I’ve been reading up on the expected trends in food and drink for 2011, and one thing keeps coming up – gluten free. I usually don’t write about myself here, and won’t do so much, but I have celiac disease, which means my body has a negative, unhealthy, auto-immune response to glutens, and the antibodies my body produces when gluten is in my system will damage my small intestine, causing a lot of different and varied health problems. That’s the simple story of what celiac disease is and does.
What is gluten? It is the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, and all of their derivatives, like white cake flour, or beer, or maltodextrin. Celiacs need to avoid all gluten. No bread, pasta, fried foods, most desserts, beer, and then all the things where there is a small amount of flour used as a thickener, like a whole lot of soups. Which makes healthy eating out a challenge for celiacs, those with gluten intolerance, and those who are going gluten free for dieting trend reasons.
So I was very pleasantly surprised to see in numerous places that one of the top twenty trends in the food end of the hospitality industry for 2011 is a movement towards providing gluten-free options for customers. This is such a welcome change and movement. I almost always shy away from mentioning particular establishments, but this time I will. Just in the last several months, some large sandwich chains have started offering gluten-free breads or buns – Jason’s Deli and Subway (at least right now in the Dallas and Tyler areas of Texas, Subway is testing a gluten-free bun). In the Dallas area, I know of several restaurants that are either completely gluten-free or offer gluten-free options – Kozy Kitchen (one of the chef/owners is a celiac sufferer), Laura’s in Plano (no gluten), and Penne Pomodoro (a gluten-free pasta option), and even Fireside Pies (they have a rice-based, gluten-free pizza crust).
Of course, there are still the items that are naturally gluten-free, like all meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruits, but diners have to be aware of what is added to their foods via sauces, marinades, spice mixes, thickeners, etc. For example, normal soy sauce has fermented wheat in it, so most sauces in Asian (and sushi) restaurants are off limits. There are good soy sauces that are gluten-free, but you have to look for them, and I’ve yet to find one in a restaurant. And don’t forget about cross-contamination: a piece of gluten-free bread that is toasted in an oven or toaster that is used with regular bread will become contaminated with the crumbs from the regular bread, and will no longer be a healthy gluten-free option. Ditto for pizza crusts cooked in pizza ovens where regular, wheat-containing pizza crusts are cooked.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to read about this trend, and I hope that the food service industry does more than just pay lip service to this serious health issue suffered by an estimated 1 to 5% of the US population. There are plenty of us who love eating out, and will spend our hard earned dollars at establishments that seriously cater to our very real health concerns.
Do you have experience with gluten-free substitutes for items in restaurants? Let me know what you think!
- Elizabeth
