Accidental ingestion of a small amount of gluten.

[LMar]

Today I ate out at a restaurant with a girlfriend. Prior to ordering my meal, I explained I was on an elimination diet to try and determine the culprit in a food allergy. I explained the rules. Then, based on their recommendation, I ordered chicken with Veges (sautéed in EVOO). The dish was usually served with rice, but they left it out.

To my surprise, when it was served, it came in a broth. I didn't eat it, but noticed it looked a little "silky" and I thought it might contain flour of some kind as a thickener. I called back the waitress and asked if there was flour or sugar in the broth. She checked with the kitchen and gave it the thumbs up - no flour or sugar in the broth.

I began eating my meal by taking a small bite (about a thumbnail) of the chicken, when two waitresses came running back to our table. They told me the chicken had been dusted with flour before cooking. After assuring them that I was not about to go into anaphylaxis, they took the meal away and brought me a freshly prepared option with plain, naked, grilled chicken.

My questions:

1. Could this small serving, a light dusting of flour on a thumbnail of chicken, reset my elimination on gluten to day 1?

2. The allergy symptoms I'm trying to assess are nasal congestion....when I got home, no nasal congestion, but I was belching a lot. I'm on Day 7, and belching has not happened on any of the prior days. Is gluten intolerance known to cause belching?

Thanks in advance.

[Tom Denham]

Whether you slipped under a measurable amount of gluten or not is impossible to say. Whether you escaped unaffected is impossible to say. Your story illustrates how pervasive trouble making ingredients are in commercial kitchens and how commonly misinformation is communicated to customers. 

 

If I were you, I would keep going. I would worry that I had been tainted by exposure and add an extra week to my Whole30 just to be sure I was getting 30 days in a row without gluten. I would be angry and sad that perfection is so impossible to reach and then I would forget about it. Or maybe I would just keep going.  

[LMar]

Thanks Tom,

I treid to learn from it...how can I ask better questions. It's fairly easy for me to see legumes or dairy (mostly), but flour/sugar are often added in an invisible way. I'll ask next time if they dredge the protein in flour of any kind or add sugar to broths they are making etc.

Now, the next day, I can laugh about the site of the two waitresses running toward my table with panic on their faces.

[GFChris]

I treid to learn from it...how can I ask better questions. It's fairly easy for me to see legumes or dairy (mostly), but flour/sugar are often added in an invisible way. I'll ask next time if they dredge the protein in flour of any kind or add sugar to broths they are making etc.

 

What you said is what to do.  

 

I've been living gluten-free for 8 years.  Over time, I've learned to ask the questions.  The more specific the better. So yes, ask if the protein has been dusted/dredged with flour or if it's coated in anything.  Soups, unless it's gazpacho, I usually avoid while dining out - too difficult to ensure it's ok.  Sauces, seasonings, dressings and marinades are all potential culprits for gluten and other nasties: ask about the specific item vs a general - does this contain gluten?

[LMar]

Thanks GFChris. Great suggestions!