So I’ve Been Told I Have a Food Allergy…Can I Still Eat Out?

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Well that depends on which allergy you have, how severe your reactions are, and how good about food allergies the restaurants are in your area.

These days not everyone has the skills to cook, and eating out may be one of the only options available to someone, even with a food allergy, to eat.

 

If you’re eating out…

Be aware that some restaurants may not have the largest selection of entrees that are allergen-friendly, but they are great at identifying allergens on their menus.

Some of those places go the extra mile, and have a designated area with equipment used only for allergen friendly items such as salads.

Build-Your-Own places such as Chipotle and Core Life Eatery are great because you can tell the staff exactly want you want in the entrée and nothing else will be added to it. Special shout-out to Chipotle, though, as if you tell them you have issues with Gluten, the staff will replace all of the utensils with new ones, and will all change their gloves to accommodate you- I mean how considerate is that?!?

The best places to go are the ones that actually go out of their way to make entrees that everyone can eat.

 

And…some restaurants well…they are sorely lacking in anything allergen-friendly. Two times, from two different restaurants, I ordered from, even speaking with the manager beforehand to make sure that my food would be safe for me, I still ended up with cheese on my meals!

You can eat out if you have allergies, but you definitely need to be picky, especially if you have something like Celiac Disease. I personally have decided I will no longer be taking a risk by eating at a restaurant that doesn’t have dedicated allergen-friendly entrees, or at the very least have a knowledgeable staff and/or an allergen list for their food.

 

If you’re not the best in the kitchen, but you don’t want to eat out all the time, there are some good products in the grocery stores these days. Three brands stand out the most for their dedication to avoid many of the top 8 food allergies in all of their products. I want to recognize Daiya, who makes all of their products gluten-free and completely vegan, Enjoy Life, who makes their cookies and other products free from 14 different allergens, and Schar, who makes bread that is not only gluten-free but also vegan. The last one is pretty big for me, because I have struggled to find gluten-free bread that didn’t also have eggs in it.

If you do have some cooking and baking skills, you definitely have more options available to you, as there are many allergen-free recipes all over the internet. I will share one of my favorites with you here: Vegan Gluten Free Brownies.


References:

Recipe and Photo:

https://lovingitvegan.com/vegan-gluten-free-brownies/

 

-AF


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