10 Foods You CAN Eat Out when You're Gluten Free

Are you celiac, have a wheat allergy or are you trying a gluten free diet? This can be tricky enough when you are cooking for yourself at home, but it can be even harder when you are in a restaurant that does not have a gluten free menu. For your convenience I have compiled a list of common foods found in restaurants that are gluten free.

10- Hit the Salad Bar (pick from fruits, vegetables and other foods you are certain are gluten free)

9- Some soups (be sure to ask if the soup contains gluten as some do and some do not)

8- Lettuce Wraps (no bread no gluten)

7- Tamales (tamales use corn flour, no gluten there)

6- Grilled chicken

5- Rice bowls ( as long as the meat is not breaded)

4- Salad (as long as meat is not breaded)

3- Chinese ( foods such as sweet and sour pork are fried in rice four and therefore are gluten free)

2- Sushi

1- Steak and Potatoes

This task becomes easier the more knowledgeable you become about what has gluten in it and what does not. A few key points to remember is that gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and malts. Oats are debatable as some people with celiac disease are able to eat them and some are not. Gluten is also used to thicken or flavor some foods and may be used under the names of maltodextrine, dextrine, dextrose, and modified food starch.

A few sure shots- if you want to be sure you are eating gluten free there are a few ways to be certain you will not make a mistake.

Go out for sushi. Rice, fish, vegetables and seaweed, no gluten there. However do be wary of soy sauce, some brands do contain gluten.

Go to a Steak House with some potatoes, or any meat for that matter. As long as your food is not breaded you are in the clear.

Go out for Chinese. Here you can have all the breaded food you would like because it is breaded with rice flour. There is no gluten in rice flour. Be sure to ask about egg rolls, some are not gluten free, and again be wary of the soy sauce.

Italian food should be avoided. You will be tempted with breads and pastas galore. It is hard to refrain, but if you do end up in an Italian Restaurant, your best bet is to go for a lettuce wedge or salad.

Whether you are a seasoned veteran of gluten free or new to the club, it is difficult to find foods you can eat out without making a fuss or seeming burdensome to those you are with. However you are who you are, and you will get better at picking out green light foods. Hang in there and make use of my top 10 foods you CAN eat out.