FRIENDLY FRIDAY: Texas Roadhouse & Logan's Roadhouse

  

I'll admit I'm a fan of the occasional steak dinner, but since the discovery of my food sensitivities, finding a steakhouse that can accommodate my needs isn't easy. Tonight I did a little research into Logan's and the Texas Roadhouse. My first hurdle is that both establishments offer ridiculously yummy-smelling rolls. It's hard to say no when the smell makes your mouth water. So, for me it's either stay away and resist temptation, shove my mouth full of peanuts while I wait for my meal, or give in and pay the consequences. Not fun, but I have found that I do much better when I have done my research before hand and go in with a plan. I was a bit disappointed by my findings this time.

Texas Roadhouse does not offer a gluten free menu or nutritional information for any of their food (according to their own statements on their website). They claim that it is too difficult to give accurate information like some other outfits because other places use prepackaged food and they make their food from scratch. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure there are other "from scratch" restaurants that are doing a decent job of informing customers about allergen and nutritional information. Sounds like a cop out to me. So while I'm fairly certain there are items on their menu that I can eat, the choice is simple for me. At least I know one place to leave off my list.

Logan's does at least offer a gluten free menu. Although it is not available online, you can request a copy from your host. Of course, since Logan's uses a common cooking area they can't guarantee that cross-contamination won't occur, and they do make a statement to that effect. I was unable, however, to find any other allergy information. According to discussion boards, it's hit or miss as to whether the staff is knowledgeable about allergies or even willing to accommodate a diner's needs. Personally, I have been able to eat there without incidence, and the staff have been very accommodating, but when in doubt I follow 2 rules of thumb... ask or avoid!

TUESDAY'S TIP: Food Allergies in the Workplace

When you have food allergies or sensitivities the workplace can be tricky to navigate. Decline an invitation to lunch or pass on a piece of birthday cake and they think you're being picky or worse yet, unsocial. So, what do you do when you co-workers throw sideways glances when you say no? First and foremost explain what your allergies or sensitivities are. Most often, people just don't understand. Once you spell it out for them most people are usually more considerate of your needs. When it comes to going out for lunch suggest some places that have options you can eat. You can use a website/app like Allergy Eats or My Gluten Free NJ (doesn't just have information about New Jersey) to find some places nearby. You can also look at the restaurants' websites to see if they have allergy free offerings. If you're concerned about snacks in the lounge or social gatherings at work, be prepared to bring food you can eat. Other people might be surprised to know that your allergy free food could actually be tasty!

Effects of Food Intolerance

Anyone who has ever dealt with food intolerance knows just how miserable it can be. Sometimes symptoms don't appear until hours or days after eating the offending food. If you don't yet know what your trigger foods are, such late onset of symptoms can make it really difficult to figure out. Thankfully for me, I know my triggers and can even determine from the particular symptom what offender snuck its way into my diet. My symptoms seem to be cumulative too. The more I eat (and it doesn't have to be at one sitting) the worse I feel. My symptoms can range from achy joints, to migraines, to nausea, gas, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue... If it's a symptom of food intolerance I've probably had it. I'll admit there was a time when I honestly believed that this was my life. I was destined to live my life sick and in pain. Thank goodness that's not true! It took a while (about a month) for me to truly feel "normal", and it was a lot of work, but at least it was possible!

Interestingly enough, a study from Cabridge Diagnostics out of England showed that 60 days after altering their diets, 71% of patients in the study (2567 who responded to the questionnaire) saw improvements in their health. That's huge! So, if you're just starting out and wondering why you don't feel better yet, hang in there! It will get better.

What happens? Food intolerance and sensitivity cause inflammation in your small intestine. Over time this inflammation can destroy the lining of your intestine, which can cause all kinds of trouble. It's not just a simple matter of, I eat something, my stomach hurts, it passes, and I'm better. The lining of your intestine is responsible for nutrient absorption. If it's disrupted, the effect is malabsorption. Inflammation in your gut can also change the way your intestines move waste, which means you can end up intermittent diarrhea and constipation.

Why does it take so long to heal? If you remember from  health class... way back when... your small intestine is about 20 feet long with a surface area equal to about 2 tennis courts. That's a lot of area to cover! So, not only do food issues cause inflammation (that can last for days or even months), destroy the lining and ability for the intestine to move properly, but it also disrupts the balance of good bacterial in your gut. All of these things take time to restore. Not to mention, some offending proteins can take a long time to be fully removed from your system.

