Have Celiac Disease and You Want to Eat Out? Try These 8 Evansville Gluten-Free Restaurants

Why is Wheat Making You Sick?

If you live with someone that has food allergies, or a condition like Celiac Disease, that requires a special diet, you know that mealtime is a challenge. My husband has Celiac, and so that means he can't have anything that contains: Wheat, barley, malt, rye, brewers yeast, spelt, and some other grains that come from wheat.

You might be able to tell from that list that many common foods that we eat every day are off-limits to someone with Celiac. The obvious answer to keeping gluten out of the house is for everyone to eat gluten-free. There are so many gluten-free options these days, that you can eat pretty normally with easy substitutes. BUT, if you've already had the taste of the full-gluten foods, you can certainly taste the difference.

Is it Possible to Dine Out?

Now let's talk about going to eat at a restaurant. Oh boy. This can easily turn into a disaster, not only for the person that has been glutened, but for everyone around them too. A reaction to gluten usually lands the victim on the toilet for the rest of the evening. They can also have headaches, brain fog, rashes, and many other reactions. So, you see it is super important to do your restaurant research before you even think about what to order.

What is Celiac Disease? 

Celiac Disease is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications.

When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.

 People with a first-degree relative with celiac disease (parent, child, sibling) have a 1 in 10 risk of developing celiac disease.

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