snacks, but there was no way to heat anything up, so dinner was kind of a bust. Wurstfest, for those of you who aren't familiar, is a festival celebrating German food and drink (beer). Everyone was eating brats, snacks, fried foods, etc. none of which were safe for me. I hate being a downer in front of my friends so I put on a brave face, but when everyone is enjoying their yummy food it's very hard!! I struggle with the balance between wanting to have fun with my friends and do what's best for myself. I will admit it HAS gotten easier but is still not comfortable.

So, I share this because it's been over 3 months and this is the very hardest thing about my lifestyle change to gluten-free so far. Other Celiac friends please let me know if you have any other hints as to how to make this easier!!! To all MY friends, please know that I'm doing my best and don't be offended if I say no to attending the next food festival :)

Gluten-Free Living Seminar - Saturday November 13th

The Natural Grocers (a grocery store with 2 locations in Austin/newest one just opened in the Shops at Arbor Walk in the Arboretum) offers classes and includes interesting articles in the Sunday paper.  You can go online and check it out(www.naturalspeakers.com) but there is a Healthy Gluten -Free Living seminar on November 13th at 11a.m at the Guadalupe location - 3901 Guadalupe Street.  It is presented by Trevida Trevino, BSNF, Nutritional health coach.  She is going to talk about the basics for the healthiest approach to gluten free living including meal planning, shopping tips and dietary supplements for nutritional support.  There will be a complimentary gluten free health fair that will accompany the seminar as well as free samples and door prizes! 


For anyone who is interested I'll be there!

Bad Luck w/Gluten Yesterday

So, rarely do I eat out twice in one day, but yesterday was an exception. For lunch my co-worker and I went to Mama Fu's, who has a fantastic and large gluten-free menu. Unfortunately, about a half hour after dining I spent quite awhile in the restroom at work (2 hours or so). Something got into my dish and it was not pleasant - I sent them an email to let them know to be more careful but haven't heard back yet...

Second instance: I finished and submitted my MBA application last night so I decided to go get my favorite pasta from The Grove, only to get home and see that there are 2 slices of bread right on top of my gluten-free dish, duh!! I emailed them as well and got a great response from their staff:

Hi Jaime,

Please accept our apology for the bread on your Gluten Free pasta.  It's frustrating to hear we would make such a simple mistake.  We'll make your email an item in our staff meeting today so that we can do a refresher on GF policy.  It may have been just a thoughtless mistake, but we'll take advantage of the opportunity to make sure everyone is aware of the seriousness it requires. 

If you are willing to provide an address I would like to offer a gift certificate to help cover the cost of another pasta dish the next time you come in.  We really do care about our GF guests and we would like to try and make things right when given the opportunity. 

Sincerely,

Matt Berendt

Managing Partner

The Grove Wine Bar / Lola Savannah Coffee Lounge

512-327-8822

P.S. Have you tried our new GF Penne Pasta(the noodle, not the dish)?  I think it's the best one we've found yet.  Nearly indistinguishable from regular pasta.  Took us a long time to find, but we're very happy with it:-).

I hope to continue alerting companies to any mistakes and hope that I can help others avoid the same!

My Favorite Appliance - The Microwave

So, I have been gluten-free for almost three months now and have been determined from the beginning to find some items that I am able to microwave. Now please note - for the most part these items are not labeled as "gluten-free" because most of those meals tend to turn to mush in the microwave and everything has the texture of something whipped up in the blender (follow the oven instructions).

However, I have found a few choice items (I'll warn you it is a FEW) that can be quickly and easily microwaved, and I have come to eat these things more often than I'd like to admit.

