Restaurants Serving Gluten Free Food - Check the Ingredients List

Categories : Healthy eating
Tags : Diet nutrition

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Individuals who suffer from celiac disease have an allergy to gluten – the protein component of most grains. Why is that such a big deal? According to an article by Scott Adams, celiac disease sufferer and founder of Celiac.com, research shows that the rate of the incidence of this disease in the United States is 1 in 133.

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His article concludes by saying the research results “indicate that celiac disease is perhaps the most common genetic disorder in the United States, as well as one of the most poorly diagnosed diseases.” How does one find restaurants serving gluten free food? Let’s examine some examples of national chain restaurants gluten free menus.

Gluten Free Menus Overview

Menu options vary according to geographic locations or availability; the information offered here is for educational purposes only. Consumers must verify that foods are prepared in accordance with specific dietary needs, like a gluten-free diet. Nutrition information was obtained from either the restaurant’s website or the Celiac Society website and is deemed to be accurate at this point.

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano offers a wide variety of gluten free foods. The October 2009 Gluten-free menu lists such tantalizing dishes as Venetian chicken salad or seared sea bass. Here is a breakdown by category of the number and types of gluten free foods available:

Twelve gluten free sauces: Alfredo, Bolognese, espresso, Italian salsa, mac & cheese, Marsala, pesto, roasted red pepper cream, rum caramel, scallion cream, sun-dried tomato cream, and tomato.
Five pizzas made with gluten-free dough: Chicken piccante, sausage, pepperoni, margherita, or Mediterranean.
Three appetizers: Carpaccio, mussels in tomato-garlic broth, or tomato mozzarella caprese
Seven salads: house, Caesar, spinach, Messina, chicken, Venetian chicken, or seared salmon.
Five pasta dishes: Capellini di mare, rigatoni alla Toscana, farfalle Alfredo, linguine and clams, or spaghetti marinara.
Eight entrees: Grilled chicken parmesan, grilled chicken Pietro, salmon and shrimp Milanese, seared sea bass, chicken piemontese, grilled pork chops, New York strip, or filet mignon.

Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant Gluten Free Food Options

Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant is another chain restaurant offering a generous gluten free menu. Diners can choose from any or all of these categories:

Seven salads: Salad Vivaldi con pollo & bello, insalata, tomato & mozzarella caprese, Caesar, grilled chicken chopped salad, Venetian spinach with grilled chicken, and salad giardino with grilled chicken.
Six side dishes: spinach and artichokes, broccoli, red-skin potatoes, roasted vegetables, asparagus, or string beans.
Six entrees: grilled steak and chicken, filet mignon, balsamic chicken, grilled salmon fillet, salmon Florentine, eggplant parma with string beans.
Two desserts: bomba, and chocolate mousse.

DIners who need gluten free selections should ask for the following menu items when dining at the Outback Steakhouse:

Eleven meat and seafood items: Alaskan King crab, Alice Springs chicken, Botany Bay fish of the day, Joey sirloin, junior ribs, lobster tails, North Atlantic salmon, ribs on the Barbie, Rockhampton rib eye, Royal Port fresh catch, or Victoria’s center cut filet.
Four salads: Brisbane Caesar, house, Caesar, and Queensland.
Three sides: jacket Idaho potato, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato.
Two desserts: Chocolate Thunder from down Under, and Sydney’s sinful sundae.

Chain Restaurants Gluten Free Menus

Here is a listing of some regional and national chain restaurants that offer gluten free menu items. Menu offerings can vary from state to state, or be changed without notification, so for safety’s sake, discuss any food allergies with the wait staff or restaurant management team.

Boston Market – ask for the “Allergens” information.
Carinos Italian Grill – ask for the gluten free menu.
Carrabas Italian Grill – ask for the gluten free men.
First Watch the Daytime Café – ask to see the document “Gluten Free Diet Information.”
Lone Star Steakhouse – request a copy of “Gluten Free the Lone Star Way.”
Macaroni Grill – ask to see “Suggested Beverage and Menu Options for Wheat/Gluten Allergies.”
On the Board Mexican Grill & Cantina – they furnish the same fact sheet as Macaroni Grill.
Pei Wei Asian Diner – Their allergen fact sheet is titled “Recommendations for Gluten Intolerant Diets.”
Ted’s Montana Grill – ask to see “Nutritional Information for Those Needing a Gluten-free diet.”
Uno Chicago Grill – request their gluten free menu.
The Old Spaghetti Factory – ask for a gluten free menu.

For an in-depth source of information about the best restaurants for gluten free foods, check out The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide by Triumph Dining. Read “Foods that Contain Gluten: Check that Ingredient List!” for more data on discovering sources of hidden gluten in foods.

Learning to deal with any type of food allergy requires individuals to make lifestyle changes and become better educated about nutrition. Patronizing restaurants serving gluten free food is one way to make these changes easier and safer. For a list of fast food restaurants serving gluten free foods, please read “Fast Food Restaurants with Gluten Free Foods.”

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