Eating Out Gluten Free: Is That Pasta Really Gluten Free?

 Quite A Few Positives About Macaroni Grill with 1 Request

 

Today I had scheduled 2 orthodontist appointments (comparing doctors and prices) for my 12 year old daughter.  We had one in the morning and the other late afternoon. 

I knew she was going to want to go out to eat lunch, and I decided that I would take her to Macaroni Grill, as she has been asking for months and months now.  She absolutely loves Macaroni Grill and unfortunately for her, her mother has been avoiding it for quite a while now.

I have only eaten there once since going gluten free.  I had  their delicious salmon and asparagus within a month of cutting gluten completely out of my diet.  It was a time when I still did not understand cross contamination at all.  Both of the items I ate were deemed gluten free and I think I did fine with my meal, but since then I have become leery of eating at places where pasta, bread and pizza are everywhere.

 

 

And I realize I eat at other places where it is everywhere too. But Italian pops into my head, and for some reason my "Gluten Radar" goes into OCD overdrive.

After our first appointment we ran home and I pre-ate. I have been pre-eating a lot lately though, because I am just tired of feeling dizzy and brain foggy and I am afraid it is from eating out.   I am tired of not really knowing if my food has been kept safe from contamination.  I am just tired of playing Russian Roulette.  What helps a great deal is that I am finally at a point where I am no longer irritated by this .. not eating out.  And my new food allergies have taken a little more of the novelty of eating out away. 

 

 

So after eating my bowl of gluten free chili we were off.  I was proud of myself for sticking to my "current plan" and excited for her that I was fulfilling a wish she has not had fulfilled in awhile: Macaroni Grill ~ Pasta and Bread of The G Variety.

 

 

 

A crazy juxtaposition of sorts: I will happily sit by and watch my daughter "eat my poison".

 

 

Once we got to our table, not going into details, I told the waitress that I would be having an iced tea only, while K ordered a garden salad and fettuccine Alfredo.

 

 

 

 

The bread came out first and she was so excited that she had it all to herself  i.e. No older brother to bicker over who got the most or the last glutteny bite. 

 

 

 

And then the manager came over and asked her, "You aren't sharing the bread?"  (here we go)

 

 

 

I quickly went all honest on him.  I told him in my jokey, sarcastic voice, "No, I have a host of food allergies starting with that." 

 

 

He said something such as,"Ah, I understand" and left her to eat. 

 

 

I briefly thought .... he understands that they probably can not accommodate me and just politely left.  One less thing to worry about in the kitchen.

 

 

But I was wrong.  He came back and said, "We probably DO  have something you can eat" and he asked me what my other allergies were.

 

 

"Well here goes nothing.  Gluten and then dairy, next chicken, and then potato and last eggs - The Whole Egg. And prior to the age of 41 I ate all of your meals with few problems (I kept gas and bloating out of the story)   .... And I enjoyed the heck out of them."  I did keep it short, sweet and too the point.

He was such a nice guy and on another day he might have convinced me to play the game of Russian Roulette, but not on this day.  I did appreciate that at no time did he make me feel strange, weird, a freak and he did not feel sorry for me.  

 

 

 

He was a normal, friendly guy and he happily told me what he knows and what Macaroni Grill does to help someone with Celiac Disease or food allergies stay safe. 

 

 

He also listened to me as I told him I just was not willing to take a chance right now.



I appreciated his time, his kindness and his knowledge.

 

 

The Manager's Awareness Concerning Gluten:

1.  Macaroni Grill has trained their staff  to understand cross contamination.

2.  They cook all gluten free pastas (they have a gluten free penne pasta) in their own clean

      pots and with their own utensils. 

3.  They will do all they can to insure cross contamination with gluten will not occur during

      food  preparation.

4.  Presently they have an allergen list on their website and at the hostess stand.  It is also

      available online.  I had checked it out before we went.

5.  Sometime in the near future, possibly later this year, they will be coming out with a more

     extensive gluten free menu. 

6.  He was very aware that some eat gluten free just to eat gluten free and not for their

      health. He actually brought this up on his own.

I really was impressed that he knew as much as he did and even more importantly that he wanted to reassure me that they would take care of me if I decided at another date to eat there.

 

 

And in the past I would have taken what he said and felt good enough to say, "Ok, go ahead and bring me a big bowl of Gluten Free Pasta!" 

 

 

 

But, I am now entering into my second year of being Gluten Free.  My two year birthday was actually on February 24th and I some how forgot about it.  That's not a bad thing. I'm no longer mourning gluten and I am no longer making all of the mistakes I was still making last year at this time.  I no longer eat foods that share equipment with wheat. I won't allow anyone else to cook for me except my immediate family and even then sometimes I am very leery.  I have become a descent cook and sometimes halfway descent baker. 