These include:

- Thai Kitchen 'Take-Out' Meals - there are 3 flavors that are labeled as gluten free, they are the Pad Thai, Thai Basil and Chili and the Ginger and Sweet Chili. These are awesome!
- Amy's Frozen Rice Macaroni and Cheese
- Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage Patties (check the label there are multiple) - I have now used these in breakfast tacos and as the meat for my marinara sauce

** I forgot one in the first post: Ian's Wafflewich breakfast sandwiches, yumm

Some items which you CAN microwave, but as I said earlier taste a little funky and I wouldn't recommend it:

- Ian's french fries and turkey corn dogs
- Any gluten-free frozen pizza (personal size)
- Chicken Nuggets (covered with non-wheat breadcrumbs)
- Van's waffles

I'll keep looking, as I said 3 months and just a few items - my mission continues. Let me know if you find something that has microwave directions and is g-free!!

Dear Restaurants

Dear Restaurants,

Please note that those of you who have a gluten-free menu - you are awesome. Taking the extra time to cater to those patrons who have a hard time finding tasty food is much appreciated and trust me I have gone out of my way to promote you to everyone I know (as well as eat at your establishment very often).

For those restaurants without a gluten-free menu, a solid email response with menu items that are safe for me to eat is so helpful and I thank YOU as well. The problem I have is when restaurants respond to my email inquiry with the following, "hello we will cater to your every need with your dinner choices and can substitute side dishes that will be gluten free. just let your server know and we will take care of it."

This is not okay. First of all, I'm very concerned about the risk of eating something, so when you are leaving the responsibility in the hands of a random waiter (who probably doesn't not care at all if I spend the next 48 hours in the bathroom) it worries me. Secondly, without any specific menu items listed it makes me think that I will starve if I come to your establishment so I'm going to eat beforehand and not give you my business. All you have to do is take a couple of minutes, sit down with the kitchen manager and give me one or two dishes that I can ask for specifically.

With the instances of Celiac Disease and other food allergies growing all of the time, it is worth knowing these details for your own menu...for the health of your business and your customers. Please, please, please throw me a bone here and give me some help. I only write this to help you!

In a city such as Austin where we are way ahead of the curve when it comes to specific diets and eating habits you would benefit greatly. Thanks for listening and good luck working on your g-free menus :)

Jaime

ACL Weekend

So, the great staff with ACL returned by email within an hour to let me know that with a doctor's note I would have permission to bring my own food into the festival (NOT allowed otherwise). Therefore, I packed up a small cooler and hauled it in my backpack. The first two days I didn't get more than a second look when presenting my note, but the third day I got a novice bag checker who was a little more difficult...luckily security was on my side!

Friday - took with me some chicken salad from Snap Kitchen, carrots and hummus and almonds - this was a good amount of food (although I probably should've filled my stomach with more of it)

Saturday - I was not smart - I assumed I'd be okay with just craisins and some nuts and granola bars, I was not and starving by the end of the night, I left a little early to order the gluten-free pizza from Austin's pizza to eat

Sunday - took a mental note from Saturday and decided to bring some wrap fixings, came in with grapes, cheese, honey ham and corn tortillas - this was a fantastic idea

I will now be prepared for any future festivals, concerts and the like...so thanks ACL for a cooperative team and a great weekend filled with music!!

Celiac Blood Panel Results = SUCCESS!

So, I just finally got the details of my blood test back - I had known that it went down but didn't know about the numbers until going into the gastroenterologist today. So, there is one specific level that shows the levels of gluten the ranges are as follows:

0-4 Negative (Good)
4-10 Weak Positive (OK)
>10 Positive (Bad)

When I started I was at 39.2 (WHOA) and today I was at 7!! My diet is working, good thing I'm diligent :)

Off the Menu: Vivo's

Can you tell I like Tex-Mex? The truth is I've found that it is generally the best type of food for Celiac's. Although the options vary by restaurant you can almost always find something to eat that is tasty!

