What happened to Gluten Free?

[Darield]

When we travel, we always find restaurants with gluten free menus. The latest being our trip to New England in October 2021 (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine). Other than Farmshed (which we really enjoy), there is virtually nothing in The Villages. It would be really nice if we had more than one restaurant or Mexican. Of course the other option is 1. a Cheeseburger without a bun 2. A Salad 3. Salmon for a few restaurants that offer it.

More variety and healthy food choices would be nice.

[CFrance]

Do you ask at the restaurants? We've eaten out once a week with a guten-free friend, and she asks for a gluten-free menu and/or what they would suggest for a gluten-free meal. She always finds something. It hasn't been a problem in the ten years we've been eating out with her and her husband.

[JMintzer]

Do you ask at the restaurants? We've eaten out once a week with a guten-free friend, and she asks for a gluten-free menu and/or what they would suggest for a gluten-free meal. She always finds something. It hasn't been a problem in the ten years we've been eating out with her and her husband.

Same here. We often eat out with a couple, one of whom avoids all gluten. Never been a problem...

[Woodbear]

Mrs has Celiacs, and her go to meal anywhere is a salad while adding some chicken or salmon. Easy Peasy

[l2ridehd]

Celiac disease has many levels of sensitivity. Some folks are fine just avoiding breads and foods with flour in them. And others can’t eat food in a kitchen where flour has been used. For a restaurant to be “gluten” free those options need to be prepared in a separate gluten free area. Our son has a very severe celiac disease sensitivity. We had to have the kitchen kept completely gluten free to be safe. Just getting a salad with chicken or salmon on top never worked for him. There is special training for chefs to understand how to clean and prep gluten free food. Outback does a good job of training their chefs. Just be careful as celiac disease has huge variations in how it effects different people.

[Rose Ann Vinci Igoe]

Mrs has Celiacs, and her go-to meal anywhere is a salad while adding some chicken or salmon. Easy Peasy

more options than you think. Potatoes or rice on the side of any dish with a nice salad works. I bring my own bread that is gluten-free. Have you ever tried Pasta Zero... yumm, lots to choose from for home and restaurants.

[Woodbear]

more options than you think. Potatoes or rice on the side of any dish with a nice salad works. I bring my own bread that is gluten-free. Have you ever tried Pasta Zero... yumm, lots to choose from for home and restaurants.

Is Pasta Zero a restaurant or a brand found in stores?

[pacjag]

At least some of the restaurants serve their burgers on potato buns.

[Velvet]

The data from Google indicates that:

Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed. Type 1 Diabetes affects 3 million people; 6% (180,000) of those diagnosed also have celiac disease.

Which maybe why it is not easy to find restaurants dedicated to serving them. Most restaurants are in the business of profits, I would think.

[collie1228]

Now that the waste removal systems no longer recycle cardboard, there is now a massive lack of flavoring for gluten-free foods.

[Skip]

The Villages Gourmet Club lists those restaurants that have gluten-free items on their menus. Nice touch.
But be advised that a restaurant may have 2 or 3 items that qualify and then suddenly take them off the menu for one reason or another. Best to inspect and review the menu when you arrive before you are seated. Good restaurants identify the item with a G/F symbol or similar.

Here's the club's Search Page (https://thevillagesgourmetclub.com/search.html).
In Section 3a, limit your driving distance.
In Section 4a, pull down to "Serves Gluten Free Food".
Then hit the green SEARCH button.
There are 31 restaurants in The Villages that are at least "gluten aware".

Bonefish Grill for one, caters to gluten sensitive customers. They even publish a whole page of menu items (https://thevillagesgourmetclub.com/search.html). They even have a dessert item that's G/F.

Good luck.

Skip

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

When we travel, we always find restaurants with gluten free menus. The latest being our trip to New England in October 2021 (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine). Other than Farmshed (which we really enjoy), there is virtually nothing in The Villages. It would be really nice if we had more than one restaurant or Mexican. Of course the other option is 1. a Cheeseburger without a bun 2. A Salad 3. Salmon for a few restaurants that offer it.

More variety and healthy food choices would be nice.

Barbequed chicken with a side salad (no croutons) and french fries has no gluten. Steak has no gluten. Broccoli has no gluten. There are SO many meals you can have that don't involve gluten. Maybe you're hoping for something that is made with "gluten-free" flour? But personally I'd rather just go for foods that have no flour of any kind, than overprocessed "gluten-free" flour.

Dairy has no gluten, meat and fish - no gluten. Ask for your foods to NOT be breaded. Grilled, sauteed, baked, broiled - none of that should require breading. And of course if you're breading a steak before cooking it you might be from another planet, in which case your need for gluten-free food is the least of your worries :)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

At least some of the restaurants serve their burgers on potato buns.

The main ingredient of potato buns is wheat flour.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Celiac disease has many levels of sensitivity. Some folks are fine just avoiding breads and foods with flour in them. And others can’t eat food in a kitchen where flour has been used. For a restaurant to be “gluten” free those options need to be prepared in a separate gluten free area. Our son has a very severe celiac disease sensitivity. We had to have the kitchen kept completely gluten free to be safe. Just getting a salad with chicken or salmon on top never worked for him. There is special training for chefs to understand how to clean and prep gluten free food. Outback does a good job of training their chefs. Just be careful as celiac disease has huge variations in how it effects different people.

Outback has cooks, not chefs. And their salad croutons are out in the open where the crumbs can get into and onto anyone's food, if the plates are set down on the counter near the salad station.

They don't have a separate gluten-free area, and their food is not prepared with celiac sensitivity in mind. In addition, if you order take-away and specify "no bread" you might end up with bread anyway. They don't always pay attention to the instructions on the order.

[NotGolfer]

I'm gluten sensitive and eat out. Some restaurants I don't go to. The others...I either ask for their gluten free menu or options. French fries are not gluten free if they're fixed in a common frier as other foods. It's doable, not impossible. Google also becomes your friend.