“At first I thought ‘Oh my god, I’m not going to be able to eat anything,’” Beedle says. “But that’s not true.”
Gluten is found in wheat and other grains, but it also shows up in unexpected places like soy sauce, salsa, bouillon, pasta sauce, sour cream, catsup and beer. Often times it is slipped into sauces or disguised on labels as natural flavoring. But as more people are adopting gluten-free diets, chefs and food professionals have become better able to accommodate diners who need to avoid gluten.
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, one in … Americans have this disease, which is triggered by gluten consumption and results in a variety of unpleasant and life-threatening symptoms. Many people with the disease have never been diagnosed and many others don’t have the disease but are allergic to gluten.
“You have to question your server as to how things are prepared,” says Paula Raleigh, who chairs the Portland Celiac Support Group. “As an example, the IHOP restaurants put pancake batter in scrambled eggs. There are also cross-contamination issues in many kitchens. I think it’s easier to go to locally-owned restaurants where the chefs are making their own sauces from scratch, because they know what ingredients they’re using.”
A handful of chain restaurants have introduced gluten-free menus in recent years, and grocery stores have greatly expanded their gluten-free offerings. In Portland, Shay’s Grill & Pub just added a gluten-free beer to its menu, and the PepperClub (which doubles as The Good Egg Cafe in the morning) always has four to five gluten-free items on the menu.
“Wheat-free, dairy-free, no nuts, we get all sorts of people here,” says PepperClub owner Mary Paine, who is always happy to accommodate customers who eat gluten-free.