Vivo's has two locations and it is great for dates, birthdays and special occasions. They give each girl who dines a rose! We are heading there for my friend Melissa's birthday so I reached out to their management to get a list of safe foods, here is what I received back:


http://www.vivo-austin.com/menu1.html - Full Menu - Use to look up dishes

Verde Enchiladas
Taco Salad w/out Tortilla Strips
Fiesta Salad
Tortilla Soup w/out Tortilla Strips
Steak Jalisco
Pollo Vivo
Rice & Beans


Can't wait to celebrate!

8 weeks down...forever to go...

So, it's been 8 weeks since I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease - just as a reminder to all of my readers that means no wheat, rye, barley, oats or any derivatives of those ingredients. To prepare for my 8 week appointment I had to get blood drawn to measure my levels and see how I'm doing...according to the doctor they have definitely gone down but are still inflated :(

After some research I learned that most doctors don't test until it has been 6 months because it takes that long to really bring the levels of gluten in my system down. I did learn that my next blood test won't be until 6 months, phew. For anyone who doesn't know I am VERY phobic of needles and it is always a production to get blood drawn/shots, etc.

I have decided that I officially need to start vitamins. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I have had some absentmindedness and eye twitching. I learned that the absentmindedness comes down to a lack of some essential B vitamins while the eye twitching is a lack of magnesium which is unfortunately found mainly in seafood and wheat products (figures). My mom has ordered me a gluten-free vitamin through Shaklee so I'll let you know in a couple weeks if I think it's working!!

To summarize, all of the research I've been doing has paid off because my body is responding positively. Hopefully I can keep it up :)

Off the Menu: Chuy's

I figured since Uncle Billy's, Chuy's and Hula Hut are all under the same company that they would have a gluten-free menu, but it cannot be found online! Here is what they sent me:

Appetizers:
Guacamole, no chips, sub corn tortillas
Cheese Quesadillas, sub corn tortillas

Salads:
Mexi-Cobb Salad, no meat
Large Dinner Salad
** Dressing: Cilantro Vinaigrette

Sides:
Corn, Blue Corn Tortillas

Tacos:
Guacamole Soft Tacos, sub corn tortillas, no rice

Enchiladas:
Veggie Enchiladas, no sauce, no rice

Combinations:
#3 Taco & Enchilada, sub guacamole soft taco on corn tortilla, with Veggie Enchilada, no sauce, no rice

As you can see...pretty boring - can't have any meat, sauce or rice...for Mexican food the way to go is definitely Trudy's, Iron Cactus or Cantina Laredo!!

CNN giving Celiac's Disease some face time...

Read below - good article about the prevalence of Celiac's. For those of you who need a quick overview or for the gluten-free followers who are interested in following disease progression this is a must read!

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/28/celiac-disease-cases-doubling-every-15-years/

The rate of celiac disease is growing and the onset of gluten intolerance can occur in older people, a study in the Annals of Medicine found.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, triggered by eating the protein gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye.  People with celiac disease cannot tolerate foods containing gluten and can experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage and other complications.

Researchers from the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and their colleagues found that the incidence of celiac disease has doubled every 15 years since 1974.

Blood samples from more than 3,500 adults showed that the number of people with blood markers for celiac disease rose from one in 501 in 1974 to one in 219 in 1989, according to the study.

The study detected a rising prevalence in celiac disease as the study participants aged - and two of them developed celiac disease in their late 60s. 

"We provide evidence that [celiac disease] autoimmunity may develop at any age, even in the elderly," the authors concluded. "The sharp increase of CD prevalence observed in the US between the time window investigated in this study (1974 – 1989) and current time was apparently related to an increasing number of subjects that, in their adulthood, lost the immunological tolerance to gluten. The reasons for these changes are not clear but should be investigated among the many environmental factors favoring CD."

The findings challenge the frequently held notion that the disorder develops during childhood. “This increase was due to an increasing number of subjects that lost the immunological tolerance to gluten in their adulthood,” researchers wrote.  The cause remains unclear.

The rate of the autoimmune disorder in the United States was estimated in a 2003 study to be  one in 133.