So what happens if you just decide to "deal with it" and continue eating as you have all your life? I mean, why change now, right? Well the problem is, aside from all extremely unpleasant side effects mentioned above, prolonged inflammation can put us at higher risk for cancers and immune disorders. How's that for a reason?

Bottom line, if you've had on-going stomach issues, see your doctor. You don't have to feel sick all the time, and if you have a known food issue... take care of it. Trust me, I know it's not easy, but it's well worth the hassle.


WebMd
GI Health
DiagnosTechs
Body Ecology

Chicken Tapenade

I apologize for not having a picture of the dish.

This dish came about one night when I was searching the cupboards for something different to make. I literally made this with whatever I had on hand, so feel free to add or subtract as you wish. 

Ingredients

1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 bottle Italian salad dressing

1 - 4oz can chopped black olives

1 - 4oz can mushrooms chopped

1/4 cup green olives chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped

Gluten free bread crumbs

Oregano 

Garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Pound out the chicken to about 1/4 inch thickness and place in a shallow pan. Cover with Italian dressing and allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes. Combine olives, mushrooms, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Place a few spoonfuls of the tapenade mixture on the chicken and roll up (you may want to place a toothpick through the chicken to hold it together). Season breadcrumbs with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. I just give the bread crumbs a generous sprinkling of these seasonings. Since the chicken was soaked in dressing you shouldn't need to dip it in egg or milk (I'm allergic to both so I don't use them). Coat with bread crumbs and place in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

*Optional additions:

If egg and dairy are ok for you, add a little parmesan cheese to the tapenade and breadcrumb mixture. Either egg or parmesan will help bind the tapenade if you're worried about it being too loose. Chopped artichoke hearts and capers make nice additions to the tapenade as well.

Drunken Chicken Recipe

From Balanced Platter

This recipe has a lot of ingredients, but sounds awesome! The original site has some great information about the benefits of garlic. Check it out!


Ingredients:
¼ lb Organic Bacon (nitrite free), cut into ½ inch pieces (such as Applegate Farms)
3 lb bone-in, skin-on organic chicken pieces
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
½ tsp pepper, or more to taste
1 tablespoon: olive oil
1: large organic yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 pound: organic carrots, sliced diagonally in 1 inch pieces
8 ounces: artichoke hearts, in water, drained
½ cup: fresh organic mushrooms, left whole (I used Baby Bella’s)
1 ½ cup: dry white wine 
(I used an organic white from Napa, however, you can use a 12 oz bottle of gluten free beer instead of the wine – lends an awesome flavor if you are not sensitive to yeast)
½ lb organic fingerling potatoes, halved OR Sweet Potatoes cut into 2 inch cubes
1 ¼ cups: gluten-free organic chicken stock, or homemade bone broth
2 teaspoons: fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons: fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1: bay leaf
10: cloves organic garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup: green onions, sliced white and green parts
3 cups: brown rice or quinoa, cooked

FRIENDLY FRIDAYS: Joe's Crab Shack

I've been a fan of Joe's since my first visit back around 2001 in Austin, TX. Obviously, if you have a seafood allergy, this is not the place for you, but Joe's has a great line of steampots and other tasty dishes. So, how does this establishment stack up for those of us avoiding wheat/gluten? Surprisingly well. As with most restaurants (especially chains) their food is all prepared in one common kitchen, and they do have a statement possible contamination from other food products. You can download a PDF version of their menus including their gluten free menu and nutritional information from their website under "Menu" (duh).

The good news? All of their Steampots and Buckets of Crab are gluten free. They mention the simply steamed and garlic herb versions in the individual descriptions, but list all the seasonings on the gluten free menu. I would ask a manager before choosing a different seasoning. I was able to find out from a forum on Celiac.com that Old Bay Seasoning is gluten free. I was also able to dig up a post on myglutenfreenj.com that actually has an email from Joe's Crab Shack stating what items were gluten free.

Obviously steer clear of their fried menu items as they're battered and therefore have wheat, but honestly, their gluten free options are also their healthier options anyway. 

Keep in mind that they do serve and prepare a lot of items with butter, so if you're allergic to dairy be sure to talk to your server about your options.

