The "Gluten Free-ish" issue...

Is one that I have recently had to address in my personal experiences. I am still at around the 5-year mark in my gluten-free transition and I find out continually that there is a learning curve to these things.

The “gluten free-ish” issue is eating at restaurants that while having gluten-free menus and items, pose such a risk for contamination that they cannot be considered gluten-free. If you think that simply steering clear of obvious menu items and sticking to the labeled “gluten free-ish options is safe, think again. Menu items such as omelets, salads, meat, beans, rice, etc. while technically being “gluten-free” are not free from gluten contamination and can still elicit strong or violent reactions in those truly sensitive to gluten.

While this might not be evident to those new to the gluten-free transition, I have learned that the longer I abstain from eating gluten the more sensitive I actually become. I know this is contrary to some reports claiming that a person abstaining from gluten for a time will actually be able to digest it later but this is not true in my case and it might not be in yours either.

I recently visited two restaurants, both claiming to have gluten-free menu items and at both restaurants my contamination started to manifest itself before I even finished my meal. Maybe I had never experienced this phenomenon or maybe it was the first time I had actually noticed, but the reaction was startling nonetheless.

It should be noted that neither of those restaurants has separate gluten-free facilities or makes any effort to maintain separate utensils. I find this to be absolutely crucial now in determining where I now choose to eat and from now on will only choose to visit those places where I have never gotten sick, usually restaurants with a strong reputation of being committed to avoiding cross contamination issues.

As a result I will no longer be posting any restaurant that boasts a gluten-free menu; I will only post those in which I have personally not experienced any adverse reactions and will leave those with “gluten free-ish” menus off the list.

Has anyone else had a similar experience as you have learned to navigate the world of gluten-free eating?