Time for change!

Most people can go into a restaurant and order whatever is on the menu without issues. They say they do not have allergies to any foods, so they eat everything. The fact is that many people do have allergies or sensitivities to certain foods, but since they have not changed their eating habits and have not eliminated any foods from their diet, they just do not know about it. There is a saying that is very relevant here: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!! Think about the way our food has changed so much in the past 20 years. There has been so much genetic modification to the original foods that we as a collective group are no longer able to digest certain foods. There is a great increase of gluten intolerance and celiac disease due to this change in our food chain. Also a culprit is the dairy we consume. I once worked at a local retail store and talked to a Hutterite man about the cattle they raise and sell. I asked if the colony ate the meat they produce and send to market. He said with a huge exclamation "NO WAY! We have a separate bunch of cattle that we do not inject with anything and that is what we eat."

Think about that for a minute. The colony produces beef for sale to us, the public, but they DO NOT eat this meat! Why you might ask? For many reasons. There are so many antibiotics injected to the cattle so they do not get sick. This is a preventative measure and the cheapest to the cattleman growing these animals. Also, there are growth hormones injected into every animal to FORCE them to grow bigger faster so they can get to market and the rancher get his dollar return. When you consume this meat, and dairy products made from these cattle, you are consuming their antibiotics and their growth hormones. Have you noticed the smell of beef that is commercially raised this way? Pay attention the next time you cook this meat. You will think that is the way it always smells, so it must be ok. But I challenge all of you to stop buying this meat for one shopping trip and buy instead, if you must eat meat, the organic selections. Cook up a package of organic grown ground beef and you will definitely notice a HUGE difference in the smell and taste of this meat! First off, there is NO SMELL! Second, the taste is so much better than regular beef. And knowing that it is grown WITHOUT all the junk, you know you are getting quality meat.

I have been gluten intolerant and allergic to dairy products all my life, but I did not know how badly until I stopped eating them. When I tell people that I eat gluten and dairy free, they get sad and say how hard it must be for me to eat. Let me put this to rest for you right now. It is NOT hard to eat without gluten and dairy! There are so many alternatives for dairy now that I do not need to get myself sick to have the same type of foods. Same with gluten. Producers have come a long way in making good tasting, quality gluten free products. I find that I am healthier now than I was when I lived at home. I have done a lot of research on the subject and I have come up with a great eating plan. I continue to create new recipes and love my alternative food choices. When I cook for friends and family, they all love the foods I make. The hard part is going out to eat at a restaurant so I can have a break from cooking, or for special occasions. Even going to eat at a family's house is difficult because no one else in my family eats the way I do. I now bring my own food to other people's houses if I know there will be nothing for me to eat. However, that is a little harder to do in a restaurant.

I find it frustrating that the chef's at these fine Lethbridge restaurants DO NOT educate themselves with gluten and dairy free cooking so they can provide a pleasurable dining experience for ALL their customers. The menus that say gluten free usually contain salads with a chicken breast, some soups, a rice dish perhaps, and usually, almost always, NO DESSERT! I can eat this way at home, and when I am out I like to have something other than salad. Why is it that because we have a special way of eating, which is much healthier for us, we are not priviledged to the same type of food? There are a few select restaurants in Lethbridge that DO have gluten and dairy free options, but the cost of the food offered is considerably more than regulare fare. The restaurants I have gone to that offer a good selection for gluten free dining are:

Mocha Cabana - gluten free options (with $2 or $3 more), and also gluten and dairy free dessert (Screamin Bros. coconut ice cream with a warm gluten free brownie) Delish!

Boston Pizza - gluten free crust, only one size which is square and slightly bigger than kids pizza ($4 more for gluten free) but they DO NOT have dairy free options. The funny part of this story is that Jim (from Dragon's Den), has a wife that is celiac. You would think that he would certainly make more options available since he is familiar with the gluten issue.

Bread Milk and Honey - downtown in place of Round Street Cafe. They do offer a few gluten and dairy free options, but they are really pricey! For a sandwich you build yourself and a tea, you are easily spending $20, and you are certainly NOT FULL! This is very frustrating. They do, however, offer gluten free granola with fruit and greek yogurt for breakfast, as well as a bacon wrapped egg. You can also order an omellete which comes with cheese and salsa, but that too is expensive. Just for adding toast you add $3, and if it needs to be gluten free you add on another $2.

These are some of the restaurants I have visited lately that stick in my mind. With the ever-increasing gluten intolerant people and the increasing number of people allergic to dairy, or choosing not to eat dairy, you really have to pay a high price. It is because of this that I usually eat at home. I wonder what the restaurant woud do if I DID TAKE MY OWN FOOD! That would certainly be a topic for discussion. I may have to try this sometime. Since this bothers me so much, I feel it is my job to work with these restaurants and perhaps help them adjust their thinking, and help them expand on their menu to be a more friendly restaurant.

If you know of a restaurant that serves gluten free food and has dairy alternatives as well, and you would like to share this information with others, please leave your comments after this post. I would like to build a community of people that can help make a difference where we live. Let me know what you find and I will pass it on. Thanks and have an amazing and healthy day!