Oral Immunotherapy & Egg Allergies

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease released an article on the 18th summarizing a recent study on the effect of oral immunotherapy in children and adolescents with severe egg allergies. There were only 55 children in the study, which is a rather small sample size. The control group consisted of 15 children who were given a placebo (cornstarch) and the other 40 children were given increasingly larger doses of egg white powder over a period of 2 years. They were tested at 10 months, 22 months, and 24 months. At 10 months 55% of the children in the test group passed an egg challenge test. At 22 months they retested the children who passed the first challenge. 75% of those children had no reaction to eating egg. The children were then taken off the therapy entirely for 2 months and tested again. Eleven children passed the third challenge and continued to have no reaction a year later. So what does this all mean? Roughly 25% of the test subjects given the therapy had lasting effects. This study does indicate that oral immunotherapy could be a possible treatment for some people with egg allergies, but seeing as how their sample size was small and the odds are 3 to 1 that it won't work, I hope this means they will continue to test and perfect their methods.
You can read the full article here: NIAID Article July 18, 2012

15 Allergy Friendly Snack Ideas

I'm gearing up for a trip in a few weeks, which has my search engines working in overdrive trying to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. I plan on bringing snacks with me to have on the plane, but what exactly? Here are some ideas for allergy free snacks that travel well!

1. Make your own bag of allergy free trail mix with your favorite allergy free cereals, dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, or yogurt drops. 
2. Fresh fruit
3. Apples or celery with peanut, almond, or sunflower butter
4. Rice crackers
5. Lentil chips
6. Potato chips
7. Jerky (be sure to read the ingredients)
8. Pumpkin seeds
9. Popcorn
10. KIND nut and fruit bars
11. Breakfast Bars (get the recipe here)
12. Rice or popcorn cakes (caramel is my personal favorite)
13. Wasabi Peas
14. Cherry tomatoes (believe it or not, they're pretty travel hardy & don't need to be kept cool)
15. Roasted Chickpeas (get the recipe here)

Gluten Free Noodle Debate

There are a few different gluten free pastas out there. I have tried King Soba, Sam Mills, Thai Kitchen, and Tinkyada brands. Some were better than others and price point definitely plays a part in my decision, but here's what I think about these gluten free options.

King Soba is my favorite spaghetti type pasta. I've tried the brown rice, brown rice & wakame, black rice, buckwheat, and sweet potato buckwheat varieties. Admittedly, the color of some of these can be a little off-putting, but it was fun freaking out my husband with black noodles in our spaghetti! I honestly didn't notice a huge difference in the flavors. Perhaps that was because I had them with various sauces that masked their individual flavors. I can get these noodles for around $1.99 a package at my grocery store (HEB), which is a pretty good deal. These noodles cook up quickly and can be easily overcooked... which turns them to mush, so take care when cooking them.

Sam Mills produces a great corn pasta that is gluten free, egg free, dairy free, cholesterol free, and has a low glycemic index. This line of pasta is my newest find. It has a great texture, especially if you're looking for a good hardy pasta for some comfort food. They offer a variety of pasta shapes and at $1.99 a bag, this brand is a good buy. See my review, "This Pasta is so Corny" for more information.

Thai Kitchen makes two different pastas, stir-fry rice noodles and thin rice noodles. I bought these in a pinch because I was at a store other than my regular grocery, and the only gluten free offerings they had were a box of... well I honestly couldn't tell you the name because I didn't look any further than the $6.00 price tag before moving on and Thai Kitchen Thin Rice Noodles. They're gluten free, dairy free, and vegan.  These noodles cook up quickly and have a nice smooth, firm texture. The only thing I didn't care for was their size. They're about the thickness of angel hair pasta... not my favorite. Angel hair has always been a bit too stringy for me. Their stir-fry noodles are a bit wider (like a lo mein noodle), which I might have liked better. All in all they're a decent, although I'm sure they're better suited for their intended Asian cuisine. I got mine for about $3.00 a box, which is a little pricey for pasta, but they served their purpose, and I was able to enjoy a nice spaghetti dinner with family and friends.

Tinkyada was the very first rice pasta I ever tried and I have to say it is a great product. The packaging states that it is not mushy, and I have to agree... as long as you cook it properly. Like all rice pastas, it cooks quickly, so don't leave it alone for too long. I have had their brown rice spaghetti, but they offer a wide variety of pasta shapes. They even have brown rice vegetable spirals and a brown rice spinach spaghetti if you like colorful pasta. The only drawback I found to this pasta was it's price. At my grocery it cost around $4.00 a package. If you can find it cheaper, buy it.