Review: Wildwood Art Cafe

So, basically I think the huge draw to this place is that you know it's safe and they do a LOT of marketing to gluten-free customers. I feel like a lack of marketing is the problem for most Celiac's because restaurants who do cater are hard to find online (where most of us gather information). Anyway, I wanted to try it out because I'd been hearing rave reviews.

I'll give them credit, they definitely have the sweets if you don't want to make them yourself and they do make full cakes for birthdays and parties...but the regular menu for lunch is nothing to get excited about. I personally just wanted to order a sandwich that someone else made (I miss Subway and Schlotzskys), but was less than impressed.

The sides were fairly typical, fruit and chips, but the meal itself was nothing to write home about, and the rest of my group agreed as well. I appreciate the effort to be a completely safe environment but mix it up and use some seasoning!! If you are new to Celiac's or gluten-free eating you will probably try it anyway because you hear about it so often...but I give it a C+ and definitely prefer other locations with g-free menus.

Menu:
http://www.wildwoodartcafe.com/cafe.php

Top 5 G-Free Menus

So I eat out fairly frequently and I have found that there are about 5 places that I prefer to go because the menus are just that extensive and tasty. I figured I would share them with you here...

1.) Brick Oven (of course)
2.) Trudy's (the chips AND queso are g-free)
3.) P.F. Changs (Spicy Chicken)
4.) Hyde Park Grill (umm...all I have to say is french fries)
5.) Chili's (it sounds lame but its got variety)

Off the Menu: Uncle Billy's BBQ

Okay, so I'm not a huge BBQ fan, but Uncle Billy's is convenient, has good happy hour and is honestly very "Austin" so of course I have been invited to dine there since my diagnosis. Thanks to Charles Dowd the Kitchen Manager for sending me this helpful information:

Our menu does have a number of items that are glutten free, and a few that you would need to stay away from at all costs. Make sure you tell the waiter about your g-free and they will relay this information to the kitchen.

Gluten-Free Sides

Potato Salad

Cole Slaw

Green Beans

Chili

Gluten-Free Meats (NO BBQ Sauce - it contains soy)

Habenero Sauce is OKAY

Brisket 

Chicken

Ribs

Turkey

Gluten-Free Appetizers

Wings with either buffalo sauce or sauceless

STAY AWAY

Sausage

Pulled Pork

Chopped Beef

BBQ Sauce

Mac N Cheese

Cream Corn

Baked Beans

Carrots

Fries (not flour dredged but have no guarantees)

Hope this helps some of you meat-eaters!!

G-Free OUT of the City

I travel a lot, whether it be for pleasure or work, and I have found that this is the #1 hardest thing about eating gluten-free. Here in Austin I have numerous menus to choose from and know where everything is and whether or not it is safe for me, however when I travel this all goes out the window.

There are tools out there, don't get me wrong. But I've found that I tend to starve because it is difficult to not only find these places but know where you are in a city that is unfamiliar to you. UrbanSpoon and Gluten-free registry will give you options but you have to know what neighborhood you are in, etc. On top of that if you are traveling with other people it becomes an even bigger decision because a group is involved and they are short on time and patience.

For those of you who are familiar with the city you are going to try www.urbanspoon.com and go to gluten-free friendly in the "special options" - be aware that these may not have g-free menus. Also, gluten-free registry and Yelp are helpful.

My solution for this is to just bring my own food. There are a couple places here in ATX that are perfect for getting these meals to go (just make sure you have a cooler!) They are REALLY tasty (I'm not just saying that) and there are options for all meals of the day, even for us picky eaters.

Snap Kitchen

http://www.snapkitchen.com/index.php/menu/gluten_free/

Best Meals:

Spinach and goat cheese scramble

Curry chicken salad

Spaghetti w/ bolognese

Turkey meatloaf

Turkey chili

Mel's Meals (not as much variety)

http://www.tastyhealthymeals.com/categories/All-Lunch-%26-Dinners/Gluten-Free/

Best Meals:

Apricot stuffed pork loin

Chicken salad w/grapes

Southwest chicken frittata

Turkey scramble

Other great travel goods...

