Questions and Answers!

I Love getting questions from my faithful readers (reader), so keep them coming!  A very good friend of mine  (that I have, sadly, not seen in a very long time) asked my very First question:

What about Taco Bell?? Or Popeyes and places like that? Can you eat sushi? (if you werent pregnant) What about rice? Gravys? All meats are ok? What about all condiments like mustard and mayo? I dont have the disease, but I love reading your blog and wonder what I would have to give up if I did. Being able to eat Chick-Fil-A fries is A MAJOR PLUS!! :) love ya!

 I had to do a little research to answer some of this.

1. Taco Bell: I'm not very familiar with their menu, so this posed a challenge to me, they actually have a very extensive allergy menu that shows you if the food is prepared on the same equipment as other products that contain gluten.
• Black beans and rice
• Mexican rice
• Cantina bowl
• Tostada
• Nachos are gluten free, but made on equipment that prepares other gluten products, so you may could ask them to make these seperatly
• Unfortunately, there really is not much at Taco Bell that is gluten free
2. Popeyes: Not very many gluten-free options here either
• Cajun rice
• Red beans and rice
• Corn on the cob
• Coleslaw
3.  KFC: Again, not very much (I mean, they have fried in the name, so it is pretty guaranteed that everything has at least the tendency to be cross contaminated)
• Potato salad
• Corn
• A few salad options
4. Sushi: you have to keep in mind that each place is different, but I definitely REFUSE to give up sushi, it is easier for me to say what I can NOT have in sushi
• NO artificial crab
• NO soy sauce (I generally avoid all sauces, unless the staff is familiar with what gluten-free means)
• NO eel
• NO tempura
• I tend to get pretty simple rolls with raw fish, shrimp (w/out tempura), and vegetables
5. Gravy: NOT OK unless you make it yourself, because most gravy-type sauces are made with a flour base
6. Meat: ALL meat is perfectly fine, it is the seasonings and sauces that you have to watch (so, I have to be careful with processed meat like sandwich meat, because sometimes gluten-containing products have been added in)
7. Condiments: this can vary from one condiment to another, fortunately, most that I use are gluten-free
• Heinz Ketchup and Mustard (Heinz has a very extensive gluten-free list here)
• My husband would FREAK if I couldn't have ketchup.  Our house would Definitely not be gluten free. And don't worry, Carley, most mustards are gluten free ;).
• Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce(All sweet baby ray's products are gluten-free, except their meatballs)
• Blue Plate Mayo
• The main things I have had trouble with are salad dressings (I haven't found a ranch or honey mustard I like yet)
• Really, you just have to carefully read EVERY label, and look it up if ever in questions

Thanks for the questions, Carley!  It makes me think, and I learned some stuff in the process! Keep in mind, Celiac doesn't mean you have to give up anything, I can still have all of the same stuff if I am willing to take the time to alter the recipe and make it myself (which can be a bummer).

I am really one of the lucky ones with Celiac disease (if there is a lucky Celiac).  Many people diagnosed also have allergies to dairy and soy (among other things).  While I had to cut out dairy for the first couple of months I was diagnosed (to let my intestine heal), I slowly introduced it back with no reaction! Yay!!