Restaurants Take Note - the Gluten-Free Diet is Not a Fad

Gluten-free is a food trend that isn't going away anytime soon. For people with celiac disease, it's not a food trend at all. It's a medically required diet that is the only treatment for a disease that often takes years to diagnose.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that is triggered in people with the disease by the presence of gluten, which is found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Even the smallest amount of gluten, such as the residue of a bun taken off of a hamburger, will produce a reaction that will make a person with celiac ill for days, sometimes even weeks.

Although there are many specialty companies that make gluten-free foods, for the most part, people with celiac disease spend a lot of time cooking. And, since celiac disease runs in families, many people with celiac spend a lot of time cooking a lot of food, for a lot of people. There are also no delivery pizza nights, quick stops at a fast food restaurant or even much in the way of frozen or convenience foods. Even going out for the day requires planning, pre-cooking and packing all of the food that the family is going to need.

For people with celiac disease, eating at a restaurant can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth. Between worrying about how to thoroughly, yet quickly explain detailed food restrictions, cross-contamination issues and the inevitable run-ins with restaurant staff who may be disinterested, lazy, rude, or may not believe that their restrictions are as severe as they are, some people with celiac disease eat out only rarely, and many choose not to eat out at all.

Unfortunately, it's not just the people with celiac disease who are eating out less. Their friends and family are also eating out less. Many of the specialty gluten-free food companies are producing delicious gluten-free foods. For people with celiac, eating at home affords an almost unlimited amount of food choices, many of which non-celiacs enjoy just as much as the real thing.

In a family affected by celiac disease, a birthday party that used to be held at the neighborhood pizza place is now a make-your-own gluten-free pizza party at home. What used to be a night out with friends at a restaurant is now a dinner party complete with gluten-free pasta, bread and desserts. Watching the game at the sports bar becomes inviting friends over for gluten-free hot wings, chips and gluten-free beer.

Restaurants would be smart to take careful note of this food trend. Because gluten-free isn't a fad. It's a medical necessity for millions of people, most of whom are yet to be diagnosed. In fact, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), 1 in 133 people, almost 3 million Americans, have celiac disease, but only 100,000 know they have it. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), estimates the number of people who have celiac disease to be 1 in 100, even more than the NFCA estimates. The NIH, which is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, has launched the Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign in order to get more information out to the public and assist doctors and other healthcare workers in diagnosing this common, yet often overlooked disease.

There are several restaurant chains who are leading the industry in providing gluten-free menus for their celiac patrons. PF Chang's and Pei Wei have gluten-free menus. Some locations of The Spaghetti Factory have gluten-free pasta, made in a separate pot. Most of the restaurants owned by OSI Restaurant Partners; Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Lee Roy Selmon's All-American Grill have gluten-free menus as well.

Cooking for people with food-related conditions is something that is taught in culinary school, therefore most high-end restaurants are able to easily prepare wonderful gluten-free food for their customers. Generally, all a person with celiac needs to do to eat in a finer restaurant is call the restaurant and let them know that they will be coming in. Unfortunately, this isn't an affordable option for a large number of Americans.

There are some smaller restaurants that are beginning to provide gluten-free options on their menus. As more and more people are being diagnosed, invariably there are restaurants owned by friends and family members of people with celiac disease. The owners of these smaller restaurants learn more about the disease in order to provide food for their loved one, and as a result are able to accommodate the growing number of people who are diagnosed with celiac every year.

Some of these restaurants are finding that people with celiac disease are driving many miles, often from other cities or counties, and sometimes even planning day trip and vacation routes in order to visit their restaurants. For people with celiac disease, visiting a restaurant whose management and staff is happy to accommodate their food restrictions makes it a destination in and of itself. Much of the advertising in the gluten-free community is word-of-mouth. Once you decide to make safe and delicious gluten-free dining available to your customers, you may be surprised at the enthusiastic response.

For more information on celiac disease and the gluten-free diet, please visit:

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
http://www.celiaccentral.org/

Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign - National Institutes of Health
http://www.celiac.nih.gov/

The Gluten Intolerance Group
http://www.glutenfreerestaurants.org/

Celiac.com
http://www.celiac.com/