Nuts

Kind bars

Suckers (Blow-Pops specifically are good and g-free)

All of these meals last about 3-4 days, can be microwaved in just a couple minutes and are great nutritionally. Enjoy and don't forget that if you WANT to eat take it with you!

Off the Menu: Trudy's

So, I'm heading to Trudy's tonight for dinner with some friends and they don't have a gluten-free menu online. I submitted a feedback form to get some more information and they got it back to me within a couple hours...awesome! I received the following VERY HELPFUL information from Mike Jackson, thanks Mike!

Here is a list of menu items that our gluten allergic guests have had success with eating at Trudy’s.  Unfortunately, we can not guarantee that any food item we serve is100% gluten free.  We do our best to avoid any issues with these items but due to the large number of products we carry, there is no 100% guarantee

• all salsas
• Queso
• chips
• All enchiladas with any filler (see notes below about fajita meat)
• Homemade corn tortillas
• any tacos, no FT (flour-tortilla)
• guacamole
• queso especial
• nachos
• dinner salad
• migas, no FT

Breakfast

• Motulenos
• All breakfast tacos no FT
• migas enchiladas
• dave omelet
• jalapeno & poblano omelet
• chilaquiles
• estufato

Other Items that contain small amounts of gluten but have worked out well for gluten sensitive customers in the past:

• fajita dinners, no FT
• migas and fajitas
• ciro's special
• chicken chipotle
• mixed grill
• fajita omelets

***the 6 items above all contain fajita meat.  Trudy’s fajita marinade has a small amount of soy sauce in it.  During the cooking process, the majority of the soy is cooked off and our gluten sensitive customers have had no reported issues eating the above in the past 5 years.  However, these particular items are NOT 100% gluten free due to the fajita marinade so any extreme gluten allergic or sensitive people may want to go with other items that do not come with fajita meat.  

I look forward to having a very full and tasty meal tonight, whoo!

Off the Menu: Third Base Sports Bar

For those of you who love to watch football (or any other sport) out with the fans...I suggest Third Base. One of their managers has family members with Celiac's so he was very helpful when I emailed asking for suggestions...thanks Ben!

Appetizers
Chips and queso/salsa/guacamole
Chicken Diablos
Chicken Kabobs
Nachos

Soups and Salads
All salads with the exception of the spinach and goat cheese (goat cheese is crusted in bread crumbs before it is cooked)

Tortilla Soup


Entrees
Buffalo wings in all flavors (except teriyaki because it contains soy sauce)

Any of the 4 varieties of tacos when ordered on Corn tortillas
- Tuna
- Spicy BBQ Chicken
- Tilapia
- Grilled Shrimp

West 6th Steak
Back wrapped in pork loin (change the side from mac n cheese to a salad or potato item)
Tilapia Veracruz

Modified
All sandwiches without the bun

Enjoy and hook 'em!

Status Update: 6 Weeks G-Free

Okay, so it's been 6-weeks of gluten-free eating and I've noticed some very specific things...

Good:

• Lower anxiety
• No more stomach aches
• Nausea is gone
• Never feeling full (that's what happens with mainly proteins, fruits and veggies)
• Less joint pain

Bad: Please note, I have a doctor's appointment in 2 weeks and will report back what she tells me. I have a feeling that some of these things have to do with an adjustment to the new vitamins and nutrients that I'm getting and from taking away some that I was used to.

• Eyes are twitching (?)
• Absentmindedness - I've been just completely oblivious to some very obvious things!
• Less energy when it comes to working out (not used to having fewer carbs)

The thing is that I know she'll tell me to take a multivitamin and everything will even out. The problem is that I'm already trying to work out what to eat, where to eat and how to cook so I don't have the time or energy to think about eating when I need to take my vitamin and remembering another pill...that will come with time.

