Party like a Gluten Free Rock Star

BEER is a big no no! what do you drink then when you want to have some alcohol? My go to drink is Captain Morgan with Diet Coke. I can also have lots of different Martini's, as long as they don't have wheat, Rye, or barley...thus NO BEER:( Wine is good, it's grapes and the process in which it is made is safe. Hard Liquors are safe, like Rum, Whiskey, Tequila, Vodka. Basically if it's clear alcohol, it should be safe. However, stay away from Malt. I spent some summer nights thinking these "wine cooler" type drinks were so flavorful and safe, like Pina Colada, Margarita, but read the ingredients after feeling arthritic every time I drank them. Come to find out, it was loaded with Malt. What is Malt? Malt is barley, and I found out real quick that it was not Gluten Free Diet friendly! Some would argue that some Whiskey's come from Barley and Malt as well, so try it out and comment if you have discovered an answer. I don't drink Whiskey for other reasons. I do not react well to it, maybe it is NOT Gluten free and that is why my body makes me stay away from it. So you can have a wide range of alcohol. The world is your oyster with your own recipes of drinks since usually alcohol is distilled and no additives are shared with it's ingredients like flour. Post some of your favorite Gluten Free drink recipes here!

Dining out Gluten Free

First of all, don't walk into a pub type place....chances are they will have Beer, Hot Dogs, French Fries (whose oil is shared with those chicken tenders), Pizza, and Burgers. Not much you can do to avoid GLUTEN! If you do, the best thing to try is a burger with no bun, a side salad, with Ranch and any Soda/Pop/Milk for a drink. Usually Ranch is Mayonnaise and Milk, both of which are Gluten Free. If you choose a Franchise, take your smartphone and look up their GF menu. Luckily, a lot of Restaurants are now becoming sensitive to the Gluten allergy and posting their menu for all the food sensitivities. I usually get a steak, a potato, and a salad with Ranch. Most salad dressings will be GF, but make sure by reading the ingredients. Sometimes if it's thick, it's been thickened and usually will contain Gluten. I find that most wait staff are very happy to accommodate questions of ingredients. I am usually surprised at least once when I dine out that something has Gluten in it. Would you believe some spices even have Gluten in them? When ordering soup, make sure you ask about flour? would you believe a lot of cream based soups, like Clam Chowder, would have Gluten in it? Absolutely. So be sure to find out how the sauces are made.

I want FAST FOOD!

Here are some suggestions if you are out and about and HAVE to grab a quick bite!

There is much debate about whether or not McDonald's has gluten free fries.
Supposedly they use a dedicated fryer for their fries, but I am not sure.
I have never had any issues, but you may want to ask individual McD's.

Here is a list of McDonald's Gluten Free Items:

 

Meats:

• Beef Patty with no bun
• Breakfast Beef Steak
• Canadian Bacon
• Sausage
• Scrambled Egg

Sides

• Fruit ‘n Yogurt Parfait with no granola

McDonald’s Salads

McDonalds Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with grilled Chicken (gluten-free)

• Caesar Salad w/o Chicken
• Premium Bacon Ranch Salad
• Premium Southwest Salad (without tortilla strips)
• Side Salad

McDonald’s Dressings

• Newman’s Own Creamy Caesar Dressing
• Newman’s Own Cobb Dressing
• Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Newman’s Own Ranch Dressing
• Newman’s Own Salsa

Drinks, Beverages, and Desserts

• Apple Juice
• Coffee
• Hot Chocolate
• 1% Low Fat Milk, White or Chocolate
• Orange Juice
• Soft Drinks

Desserts

• Chocolate Triple Thick Shake
• Strawberry Triple Thick Shake
• Vanilla Triple Thick Shake
• Ice Cream Sundaes including nuts
• McFlurry with M&M’S Candies

Sauces and Condiments 

• Butter
• Chicken McNugget Honey
• Chicken McNugget Hot Mustard Sauce
• Hotcake Syrup
• Jam
• Ketchup
• Lettuce
• Margarine
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Onions
• Pickles
• Tartar Sauce
• Tomato
• Apple Dippers and Low Fat Caramel Dip
• McDonald’s Cheeses:
• American Cheese

What I do is grab a burger patty, with all the condiments, ask for no bun, request big pieces of lettuce and make a burger wrap with fries. Not a bad substitute.

For those that are gluten free, what's your opinion on McDonald's fries, Gluten Free or not?

QUICK START guide to going Gluten Free

I was lucky, I had a sister and Mom that had already gone GF as we like to call it, so it made it that much easier for me with the knowledge they shared. I am going to keep this easy, so if ANYONE feels they should try a Gluten Free Diet, for whatever reasons, this will be a good place to start.

1) Go through your kitchen. Throw away ANYTHING breaded. Loaded with Gluten.

2) Stock up on "all natural" products, nothing that has been modified. If it's been deep fried, like chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, throw it out.
I recommend buying Fruit, Cheese, Meats.

3) Get rid of processed food. More often than not, if it's been processed, it has lots of Gluten in it.

4) think to yourself, does it have flour in it? Surprisingly soups that are veggie based, or a protein based, usually have flour in it. If that's the case, then it has Gluten.

5) Alcohol usually is GF. Stay away from Beer unless it's specifically GF.

6) Stay away from Bakeries for mornings. No donuts, pastries, muffins, learn to eat protein like Eggs with veggies, and Oatmeal with fruit.

7)no fast food, all those grills have tons of gluten AND flour is added to everything. You'd be surprised how much.

This is a quick start. I will continue to add HOW TO START, but start thinking ALL natural foods in their "organic" beginnings. It will create a better diet for you to follow for everything relating to your health including blood sugar, weight, diabetes, energy, heart, less fat, etc.
Good luck!