After my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease, one of the hardest transitions for us was finding places we could both enjoy on date night. Not only do we have to look for a restaurant with gluten-friendly options. But we have to know how gluten-free friendly they are. And know that we won’t be risking cross-contamination when eating there. There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of enjoying a date night and having to end it early. Because the gluten-free spouse got glutened on date night and consequently, is sick. I’ll do anything to keep gluten from ruining date night!
It puts a damper on date night having to end things early. And I always feel guilty when I’ve taken my husband somewhere that gets him sick. Especially when I thought it was a safe place to eat. If you and/or your spouse are on a gluten-free diet because of gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, or an allergy. I hope these tips will help you enjoy your date nights and have more fun together on your dinner date nights.
Our date nights can’t be quite as spontaneous as they used to be because they always require a bit of extra research. Unless we’re going somewhere we know well or visit regularly, we have to look at menus and allergy information before deciding to eat somewhere. Whenever we’re considering trying a new restaurant or heading to an area we don’t frequent, we look for suggestions on local gluten-free social media groups. We also use the Find Me GF app to look for restaurants and reviews. And do some thorough research on different restaurant websites.
When we went away for our anniversary earlier this year, I wanted to be able to try some new places and have some sort of spontaneity to our adventure. While still knowing that where we were eating would be safe. I spent time searching local Facebook groups for suggestions in the area we would be in. Then I pulled up the gluten-free menus for a bunch of restaurants and looked to see what might appeal to my husband. When it came time to eat, I showed him two or three menus and let him pick which food options sounded best at the time. And then we had a new restaurant to try that we knew would be safe and that we both would enjoy!
Related: How to Support a Spouse with Dietary Restrictions
When I’m doing research online, it’s relatively easy to find gluten-free menus. When we get to the restaurant, a lot of them have gluten-free options labeled on their regular menu. But we’ve found that quite a few have a separate menu you have to ask for. Sometimes we’ve pulled those gluten-free menus up on our phones to refer to. But it’s always easier to ask for the gluten-free menu upfront or when our server comes to get our drink orders. This also helps the server know that we have special dietary restrictions at our table. And they can often give us some great suggestions for what is good or what else might be able to be made gluten-free.
My husband doesn’t like to draw too much attention to his gluten-free lifestyle. And a lot of times he won’t ask the questions he has at a restaurant, ordering something less complicated instead. I’ve started asking the questions that he wonders out loud while looking over the menu. Because I want him to be able to get what he really wants, rather than settling. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about the menu when you’re out to eat! Clarify your options, especially if there isn’t a separate gluten-free menu. You deserve to have great-tasting food, regardless of your dietary restrictions.
Related: 6 Things to do After a Celiac Diagnosis
It takes a lot of extra work to prepare a space and make sure there’s no cross-contamination that occurs. Unless a restaurant has a specific preparation area for their gluten-free food. Because a lot of people choose to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle, not just because of an allergy or intolerance, you’ll often get asked if you are ordering gluten-free because of an allergy. This indicates to the kitchen staff that they need to be extra careful with their food preparation.
If you’re ordering something gluten-free from a regular menu, make sure that you note that you are gluten-free. And if you’re ordering from the gluten-free menu, let the server know that you’re ordering for a food allergy. I know it can feel like you are annoying and over the top. But if you are at a restaurant that practices safe food prep for their gluten-free customers, they understand and want you to have the best experience. It’s important that you get to live your life as normally as possible!
After you’ve done all that you can do, it can still be hard to trust that you’re not going to end up sick. After all, you’re eating out and not in complete control of the food prep. Lucky for you, there is some great technology out there that can help you test any food. Whether it’s at a restaurant or at home, make sure that it’s going to be friendly to your digestive system. These testers come with strips you can use to see if your dish is truly gluten-free or not.
Related: 6 Tips for Eating Out with a Celiac Diagnosis
My husband’s “glutened” symptoms are luckily not too severe. This could be because he’s relatively new to the game and his digestive tract is still healing. So right now it doesn’t affect him quite as much as it might in the future. I know people who are sick almost instantly, and for others, it takes a few hours to set in. My husband says that for him, he gets bloated and feels a bit like a mild case of food poisoning the next morning.
If you do happen to get glutened, it’s important to know what you need to do in order to flush your system quickly. I’ve heard that charcoal pills are a great option. And a few other suggestions have been to take activated charcoal with a lot of water. Probiotics and one of the gluten medications out there like Gluten Ease have also been suggested. These things could salvage your night when gluten is ruining date night.
BONUS: If your spouse is sensitive to gluten, it’s best to avoid kissing each other. Until the spouse who does not eat gluten-free has brushed their teeth and cleaned their mouth really well. I’ve heard of a few couples who have had a kiss at the end of the night be the one thing that ruins date night. Because they don’t think about those other forms of cross-contamination.
I’ve done a lot of work to make my husband’s gluten-free transition as painless as possible. One of the things I’ve tried to do is make sure that he can enjoy food on our date nights as much as I do. Food has always been a big part of our relationship and we enjoy trying new things and new restaurants together. At first, his celiac diagnosis put a damper on things. And we stuck to a small handful of restaurants that we knew had a good gluten-free menu and were safe. Now we get recommendations and discover new places with good food. Where both of us can happily eat without fear of cross-contamination.
What steps do you do to keep gluten from ruining date night?
Related: Super Simple Date Night Idea – Discover a New Restaurant Together