 

 

 

Now, I stop, pause and research as much as I can.  And I am not afraid of speaking up, having someone fix something or just deciding I am not ok with and not eating at a restaurant.  Having back up snacks in my car or in my purse  is a given now.

So when we got home, I starting googling Macaroni Grill and gluten free and this is what I found.

 

 

 

I came across an article review on Carla's Gluten Free Recipe Box, where she explains that, "The brand they use is Heartland. Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Mono and Diglycerides. PROCESSED IN A FACILITY THAT USES WHEAT, EGG AND SOY."  And she stated that they test their products to be under 20 ppm for gluten. 



To note:  Carla reported on having a great gluten free meal at Macaroni Grill with no issues.

 

 

 

 

I was wishing I had asked what kind of pasta it was before we left, so I am glad I came across Carla's blog post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At home, while we do have gluten in our house, as my family does not have to be gluten free, all the products that I buy are processed in gluten free facilities.  I want my food to be 100% gluten free.  Yes, I am OCD  maybe, but maybe not. We also eat gluten free meals together as a family.  There is no double cooking at dinner time.

 

 

And for me Gluten Free should be 100% not have some traces of it.  20 ppm?   Nope, I would rather have 0 ppm.
 

 

 

 

 Poison is poison. Rat poison is poison in any amount and to me so is gluten.  There are people who react to smaller amounts than 20 ppm.  Am I one of those?  I am not sure, but I am certain that I feel better when I don't purchase foods that share equipment or facilities.

 

 

 

 

 

From Carla's article, I went to the Heartland Pasta website and found the following information:

1.  Heartland does not have a dedicated facility.

2.  Heartland does make sure that all ingredients have come from certified gluten free

      grains.

3.  Heartland does mix and load these ingredients into dedicated containers.

4.  Heartland does prewash equipment and surfaces and inspect to verify this.

5.  Heartland tests all gluten free pastas to insure they are under the 20 ppm proposed level.

6.  Heartland stops manufacturing for 30 minutes prior to gluten free production to

     guarantee the absence of any airborne residuals from the production line. 

 

 

I am glad that Heartland tests and is following the "Proposed Guidelines".  And maybe I would be fine eating their pasta.  Would I be happy if they tested to 10ppm...Maybe, maybe not. 


For many this testing should be very reassuring and is fine.  I know that this is the amount of gluten doctors have determined is a safe level for us.



And understand that this is a decision I made:  I don't want to eat pasta that is produced on shared equipment and I don't want to eat pasta from a company that thinks that airborne particles will be gone in 30 minutes.  From everything I have read ~ Flour can remain in the air for several hours not just 30 minutes.

 

 

The following is from The Americanceliac.org  Site concerning airborne gluten containing flours:

"Wheat flour can stay airborne for many hours in a bakery (or at home) and contaminate exposed preparation surfaces and utensils or uncovered gluten-free products. Likewise, foods not produced in a gluten-free environment have the potential to be contaminated with gluten. This may occur when machinery or equipment is inadequately cleaned after producing gluten-containing foods. Food manufacturers are required to abide by Good Manufacturing Practices outlined in the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations, to reduce the risk of contamination in manufacturing. Let common sense be your guide."

 

 

 

 

There are so many things restaurants still have to learn about cross contamination in their kitchens.  I have blogged about it before .....   Here , Here and Here.

 

 

 

I am glad that Macaroni Grill has trained their managers to understand about cross contamination. 

 

 

 

 

I wish though that they would understand that for many of us dealing with either Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance, using a pasta that shares equipment and a facility is not enough for us.   We are worried enough when eating out and would rather not have to worry about that.

 It is not difficult for me to find pasta and rice that is not produced in a shared facility and (I'm speaking for the masses) many of us would appreciate it if you would take the time out to do the same.

 

It really makes me wonder about other restaurant's gluten free products......


I know I am taking a chance every time I walk into a restaurant.  One thing I would like to not have to think about is verifying that the restaurant's products purchased are produced in a gluten free facility. 

 

 

Here are questions we should be asking restaurants:

 

What kind of rice do you use?

 

What kind of gluten free pasta do you use?

 

 

What kind of gluten free bread do you use?

 

 

What kind of corn tortillas or chips do you use?

 

 

And are any of them produced on shared equipment or produced in shared facilities?

 

 

 

 

How do you feel about eating gluten free products that are produced in shared facilities?  I would love to hear from you.