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Review: Gluten-Free at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

P.F. Chang’s is somewhat known for their gluten-free menu. Celiacs count on P.F. Chang’s because they are a nationwide chain with restaurants in many major cities. Traveling celiacs can search for the nearest safe chain restaurant when visiting friends, family, or traveling for work. Check out these favorites from P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.

The egg drop soup is a lightly seasoned soup with mild but good flavors. The soup is thicker than one might expect, more like a thickened broth than a thin, watery soup. This is a great treat for lunch on a chilly day. Have a cup before the meal or a bowl to share with friends, either way, it is a nice treat.

friedriceforDE

Fried rice is a new addition to the gluten-free menu at P.F. Chang’s. Like most Chinese restaurants, fried rice can be ordered with your choice of meat. The veggies are a nice addition, as are the fried egg pieces. This dish is a great reminder of the days with traditional Chinese food before gluten was something to worry about. P.F. Chang’s has gluten-free soy sauce for dishes like these, and for the table, so you can add it to your favorite dishes as you wish.

The Singapore Street Noodles is a great dish, made with thin, gluten-free rice noodles, chicken, and shrimp. The noodles are a great treat for celiacs who are used to skipping noodles at commercial restaurants. The sauce is mild and flavorful, with a light spice and sweet note.

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The Chang’s Spicy Chicken is a favorite. The chicken is lightly dusted with gluten-free flour and fried. This dish is actually naturally gluten-free, meaning it is always gluten-free, even on the regular menu! (I order it with broccoli, it does not normally come with broccoli). Also, note that the dish has P.F. Chang’s logo stamped on the edge. The “regular” or gluten-filled dishes are served on plain white dishes. Gluten-free meals are served on these dishes with the P.F. Chang’s logo. This is just another way to be sure you are getting the safe, gluten-free version of the dish you have ordered.

The chocolate dome is a fantastic dessert unique to P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. The dome is served chilled, and is a flourless, almost fudge-like dessert, with no cake-like texture. It is more like a rich, sweet fudge mold. The dish is garnished with berries and raspberry sauce. The sour sauce is a great compliment to the sweetness of the chocolate fudge. This dessert may look small, but the rich flavor makes it more than enough for one, and maybe more than enough for two! If you do share, be sure to cut it in half and avoid eating after someone who has not been gluten-free at the meal. It is terrible to contaminate your own meal with the shared dessert at the end!

You can check out the P.F. Chang’s China Bistro gluten-free menu.

What are the Most Common Gluten-Free Myths?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

It is extremely unfortunate that so much misinformation is floating around in cyberspace regarding the gluten-free diet. It is quite understandable that the problem exists since in the past some things were noted to contain gluten and were later proven to be gluten-free. That explains much of the bad information out there. Making matters worse is that people find this incorrect information online, believe it to be true (it’s on the internet so it must be so), and spread it to others who don’t know any better either.

Below are ingredients that are often misunderstood, regarding their gluten-free status, by those on the gluten-free diet. While some of the items listed were not allowed on the gluten-free diet in the past, research by celiac experts, governments, and the food industry have found them to be gluten-free and acceptable for people with celiac or gluten intolerance. The italicized text indicates the latest information regarding these ingredients from celiac experts and organizations.

