Question by tillyhokie: What do you think about gluten free foods?
Hi, I work for a magazine specializing in food allergies. I’m looking to gather quotes from people on their opinions on gluten free foods, how they handle going to restaurants, and the ups/downs of life with with Celiac. Feel free to speak up, I’d love your opinion! Thanks!!
Best answer:
Answer by tiggsy
Until recently gluten free products have mostly been overpriced and seem never to have been taste-tested. That’s improving, thankfully, as more competition comes onstream, and there are even a few gluten free loaves on sale that are worth eating, for example Genius brand (in the UK), currently only on sale in Tesco.
As I live in Scotland, gluten free eating out is very difficult, though it is improving slowly. As an example of the ignorance most of us encounter, I went out for a meal recently, and when I said that I was gluten free, and ordered a steak (the only thing on the menu that looked safe), with no onion rings (they are always served in batter), the girl serving said “but surely you can’t eat the potatoes”! They were chips (french fries), real potato, not the reconstituted things you get in Macdonalds, so they were safe enough. Ah well, at least it showed she cared…
What do you think? Answer below!
Being a celiac and eating a gluten free diet is difficult but has some positive upsides as well. I have learned to cook and regularly feed a completely gluten free dinner to my friends that they don’t even realize is gluten free until they ask how I made my plate look the same. The only part of eating gluten free that is lacking compared to regular food is in the bread and pasta department for me. Pasta can be replaced but getting a satisfactory bread replacement is basically impossible. Every once in a while I try making a gluten free biscuit but so far can’t get the flavor and texture right.
Dining out is something my wife and I do a lot. I have found that most restaurants will seriously work to help me through picking meals and usually end up with a very satisfactory experience. I try to call ahead to new places and there are some places I just don’t go like pizza places although some of them are starting to carry gluten free pizzas so that may change.
The negatives to life as a celiac are when you get accidentally glutened — especially by a friend. The few days of recovery and trying to figure out what the culprit was are stressful.