Living Wheat-Free For Dummies Cheat Sheet

More and more restaurants are reaching beyond their traditional customer bases to tap into the market of those who can’t or don’t eat wheat, grain, or gluten. This shift has increased in the number gluten-free menus chain restaurants offer.

However, many restaurants with gluten-free options haven’t taken the final step of creating gluten-free kitchens to avoid cross-contamination. The following restaurants offer prudent choices but, to be safe, call ahead or look online to see whether they meet your wheat-, grain-, or gluten-free approval.

• Austin Grill (Tex-Mex)

• Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano (Italian)

• Boston Market (American)

• Carrabba’s Italian Grill (Italian)

• Chili’s (American)

• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar (Steakhouse)

• Olive Garden (Italian)

• On The Border (Mexican)

• Outback Steakhouse (Steakhouse)

• P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (Asian)

• Red Lobster (Seafood)

• Red Robin (American)

• Romano’s Macaroni Grill (Italian)

• Ruby Tuesday’s (American)

• Souper Salad (American)

Even though fast-food restaurants probably aren’t the first thing you think about when addressing your wheat- or grain-free needs, you can create meals at some places that will meet your needs in a pinch. Remember, always ask “How is the food prepared?” and “Which foods on the menu are gluten-free?” For starters, the most obvious choice at most fast-food stops is to go bunless. Here’s a quick list of fast food restaurants that offer gluten-free menus to some degree or another:

• Arby’s

• Au Bon Pain

• Burger King

• Chick-Fil-A

• Chipotle

• Culver’s

• Dairy Queen

• Domino’s Pizza

• Godfather’s Pizza

• Jason’s Deli

• Jack-in-the-Box

• Long John Silver’s

• Panera Bread

• Sonic Drive-In

• Starbucks (primarily drinks)

• Subway

• Wendy’s

Spotting wheat in an ingredients list can be more difficult than it may appear. Wheat has many different forms and names and can appear multiple times in the same list. Acquainting yourself with the following list as you start your new lifestyle makes your trip to the grocery store much easier. As you become more comfortable with your wheat-free lifestyle, you’ll develop a repertoire of go-to foods, and this list will become less important.

• Barley grass (because of cross-contamination)

• Bulgur (a form of wheat)

• Durum, durum flour, durum wheat

• Einkorn

• Emmer

• Farina

• Flour (including all-purpose, cake, enriched, graham, high-protein or high-gluten, and pastry)

• Farro

• Fu

• Kamut

• Seitan (made from wheat gluten and commonly used in vegetarian meals)

• Semolina

• Spelt

• Sprouted wheat

• Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)

• Triticum aestivum

• Wheat berries

• Wheat bran, germ/germ oil/germ extract, gluten, grass, malt, or starch

• Wheat protein/hydrolyzed wheat protein

To take full advantage of the health benefits of a wheat-free lifestyle, experts recommend that you also eliminate as much processed sugar as possible. One of wheat’s worst effects is that it causes an increase in blood sugar, which leads to weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes. Foods that contain lots of sugar have the same effect, so you need to watch your sugar intake.

Recognizing the various pseudonyms for sugar and noting the total grams of sugar on the food label can help you make healthier choices. Here are the other names for sugar that you may see on a product’s ingredients list:

• Agave nectar

• Brown sugar

• Cane crystals

• Cane sugar

• Corn sweetener

• Corn syrup

• Crystalline fructose

• Dextrose

• Evaporated cane juice

• Fructose

• Fruit juice concentrates

• Glucose

• High fructose corn syrup

• Honey

• Invert sugar

• Lactose

• Maltose

• Malt syrup

• Molasses

• Raw sugar

• Sucrose

• Sugar

• Syrup