  1. Grain alcohol– Food scientists have confirmed that the distillation process removes the gluten protein from the final product. There is no residual gluten in distilled alcohols or distilled vinegar derived from gluten-containing grains. These products are allowed on a gluten-free diet. Pure, distilled vodka, scotch, bourbon, whisky, gin, rum, and tequila are gluten-free – to name a few. We do not have to drink corn, soy, or potato vodka. 
  2. Blue cheese– The Canadian Celiac Association [CCA] has recently investigated a variety of blue cheese on the market and found that very few are made using bread mold, and when they are, the test results completed by Health Canada found no detectable levels of gluten in the final product.
  3. Instant and Decaf coffee– These do not generally contain gluten. However, some flavored specialty coffee and tea may contain barley malt flavoring which is not gluten-free.
  4. Natural flavors; flavors – According to flavor manufacturing companies and expert scientists, flavors generally do not contain gluten. Two exceptions are: a) hydrolyzed wheat protein [this must be declared on a label as “hydrolyzed wheat protein” and not “flavor”] and b) barley malt flavoring or extract [almost always declared as “barley malt flavoring” or “barley malt extract” and not just “flavoring”]. **Legally barley does not have to be listed as an ingredient in the U.S., so if you don’t know the manufacturer’s policy on labeling, you might want to question this ingredient. Kraft, Conagra, Unilever, General Mills, Campbell’s, Sara Lee, and Hain Celestial (and some other companies) will mark ALL forms of gluten on the label, regardless of the labeling law. Over 90% of the products in mainstream grocery stores are made by one of the above-listed companies that will not hide gluten in any form on their product labels. For instance, if you see “natural flavors” on a product made by Kraft, but do not see the terms wheat, rye, barley, or oats on the label, the product is gluten-free.
  5. Spices with declumping agents– Although an anti-caking agent may sometimes be added to spices, it is usually silicon dioxide, calcium silicate, or sodium aluminum silica and not wheat four or wheat starch according to research by Shelley Case, RD. It should be noted that “seasonings” are different than “spices”. Seasonings are a blend of spices and/or herbs along with a carrier agent that may contain wheat flour or wheat starch. If either of those two ingredients is the added carrier agent, it would render whatever it is NOT gluten-free.  
  6. Ground spices– (Refer to # 5 above).
  7. Vanilla and vanilla extract– Vanilla and vanilla extracts do not contain gluten, though the extract is often distilled from grain (wheat) alcohol. (Refer to # 1 above).
  8. Grain vinegar- Although vinegar may come from wheat, the distillation process removes the wheat protein and the final product does not contain gluten.
  9. Cheese– Most cheese is gluten-free. Some seasoned shredded cheese may contain seasonings with wheat flour, wheat starch, or hydrolyzed wheat protein.
  10. Gluten-free spirits– (Refer to # 1 above). Malted beverages, such as wine coolers, are not gluten-free. This is assuming the malt comes from barley, which it generally does.
  11. Ketchup– Ketchup is made with distilled vinegar and is gluten-free, unless the label states wheat on it, which is rare (Refer to # 1 above).
  12. Artificial color– There is no evidence that artificial colors contain gluten.
  13. Stamps and envelopes– The manufacturers of stamps and envelopes state that gluten-containing grains are not used in the production of these items. Cornstarch is the most commonly used ingredient.
  14. Citric Acid– An organic acid obtained through yeast or bacterial fermentation of glucose/dextrose derived corn, beet sugar, molasses, and rarely wheat. The manufacturing process renders citric acid gluten-free regardless of the source.
  15. MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)- A flavor enhancer produced through the fermentation of molasses from sugar cane, corn, or sugar beets. MSG manufactured in North America is safe. However, when it is manufactured in Asia, wheat may occasionally be used in the fermentation process. U.S. labeling regulations now require that wheat be declared when used in the manufacturing of MSG. If this is the case, the label will identify MSG (wheat).

If any of the above items bother you for any reason, by all means, don’t consume them. Many people don’t realize they have more than one food intolerance. Therefore, they assume that every time they don’t feel well after they’ve eaten, they have inadvertently consumed gluten. That is not always the case. Personally, I’ve met people who can’t tolerate dairy, soy, corn, rice, eggs, shellfish, and even carrots – in addition to gluten. Many of them took a while to figure out that all their problems were not related to gluten.

References:

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Gluten-Free Halloween Candy

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

As we continue to crawl through the month of October and the leaves begin to fall, it is only natural that our attention turns toward the upcoming Halloween holiday at the end of the month. For those who have children with celiac disease, preparing ahead of time for Halloween can be particularly important!

