A Little History - My Celiac Disease Diagnosis

Thank you so much for posting this site. I haven't been diagnosed with Celiac disease yet but they are trying to find out the cheap way without the tests. But they have me on a gluten-free diet now and I have no clue what I can eat. This site will greatly help me on my search for foods that I can and can't eat. Thank you so much. I am a 31 year old female who has had medical problems my whole life and now (due to the long and dragged out process of being turned from one doc to the next) have mental issues as well. I am waiting on a disability hearing and had lost all hope of ever getting better but now I have a little help thank you.

Frustrated in Indy

Just a heads-up. Baja Fresh does not guarantee gluten-free dishes. They do not fry their chips or taco shells in separate fryers, so there is a huge possibility for cross contamination. Also, they do not switch gloves in between food preparation for each customer. So, please just eat there at your own risk, especially if you are a very sensitive Celiac!

I will definitely be checking this website again. I am 23 years old and just got diagnosed. I find it to be very overwhelming as I am trying to learn what I can eat and what I shouldn't eat. It gets frustrating especially when it comes to other people making food for you, I don't want them to alter their entire menu on my account. I guess this is just going to take some getting used to.

Old spaghetti factory has a gluten-free menu.

The chain restaurant Johnny Carino's now offers a gluten-free menu--and it is superb! The first time I ate there, it was like heaven because the food was so tasty. They even have soup that I can eat, and the Chicken Scaloppini is wonderful. Just be careful: Not all of their restaurants have yet trained their staff. I visit the one in Antioch, California, and when I request a gluten-free menu, I'm always met with a puzzled expression. I then have to tell the hostess/host that the manager will know how to print a menu from the corporate web site. Once you review the menu, make sure that the server takes the gluten-free menu directly to the chef--just so there are no mistakes. So far, so good!

The chain restaurant Johnny Carino's offers a gluten-free menu upon request. Not all of their restaurant staff has been trained, though, and most seem unaware that the menu exists. You'll have to ask the hostess/host to have the manager print the menu from the corporate web site. The food is over-the-top great! You can even eat the potato-garlic soup (without croutons). The Chicken Scallopini is wonderful--best gluten-free restaurant meal I've ever eaten. One thing to remember, though--when you order your meal, hand the menu BACK to your server and ask that the chef follow it to the letter. The chef will need it to know how to make gluten-free changes.

I read your site with interest and it reminded me very much of the feeling of being overwhelmed when I was diagnosed with Coeliac (as we call it in the UK). What can I eat and what cant I eat? Its a truly overwhelming feeling.

However, through the support of my doctor and a dietitian I worked this out quickly. There are also helpful things such as dietary info cards that can be used when dining out, so you don't just need to stick to recommended outlets.

These cards can be supplied in many languages including French, German, Spanish, Portuguese to name a few.

Baja Fresh is a little sketchy. Rubios has an allergy chart for all items and if you speak with a manager they will prepare your food with separate kitchen utensils, etc. I had a great experience.

Carrabaas has gluten free items. A local Celiac support group does 'food field' trips there. I haven't been able to go yet and anyway my daughter is 3 and picky and now has Celiac Disease.

I was diagnosed in 2001. It made a world of difference. BUT... I cannot find a good recipe for bread.

I am a newly diagnosed celiac and I was able to eat gluten free pasta on Mother's Day at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Also, I am a fan of Baja Fresh and the manager was very helpful. I was able to order a naked (without the tortilla) burrito. Since I also have a true dairy allergy I have to make sure there is no cheese. But the food is fresh and tasty. Good luck all!

Famous Dave's Barbeque has a list of sauces that are Gluten Free if requested. It is not posted on their regular menu and the list is a bit difficult to decipher. There are no guarantees that there isn't any cross contamination as far as prep stations for the food.

My favorite places in Fort Wayne are Biaggi's (they have a HUGE gluten free PASTA!!! menu) and Flat Top Grill. Both are great!

I have not been diagnosed as a Celiac but recently I went to a nutritionist. She decided to test for allergies, thinking it was a milk allergy...boy were we wrong. I found out that my intestinal problems were because of a Gluten allergy. Anyway, your information has helped me a lot in finding Gluten free menu's. I didn't even realize the cross contamination thing. Thank you so much and I look forward to reading more of your blogs.

Tiff

Any restaurant advice would be much appreciated for vegetarians who are casein sensitive in addition to gluten free.

I had a good experience at Red Robin - my waitress actually knew about gluten free diets due to her brother's experience. She gladly asked her manager whether their 'oriental sauce' had wheat in it. It did, but the 'Red's rice bowl' plain was actually not too bad. Next time, I'll bring my own tamari sauce.

I'm glad to see restaurants starting to adapt gluten-free items in their menus. Now if they can only add in some gluten-free vegetarian items....sigh.... Most places I've been to only have carnivorous gluten-free options. Except for a plain green salad.

Chili's has become my favorite restaurant - they have a gluten-free menu that is updated monthly, I show the server I'm ordering from that menu and that's how they submit the order (as Gluten-Free) I'm only diagnosed 2 months, but I have not had any problems here at all.

My two favorites are Noodles and Adobo Grill. Both have gluten-free menus.

Pizzaria Uno has a gluten-free menu. I go there often and I've enjoyed everything I've had. You still should emphasize you're ordering the gluten-free version.

Bone Fish and Maggiano's also have a gluten free menu.

Hi, I have had a similar problem, or should I say problems, crohns, ulcerative, and know I'm told it was just colitis.

The best thing for any so called autoimmune disease is education, and I'm not talking about the mainstream medical community.

The only thing the mainstream community knows are drugs ( poison ), slash and burn. If you will go to Dr. Mercola's website he has some great information ( search for "The Darkside of Wheat ), also read the book "The Fungus Link" by author Doug Kaufman and Dr. David Holland.

Keep your chin up, there's always hope