I recently received an email from a representative of the restaurant Mia Francesca in Arlington Heights, Illinois, letting me know that they now offer a gluten free menu.

If you live in that area or plan to travel to the Chicago area soon, I recommend you check out Mia Francesca’s website for location and other details!

If you would like to see their menu, they have given me permission to host it here as it is not currently on their website yet. Click here to download Mia Francesca’s gluten free menu and their gluten free handout.

Looking for a gluten free restaurant chain in your state?  Or maybe you are going to be traveling and you want to know where you can eat?  A lot of Celiacs find themeselves in one of these situations, and Gluten Free Resource is here to help!   This is one of 51 total posts that will be breaking down the gluten free chains found in each of the individual states within the United States.  

Each state will be released in alphabetical order, but if you can’t wait for us to get to your state, feel free to check out our Gluten Free Restaurant Menus page for a complete list of restaurants in your state that offer a gluten free menu.  We have provided a link to the gluten free menu of each restaurant within that state (based upon our research) and a link to their locations page.   The locations page can be used to find the restaurant closest to your area.

If you have any questions or would like to report a restaurant that has a gluten free menu within this state, please let us know!

Mississippi Gluten Free Restaurant Menus

• Biaggi’s (Locations)
• Bonefish Grill (Locations)
• Chili’s (Locations)
• On The Border (Locations)
• Outback (Locations)
• Macaroni Grill (Locations)

Although gluten free snacks are everywhere, this one really caught my eye so I figured I would share it here. This is a recipe for gluten free Cornflake crunch.

Gluten Free Cornflake Crunch

Ingredients:

• 300g / 10oz crushed gluten free cornflakes / rice puffs (watch out for that barley malt!) /gluten free biscuits or a combination
• 140g / 4oz butter /margarine depending on whether you want it dairy free too
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 2 1/2 tbsp gluten free (dairy free) cocoa powder
• 120g / 3 1/2 oz gluten free (dairy free) chocolate (if you use dark chocolate you should be safe but always check the label of course)
• 50g sultanas (optional)

Baking Instructions:

1. Melt margarine, syrup and cocoa powder together (on a low heat).
2. Stir in your crushed stuff and sultanas (if using).
3. Pour the mixture into a baking tin so it’s about an inch 1/ 2 cm thick and press down with the back of a spoon.
4. Let it cool for a while then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Melt the chocolate (best done in a bowl over a pan of simmering water).
6. Pour over the cooled cake.
7. Refrigerate until set.

[Recipe Courtesy of Celiac Travel]

While most carefully prepared meats are gluten free, one thing that many Celiacs live without as shake and bake. Today I ran across this great recipe and figured I would share here with everyone!

Gluten Free Shake and Bake

Ingredients:

• 8 slices gluten free bread
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon onion salt
• 1 pinch dried parsley
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1 pinch dried basil

Baking Instructions:

1. Place bread slices on a tray in a 350 degree oven until they are toasted and dried out, about 15 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.
2. Process to a fine powder in either a food processer or blender.
3. Combine all of the ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and shake.
4. Put in meat one piece at a time and shake to coat evenly.

[Recipe Courtesy of Recipe Zaar]

Doctors have always told patients that the only treatment for Celiac Disease is to the lifelong avoidance of ingesting gluten. But is this really true? We know that there is such a thing as gluten intolerance, and we know that some people are more sensitive to gluten than others.

Over at APhAnet they recently tackled the question, how much gluten is to much gluten?  A couple key points from this article:

Key point: There is insufficient evidence to suggest a definitive threshold of gluten intake for patients with celiac disease (CD); however, less than 10 mg of gluten daily is unlikely to cause significant mucosal abnormalities.

Finer points:A systematic review of 13 clinical trials evaluating CD patients and gluten intake tolerance revealed that patients who consume more than 200 mg of gluten daily for a minimum of 4 weeks are likely to develop intestinal changes. Only three randomized, controlled trials were identified in this review.

Overall, studies were conducted in four continents and assessed gluten intake ranging from 1 to 200 mg/day for periods of 1 week to 8 years. Endpoints varied and included quality of life, mucosal histology, and symptoms. Investigators were unable to conduct a meta-analysis because of the significant heterogeneity in study design, quantity of gluten ingested, length of gluten exposure, and assessment of gluten effects among the clinical trials.

And also:

What your patients need to know:Tell patients with CD to avoid gluten to minimize symptoms. Encourage these patients to consume products that are naturally gluten-free. Explain that even products labeled “gluten free” typically contain the protein, albeit in small amounts. No one knows for sure how much gluten is too much for CD patients, but less than 10 mg daily is generally well-tolerated. Tell patients to be aware of how much gluten their body can tolerate and adjust their consumption accordingly.