If your child plans to successfully participate in the candy collection on Halloween, you’ll want to make sure you stock up on a number of gluten-free candies at your home. This way when your child goes out and collects a bag full of candy (many of which will contain gluten), you can exchange them for gluten-free candies that your child can safely consume.

If you are wanting to learn about which candy is confirmed to be gluten-free, Alison of Sure Foods Living has recently published a great resource of gluten-free Halloween candy which can be viewed here. This list is quite large, so if you plan to print it, you may want to instead visit their quick list which is truncated a bit for quicker and easier reading.

While viewing these candy lists, the first thing you’ll probably notice is that there is a large selection of candy available, so you’ll have a bunch of options to choose from. At our house, we’ll be sticking with the classics this season, including M&M’s, peanut butter cups, and of course Snickers (avoid if you need to be nut-free obviously). What are your favorite Halloween candies?

Celiac Support Group 101: Helpful Hints

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

Most celiac or gluten-free support groups are run by a dedicated few who pour their heart and soul into making the group everything they think it can be. These dedicated leaders often spend their own money trying to provide newsletters, drinks at meetings, and countless hours emailing members. Here are a few tips to help your support group run a little smoother, even if you can’t get 15 dedicated volunteers to help.

1. Keep it simple. Don’t try to do too much at one time or one meeting. If you know that you can book a speaker and bring drinks, then leave it at that. You don’t have to do 10 things at the meeting. If you have a theme planned, then stick with that theme. If you want to have a meeting in October for Halloween, discuss safe Halloween candy and gluten-free versions of traditional Halloween treats. Leave cookbook announcements for another event. This makes it easier for you, your volunteers, and your members.

2. Keep it short. A 2-hour meeting can benefit a new member who has a ton of questions but may lose the 10-year veteran who has heard all of this information before. A teacher once said “The mind will only hear as much as the butt will endure” so keep the lectures and talks to a tolerable length. Even the most interesting information isn’t interesting when you are thinking “man, I really have to pee…” Break it up with a snack or change in focus, such as Q and A time.

3. Keep it cheap. Don’t spend a ton of your own money trying to offer snacks and drinks. If you have seasoned, dedicated members, ask if someone will volunteer to make cookies or brownies. If that isn’t an option see if you can get the snacks donated by a local trusted restaurant. Better yet, contact gluten-free companies like Pamela’s, Kinnikinnick, Bob’s Red Mill, and countless others, and ask for donations for group picnics or big events. Many times they will send cookies, hamburger buns, or mixes. These are free to the group, so you don’t have to spend your own money. This is also great advertising for the company. If your local grocery stores don’t carry Pamela’s cookies (for example) then your support group members don’t know how great the mini simple bite cookies are! Asking the company to donate a couple of bags for your meeting opens the group to new gluten-free product options.

4. Keep it easy. To avoid burnout, find easy ways to do things. If you have a support group with a lot of members, then emailing is both cheaper and easier than snail mail (and much easier than calling). To make an announcement via blast email you will need a program or non-spam way of emailing a large group of people. Services like Constant Contact and Vertical Response offer mass email with a few clicks. There will be some learning up-front, but when you know the ropes, you will be able to pass along a note about a meeting in less than 5 minutes. Constant Contact offers non-profit pricing, and Vertical Response offers per-email pricing (cheaper for fewer email contacts). There are other services available, just beware of scams and companies that seem too good to be true.

5. Keep it realistic. Think about how you find information, and what you want to have available when you want to look up something. Most of us look to the internet to research a restaurant before we go, check the menu online, and maybe get directions. Consider having a website for your group so the members can do the same thing. When it is easy to look up a meeting time or location the members are more likely to attend. They won’t remember the announcement from the last meeting, but they will remember the website, and check it for updates and news. Yahoo groups, WordPress blogs, Facebook pages, and professional web pages are all options. Spend as much or as little as you like (WordPress blogs are free, as are Facebook pages, and many others). The point is to have your information on the web, where most people look for information these days.