Spicy Baked Chickpeas

Another great travel food!
From Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients:
One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Spice blend of your choice

FRIENDLY FRIDAYS: Freebirds

I fell in love with Freebirds when my husband and I lived near Austin, TX. They have great food without the yuppy Chipotle vibe. Now that I have to be careful of what I eat Freebirds has become one of my favorite places to eat! Their website has allergy information under the "Food" tab. You can also find information from this 2008 report from the Dallas Fort Worth Gluten Intolerance Group. If you have problems with wheat and dairy like me, I recommend their tacos. I prefer mine on the soft corn tortillas, but crunchy tacos are another GF option.  Their queso, BBQ sauce, and salsa have wheat in them, but guacamole, pico de gallo, veggies, and hot sauces are all GF! Their allergen list does not include their carnitas or ground beef, but for sure their chicken is safe. Nachos and burrito bowls are another good option for the gluten free diner. Now we have the "Freedom to Choose" at Freebirds!

*Note: All Freebirds foods are prepared in a common kitchen.

Chipotle Turkey Breast

Spice is king in my house and chipotle is one of our favorite flavors. I'm really excited to try this recipe!


This recipe came from Yummly... originally posted on Food.com


Ingredients
2 chipotle peppers (rehydrated stemmed and seeded)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves (peeled)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (fresh ground)
1 tsp olive oil
4-6 lbs turkey breast (fresh)

Allergy Eats

I was soooo excited to stumble upon this website! Allergy Eats is a 2012 About.com Reader's Choice site that allows you to search for restaurants across the country that can accommodate your dietary needs. The site is a peer review site, which means the ratings are given by people like you and me. You can select your allergens and location, and the site will generate a list of eateries in your area with allergy friendliness ratings based on 3 criteria: how comfortable was the rater with the establishment's ability to meet your needs, was the restaurant able to accommodate your needs, and how knowledgeable was the staff about food allergies. You can even view restaurant information like maps and directions, nutrition, ingredients, and allergy information (where availible). 

The site offers dining tips, links to other allergy friendly sites, and has their own blog to share information. If you're planning a trip to Disney World see their Allergy Eats Disney World section! Registration on the site is free and you receive email updates from them as well. BONUS: this site has an APP!!! SCORE!!!

Shop Well

I've always thought this whole food allergy thing would be a whole lot easier if there was an app to help me. I found one or two, but their capabilities were limited, as were their databases. Shop Well is WONDERFUL app and website! The app is free and so is registration on their site! Either part can be used separate from each other, but you can get the most out of their product by using the app and site together.

When you begin (either on the app or the site) you are prompted to create a profile in which you select your dietary needs. There are some preset choices like no gluten, no eggs, less sodium... but if you have a food intolerance or allergy not listed, you can enter in any individual food you choose to avoid.

FRIENDLY FRIDAYS: Chick-Fil-A

We all know fast food is not healthy food, but in my quest for information I'm finding out just how unhealthy it is. I'm also learning how few options there are for people with food allergies. Thankfully Chick-Fil-A has made an effort to make a healthy kid's meal that just so happens to be an allergy free option for many people. Their grilled chicken nuggets are tasty and free from all major allergens. They sell them from the kid's menu in a 4 and 6 count. You can make it a meal by adding waffle fries, a fruit cup, or Buddy Fruit (applesauce in a squeezable pouch). This kids meal is by far the healthiest kid's meal of all the fast food kid's meals, and it was surprisingly filling. 

You can go to Chick-Fil-A's Allergen Information page where they have a quick reference list. The list shows which items contain the major allergens, but there are links for the ingredients of every entry, so you can check for unlisted allergens. I like that they offer it in a printable PDF as well.

Medicine Net

This site has a wide variety of food allergy information. You can find everything from definitions of food allergy and food intolerance, to symptoms, to diagnosis, and treatment. In fact, there are no less than 20 links to articles on the first page alone. Medicine Net is a great resource for anyone who has, suspects, or knows someone with a food allergy.


Medicine Net: Food Allergy Information

TUESDAY'S TIP : Allergy Free Breakfast

I have issues with wheat, oat, rye, dairy, and eggs. Although it's difficult sometimes to plan meals in general, I find that breakfast can be the most challenging. I tend to find two or three foods that work and rotate them, but it gets boring. Some recent reader comments prompted me to seek out some alternatives. Here's what I came up with.



Of course you can always check out your gluten free section of the supermarket and pick up some allergy free frozen waffles, or box mixes for pancakes and such, but be careful to read the ingredients. Not all GF foods are created equal. See my post about "Free From" foods to get some tips on what to look out for. One of my favorites is a buckwheat waffle with honey and peanut or almond butter (you can try sunflower seed butter if you're allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts).