celiac disease

[tinkerjess]

i just was informed i have celiac disease and i have to be on a gluten free diet forever. we are going to disney world in dec and purchased the ddp and i dont know if disney has any menus gluten free!! can somebody help me w/ this info thanks

 

[dis75ney]

i just was informed i have celiac disease and i have to be on a gluten free diet forever. we are going to disney world in dec and purchased the ddp and i dont know if disney has any menus gluten free!! can somebody help me w/ this info thanks

All restaurants at WDW can accomodate gluten-free meals. When you make your ADRs, have the cast member note on your reservation that you have celiac disease and can only have gluten free items. The chefs will come out and talk to you about what you can eat that's safe.

Hope this helps!

 

[livndisney]

If you post on the disabilites board I am sure you will get lots of answers

Also you can email Brenda.Bennett@disney.com

She can email you tons of info on ingredients in the food served at WDW.

 

[larry's girl]

I have celiac disease, and Disney is the BEST place to vacation when you have dietary restrictions. Here is what I do when I go to Disney and I have NEVER gotten sick when eating there:

First, when you make your ADR's, tell the castmember that you need a gluten-free diet. They will make a note of that on your ADR and when you get to the restaurant, remind your server and they will have the chef come out to talk to you. They make AMAZING food at Disney that is gluten free, many times offering things that are not on the regular menu. Secondly, e-mail Brenda Bennett (brenda.bennett@disney.com) and explain that you need a gluten-free diet. Give her the confirmation numbers of your sit-down meals and she will double check with the chefs at each restaurant to be sure they are prepared. Ask her to e-mail you the lists of counter service restaurants and what is available at each of them that is gluten-free. She will also send you lists of what ingredients are in common food items sold in the carts (like ice cream, turkey legs, etc.). When you go to a counter service restaurant, ask for the manager and let them know you need a gluten-free meal. They will guide you as to what your choices are and once you order, they will supervise the preparation of your meal from start to finish to make sure it is not contaminated with gluten-containing food that is being prepared at the same time for other guests.

I promise - you will have a GREAT time on your trip and you will not feel left out or get second rate food. My DH says my food is better than the regular stuff!! Feel free to PM me with any other questions you have - and have a great trip!

Susan

 

[tinkerjess]

thanks for the info. i was wondering if you feel tired all the time and if starting eating gf makes you have more energy? also i love sweets are there any gf sweets?

 

[livndisney]

thanks for the info. i was wondering if you feel tired all the time and if starting eating gf makes you have more energy? also i love sweets are there any gf sweets?

Tinker,

I found my info from Brenda listing ingredients. If you like I can email it to you

 

[tinkerjess]

Tinker,

I found my info from Brenda listing ingredients. If you like I can email it to you

please email me jha5449@mail.com! thank you so much

 

[livndisney]

Done

I noticed it does list Gluten free "treats" too

 

[fireworks fan]

I just wanted to add my positive experience eating gluten free at WDW. I've been twice since my celiac diagnosis, and Disney does a wonderful job with any special diets and actually makes you feel special, rather than an annoyance. I'm not sure if you were asking about sweets at WDW or gf sweets in general, either way there is always ice cream and chocolate (my favorites!) and Disney has gf brownies at the TS places.

Anyway, I know the initial start of the diet can be overwhelming, but it gets much easier and you will feel much better too. I have some good recipe links if you're interested

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

question-what is gluton
[no, i dont pay attention in health class even though i have an A in it]

 

[crisi]

Gluten is the protein in wheat.

I call myself "gluten intolerant" since I never did the biopsy. I took wheat out to aid with GI issues myself, it fixed the problem, and now to diagnose I'd have to recreate the problem - both my doctor and I feel this really isn't a necessary step.

First off, don't panic. Depending on how intense your disease is, you may choose to risk the occational gluten. I can handle a bite of my husband's dessert maybe every few weeks and normally don't bother with GF soy sauce. But no bread, no pizza, no pasta. I'll scrape the toppings off pizza and eat it with a fork. Other people won't go near a salad that has seen a crouton - I just pick them off. You'll learn tricks, and your own tolerance - I don't judge anyone who has a fit about croutons on a salad simply because I can tolerate picking them off.

Second, Disney is not bad. I think its less great than some people portray. Some places will really go out of their way, other times the waiter looks at you like you've grown two heads. Make sure to give yourself some extra time, particularly at counterservice meals.

At home, once you get the hang of it, it isn't bad. There are a lot of GF products and recipes on the market now. It took a long time to find any decent bread products - but there are OK recipes for bread. Lots of rice crackers and corn tortillas around my house as bread substitutes. GF cake mixes, cookies, etc., vary alot - I'm not fond of the Bob's Red Mill line, other people like it - but I've never had a bad Pamela's product. GF Pantry makes an angel food cake that I can take places and is popular among all the guests.

Going over to other people's homes, you'll want to be a little more careful. Often we will bring a dish to share to a buffet (sometimes more than one), that I know I can eat. Italian restaurants are often horrible, pizza is bad - Asian is good if they leave out the soy sauce (or if you can tolerate that), Indian isn't bad (though the naan is really tempting). American style steak and potatos meals are usually simply skipping the bread. Fried food and soup is tough - fried food is often coated in wheat and soup is often thickened with it.