These are just a few helpful hints to get you thinking about how to keep your volunteer work easy and hopefully less stressful. Look for more support group tips and tricks coming soon.

Not All Gluten-Free Menus are Created Equal – Even Within the Same Chain

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

In the past, I’ve had incredible gluten-free meals at the Margaritaville locations in Orlando and Panama City Beach, FL. When down in PCB last weekend for a wedding, I was thrilled to find out that the Margaritaville there finally had a gluten-free menu. We were meeting friends for dinner and the evening was more about catching up with them, than having a fabulous meal. Still, I thought it would be nice to have a burger with a bun and fries at the least gluten-free friendly area in the entire Southeast.

The joke about Panama City is that they are five years behind the rest of the world. This is fine if you don’t have to eat gluten-free and want to live in a very laid-back place that has no change of seasons. Personally, I can’t imagine not having seasons, after having moved away from the Florida panhandle over twenty years ago. And since I do eat gluten-free, this is the last place I’d choose to go on vacation. We were there to attend a wedding and I can survive a weekend not eating like gluten-free royalty for one trip a year.

I usually do my homework and thought I’d covered my bases before arriving in Margaritaville. We were so excited to see our friends that we made it to the table without asking for a gluten-free menu. My husband went back up front to get one and was told to ask the server for it. The server said they didn’t have a gluten-free menu. I let him know that according to three people we’d spoken with, they did indeed have one and to ask a manager to help him find it.

The confused server returned with something that looked like they might have just written and printed up in the back on the spot. I say this because there was a typo on it, and under “Nachos” it said – no queso, no sour cream. Here is a hint – if you find a place listing dairy as unsafe, they might not know what gluten-free means. In this case, we could not get to the bottom of the sour cream question because we didn’t want to ruin the evening by holding up ordering in the busiest restaurant on the beach.

I ordered a cheeseburger with no bun, which was not even on the gluten-free menu. The server was able to confirm it was gluten-free, without a bun. When our meals finally arrived, there was no cheese on my burger so it had to go back. I passed on the server’s offer to bring the cheese on the side – I think he must be new to the service industry. My meal was fine and most importantly, it was indeed gluten-free. The fries at that location are not safe but the dirty rice is.

So, I had the most boring meal of the three-day trip that night, which was fine as we were not there for a dining experience in the first place. It should be said that the others at our party all enjoyed their meals. I’d recommend the PCB Margaritaville location if you don’t have any dietary restrictions – no doubt!

After a fun visit with old friends, we parked in the overflow lot across from our hotel and noticed the Boar’s Head sign about twenty yards away. When we visited Panama City years ago, we loved eating at the Boar’s Head. It has been there for over 30 years and has always had exceptional food. In other words, it’s unlike most tourist trap places in the area. Because I’d not found a safe dessert throughout the trip, I suggested we stroll on over and find out if the Boar’s Head had any gluten-free desserts.

To our great surprise, the hostess knew off the top of her head that both the chocolate mousse and lemon creme brulee were gluten-free. We were seated in the fairly dead restaurant and decided on the mousse for me and bread pudding for my husband. Both desserts were excellent it was the perfect end to a nice trip that wasn’t overly exciting in terms of gluten-free dining options.

The moral of the story for me is that I should not assume that every location of a chain with a gluten-free menu has the same gluten-free menu. If no doctors know how to diagnose celiac disease in an area, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a gluten-free knowledgeable community – especially in the dining scene.

The next time we’re in the area, we’ll be having dinner at the Boar’s Head. We would have been much better off going there, where there is no gluten-free menu, than going to Margaritaville which had one not worth offering.

This is the first time we’ve experienced the same chain offering different gluten-free menus at different locations. Please let us know if you know of other places that do the same.