Below, I will steer you to keep your gluten-free eating in check while still celebrating the season with parties, potlucks and family-style meals WITHOUT being a huge pain in the butt.
In an effort to keep this concise and give you bite-sized pieces as your take-away, I have broken this topic down into ten delectable tips.
10 Tips to Not Get Glutened
1. Eat before you go. If you are certain that you won't be able to avoid gluten at a prospective potluck, eat something substantial before you go so you are not starving. Then, hang around the pickled platter!
2. Bring the gluten dishes. If you are concerned that the proposed meal may have some hidden gluten, offer to prepare that dish! Hosts are often grateful for you to take something off their plate. If you know the host and know the potential recipe calls for a gluten-laden product, offer to bring over the gluten free substitute before they start cooking!
3. Chat up your chef. Hang out in the kitchen while your host is putting finishing touches on their meal. Ask questions about ingredients of potential gluten dishes. This is usually not a problem for me since I am usually genuinely curious about the ingredients in a recipe.
4. Steer clear of sauces, dressings, and gravies. This tip can be a challenge because these are some of my favorite things! They also are common culprits of hidden gluten.
5. Keep your drinks simple. Fancy drink mixes can also trick you. Having a simple glass of wine or cider is a safe route.
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6. Host the meal at your house. This one is the most work but if you are a party planner it should be a piece of gluten free cake! Naturally, you will prepare most of the food.
7. When in doubt, don't risk it. Everyone's gluten sensitivities or intolerances are different but most everyone who doesn't eat it are trying to steer clear of unpleasant symptoms as a result. Play it safe and return to Tip #1 of you are worried!
8. G-Free themes. Suggest themes that are more likely to be naturally gluten free (not Italian! :).
9. Read labels. This seems like a no-brainer but often I have been duped by clever marketing (or, more likely, I didn't ready the full ingredient list). One hundred percent rice crackers could have added soy sauce for flavor (not that I would know...)!
10. Be gracious. Respect that many people do not know how or want to cook gluten free and be okay with that (i.e. don't expect gluten free versions of dishes). The good news is more and more people are becoming aware of what gluten is and what foods it is in!
Cheers and Happy Holidays!!
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