The Gluten–Free Diet Guide for Parents:

Eating Gluten-Free Away From Home

Intro	Gluten-Free Shopping List
Gluten, Celiac Disease, and Teens	Preparing Gluten-Free Food At Home
Foods Your Teen Should Avoid	Eating Gluten-Free Away From Home
Safe Foods for Your Teen	Sample Gluten-Free Menu for Your Teen
Gluten-Free Product Labeling	Gluten-Free Recipes for Teens
Gluten-Free Food Shopping

The best way to help your child stay gluten-free when away from home is by planning meals and snacks ahead of time. That may sound challenging, but these tips can make it easier:

Eating at school or on–the–go:

• Encourage your teen to eat breakfast at home, or pack a gluten–free breakfast to eat at school or on–the–go.
• Work with your teen, her nutritionist, or school nurse to find gluten–free foods on the school breakfast and lunch menus.
• Help your teen pack a lunch in an insulated bag to eat at school or on–the–go.
• Buy gluten–free snacks such as trail mix, snack bars, popcorn, or nuts that she can eat away from home.
• Check out the Gluten Intolerance Group's (GIG) list of 50 fast GF foods AND for easy 50 GF snacks.

Eating at a restaurant:

If you're planning to go out to eat at a restaurant with your teen, either choose one that has a gluten–free menu or speak with the restaurant manager to identify gluten–free menu items before ordering. Remember to tell the manager or chef that both the meal and its preparation must be gluten–free. More and more restaurants are gluten–free friendly and making it known with this label. The GF plate label seen at restaurants shows you that they are registered to use safe practices to prepare your food.

The following restaurants offer a variety of gluten–free choices, everything from entire menus to just a few options. There are many privately owned restaurants that also offer gluten–free menu choices. Don’t be limited to this short list; there are always to modify and work with restaurants to make many meals gluten–free.

Previous

Next: Sample Gluten-Free Menu for Your Teen

Written and reviewed by the CYWH Staff at Children's Hospital Boston

Updated: 8/2/2011

Related Guides:

Nutrition Facts Label

The amount of each nutrient on the label is what is found in one serving of that food, not in the whole container. If you don't know what one serving size is, you won’t know the amount of each nutrient you are actually eating...