GF pancakes (from GF mixes) are good and the GF pancake mix makes really good onion rings.

 

[GoinToDisney]

My dd has food allergies, and we were just at Disney in Feb.. We have been having mystery hives, but we were hive free at Disney. I agree with the poster who said to leave extra time at the counter service places. It can take extra time to get what you need. The other suggestion is to bring some of your own safe bread and rolls. I had to give up milk last year (plus nuts, etc. for my dd), and while it is not the same, I understand your feelings about sudden diet changes. It is overwhelming at first, but there are options out there. Just read labels and get on some forums for suggestions of what you CAN have. There are ways to make sweets that will be safe for you. Good luck. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I agree with the others...you will be well accommodated in all the WDW restaurants! And they really do make you feel special, and not as if you are bothering anyone. My in-laws were sooooooo impressed that the chefs came out to talk to us at every table. They knew he was there primarily to ask about our special dietary needs, but they still felt quite pampered by the attention!

 

[crisi]

We never had a chef come out to talk to us. Seven dinners, including the California Grill and Flying Fish. We did have a manager talk to us, two incredible waitresses, and a chef that did his best to adapt a dish (at Spoodles). We also had a waiter at Marrakesh who obviously didn't understand (I just ordered the fish without trying to explain). I do know it happens, but I wouldn't set up the expectation. Also, although it was supposed to have been noted on all dinner reservations, it wasn't.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Please go over to the dining reviews board, I saw a thread over there about someone's gluten-free dining trip. I didn't read it, but it may help you.

My neighbor was diagnosed with celiac's six or so years ago, and she is doing very well.

 

[DVCisME]

Disnety was great for me and a I also have celiac disease. There seemed to even be a little variety and not just all the same GF food everywhere.

You will start to feel less tired after starting a GF diet, it only took me about two weeks to feel a difference.

I'm sure you will have a great trip

 

[larry's girl]

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to this thread - been a CRAZY busy week.

I had extreme exhaustion, which did not get better until I cut out dairy as well as gluten, but that was just my experience. My daughter had fatigue which did get better after she stopped eating gluten.

As for the experience with dietary restriction services at WDW, here is my two cents on that:

I have been to WDW four times since I was diagnosed with celiac and started eating gluten-free. Here are my experiences during those trips:

The chef came out at Chef Mickey's and walked the buffet with me, explaining what I could and could not eat. He also personally delivered a flourless chocolate cake for dessert that was to die for (this was before I began eating dairy free, so that's probably not an option for me now, but it was really good then).

The chef at California Grill called me before I left home and asked if I had any special requests. I asked for a flatbread with a gluten-free crust, which he said he would do his best to produce. When we got there, I informed the server that I had spoken with the chef earlier, he went and told him we were there, and he came to our table to see if we had any questions about modifications that could be made to any main entrees. After we made our decisions concerning the main course, he brought us the BEST flatbread appetizer I ever had in my life - it was totally scrumptious. Then he came back after our entrees to see if we wanted dessert. I was totally stuffed and declined, but my daughter did want dessert so he discussed with her what options he could offer and made her what she said was an awesome dessert.

The chef at Flying Fish came out to ask if I had any special requests. I asked for a gluten-free crab cake, which he was more than willing to make. He came back after about 20 minutes to apologize for the delay, explaining that he had to make the sauces that go with the crab cake from scratch because the regular ones had gluten in them. I was okay with the delay (I expect it to take longer to get gluten-free food because they have to start from scratch and keep everything separated from other foods being prepared at the same time), and when the crab cake did come out, it was better than the regular crab cake they serve there. My husband tasted it and said he was ordering that next time (and he doesn't have celiac) - it was that good! The chef then came back after we received our entrees to make sure everything was okay and we were happy with our meals (and boy, were we).

At the luau at the Polynesian, I received a phone call in my room the day before our reservation to discuss the dietary restrictions my DD and I had and what our meals would consist of. We had a TON of food, all of which was delicious, and the server was very attentive - he even made sure we had gluten-free rolls.

At Marrakesh, I asked the server for a gluten-free menu and he brought one for me. My DD and I ordered from that menu and had a wonderful lunch. I asked for and received gluten-free rolls there, also.

At Turf Club (where I have eaten several times), the chef always comes out and discusses the menu choices. He also offers whatever new gluten-free products they have available since the last time I was there. The last meal I had there was a gluten-free pasta and shrimp dish that was outstanding.

At Artist Palette (the counter service restaurant at Saratoga Springs), the chef always comes out and we discuss what meal options are available that day. They have made some really great counter service meals for me there.

At Cosmic Ray's and Pecos Bill's, the manager came out and took our orders personally to ensure they were prepared correctly. This takes longer than ordering the regular way, but it is totally worth it.

The only restaurant where I had a less than stellar experience was at Coral Reef. The chef did come out to talk with me, but he made it clear that he had better things to do than discuss my dietary issues. We had other problems with this meal having to do with the service and won't be returning, so this does not bother me overmuch now.

My suggestion would be that you tell the server when you are seated that you have dietary restrictions, just in case it is not noted on your ADR for some reason. If the server does not offer to have the chef come out to speak to you, just tell him/her that you need to speak with the chef. I have never had a chef refuse to talk with me when I requested it.

Sorry for the long post, but just wanted to share what my experience has been. Let us know how it goes!