Suprise! Ingredients I NEVER would've guessed have gluten....

Okay, so new Celiacs know the basics...no wheat, rye, barley or oats...but I found out that the American processing companies are out to get us and they use so many ingredients that are tricky! No wonder our sensitivity to gluten is getting worse and worse.

Please understand that 40% of Americans carry the gene for Celiac's Disease but it takes an event, sickness or lifestyle change to kick it into gear, but once you know you have to stay on the strict diet because your intolerance continues to rise.

Here they are:
Soy Sauce (bring your own if you go for sushi, etc.)
Worcester Sauce (includes soy sauce - as do a number of Asian sauces) 
Maltodextrin (this is in almost everything with seasoning that is processed)
Distilled vinegar (had no idea)
Malt (derivative of barley)
"Moldy" cheeses (including blue cheese and Gorgonzola)
Anything that has -glu in the name except for glucose (it is not the same as gluten)

Good luck and read the labels, there are NO assumptions or generalizations. One brand could be fine and another give you quite a problem the next day. Glad I figured this out prior to that happening...

G-Free Birthday Spot - Brick Oven on Brodie

So, if nothing else, on my birthday I want a HUGE unhealthy meal with a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio to wash it down. When I found out I couldn't eat my favorite food, Italian, I was crushed (that is an understatement). I was determined to find Italian food in this city that I could eat AND tasted good. Here are my rankings...

1. Brick Oven - Brodie Lane - the general manager is a Celiac and they have mirrored their ENTIRE menu (minus 1-2 items) in gluten-free form. If you know anything, this is a feat, especially since they have a separate kitchen which avoids cross-contamination. When I say everything I mean pizza, pastas, sandwiches, salads and desserts! Here I come 27 :)
2. The Grove - 360 and Bee Cave - okay although this is called The Grove wine bar I have to admit that it's more Italian than anything else. They not only make all but a few pizzas g-free but also their pastas. They have g-free crackers if you want cheese...and of course a fantastic wine selection.
3. Austin's Pizza - The pizza is great AND their BBQ and hot wings are also g-free. Great for delivery and drunk eating (think after a long day of tailgating and football)

I've heard a couple other options in Romeo's and Southside Flying Pizza but don't have a personal opinion - so watch out!

It's Easier NOT to Eat

Six weeks ago I was eating Lean Cuisine's for 2/3 meals a day and counting on Starbucks reduced-fat very berry coffee cake for breakfast. That all changed when my doctor FINALLY diagnosed all of my symptoms as Celiac's Disease. What was I going to do??! Not eat? That seemed like the best option...but being the Type A personality that I am I decided to hit the web.

To give a little back story, I'd been having symptoms such as severe stomach aches, fatigue, nausea, headaches...the works really. After ruling out ulcers, gall bladder diease, thyroid, pancreas and liver disfunction and even cancer (phew) my biopsy showed possible Celiac Disease. After a very simple blood test (I have a VERY strong phobia against needles so no blood work is simple) it was official, that was my future.

I learned that I had to stop eating gluten right away, and that I wouldn't be able to eat it the rest of  my life or I could get a plethora of diseases ranging from cancer to infertility...the doctor definitely instilled the fear in me. So...the easiest place to start was Google, but I found that my odd eating habits did not = the pages of recipes (I can cook spaghetti?) and the fact that I don't eat beef or seafood really put in a tough spot.

For all of the picky eaters out there, and those who just want to feel better (I'm still skeptical), I wanted to start this blog and share everything I've learned from not only the chain restaurants but the local restaurants in Austin that offer gluten-free and are very helpful when you show up to eat there. I'm a fitness buff on top of it so I'll share how my diet changes have changed my body and its reactions to working out.

Enjoy and I hope this helps Celiac's both new and old!!