Cutting out gluten from your diet seems like a difficult task because it may feel like you cannot enjoy good food. However, that is far from the truth. Not only do you get excellent gluten-free food, but you likely have plenty of options from your nearest takeaway.
The most cost-effective and quick way to find gluten-free food options is to search for a healthy takeaway near me. Simply look up the major natural, gluten-free food groups and order away when you know your restaurant options.
Here’s our quick roundup of all the gluten-free food options you can enjoy if you are looking for all the best places to eat near me.
What is Gluten?
Before discussing gluten-free options, let’s do a quick refresher on gluten and what it entails for specific food groups to be gluten-free. Gluten refers to a group of proteins found in rye, barley, wheat, and other such grains. It increases elasticity in food and helps them maintain their shape. For example, it helps bread rise and retains its chewy texture.
While gluten is predominantly safe for most people, it can be dangerous for specific individuals who have developed or were born with gluten sensitivity. For them, it can lead to dire health consequences. This is why it is best for them to stick to gluten-free food groups.
How Can You Minimize Risks of Ordering Gluten-Free Takeaway?
It can get significantly challenging looking for gluten-free takeaway options because you might feel limited in terms of your options. For example, you cannot risk getting a sandwich because the bread used to make it might contain gluten that can be potentially dangerous for you. Moreover, even if you order a gluten-free meal, there is still a risk of cross-contamination, such as having croutons in salads that are generally not gluten-free.
This cross-contamination in restaurants mainly comes from frying food items in oil. While oil is generally gluten-free, restaurants and fast food places tend to use the same batch of oil to fry various items. For example, nuggets, fried chicken, and French fries. This leaves the oil contaminated with traces of gluten, which means that any gluten-free item made in such oil can be dangerous.
This is why you must always be careful when you are considering ordering from any of the takeout restaurants near me. The best precaution is not to be afraid to ask the staff about how their food is prepared, what sort of oil and ingredients they use, and more. Make it specifically clear to them how you are looking for gluten-free options since you are allergic or intolerant.
This might minimize your risks of ordering from various restaurants. However, you must remember that there is always a risk when ordering gluten-free food from restaurants.
How to Choose the Best Gluten-Free Takeaway Options?
Now that you are aware of how to minimize the risk of ordering gluten-free food let’s discuss how you can narrow down your takeaway options to those that specifically deliver the food options you want.
1. Browse Their Menu
The first thing you should do is look up whether or not these food places have a gluten-free menu or have clearly labelled gluten-free options on their menu. You should even look up the most popular menu items and double-check to see if they offer gluten-free versions of them.
2. Do Your Research
Another important thing you must do when you are looking to order gluten-free takeaway is to do plenty of research on gluten-free restaurants and cafes.
3. Ask About Food Preparation
You must also ensure that you always ask the restaurant about how they prepare their food. It’s best to be safe rather than sorry. This is why you must ask them whether they will be preparing food in the same oil, using any such ingredient that might be gluten-free, and then letting them know about your gluten allergy and intolerance.
Gluten-Free Food Options
There are several gluten-free food options that depend on various food groups that you can order from. In fact, if you are looking up ‘halal takeaway near me,’ there’s a good chance that you will find gluten-free options. However, you must always clarify with the restaurant beforehand if these dishes are gluten-free.
Here are the main food groups you can order for takeaway that will likely be gluten-free:
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Fruits and Vegetables
All fruits and vegetables are entirely gluten-free, making them safe to consume. However, you should be careful of canned fruits and vegetables since the thick liquid or flavouring might not be gluten-free. Similarly, frozen fruits and vegetables might not be the best options either since they contain flavourings and preservatives that are not gluten-free.
If you are extremely intolerant of gluten, you should stay away from them. Otherwise, they will be okay to consume. Anything from citrus fruits, bananas, apples, and peaches to vegetables like green beans, fresh greens, onions, and mushrooms are gluten-free.
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Proteins
Foods that are a rich source of protein are also excellent gluten-free food options. However, you will need to make sure that they are not prepared with condiments, sauces, and spices that are not gluten-free, such as soy sauce, flour, or malt vinegar.
Some gluten-free options you can consider are legumes, nuts, red meat, poultry, fish, seafood, tofu, edamame, etc.
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Dairy Products
Most dairy products are gluten-free, which is why you can easily consume them as well. However, you must double-check dairy products with flavours, additives, and food starch incorporated in them. These can be potentially dangerous for those with gluten allergies.
Some gluten-free dairy products include cream, yoghurt, cottage cheese, butter and ghee, and yoghurt.
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Fats and Oils
Fats and oils are naturally gluten-free and okay to have. However, you should vary oily food most of the time because it may contain additives or be contaminated. As a result, you must always have gluten-free food prepared in clean oil and not mixed with any flavours, thickener or be used for cooking any gluten-containing food.
Some examples of gluten-free fats and oils include butter and ghee, olives and olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, canola oil, and avocado oil.
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Beverages
There are several gluten-free beverages that you can enjoy. However, there are also others that you must be careful of since they may contain gluten. For example, if they contain artificial flavourings, additives or thickeners.
Similarly, some alcoholic beverages are made with wheat, barley, and other grains that contain gluten. These should definitely be avoided if you are following a gluten-free diet.
Some examples of beverages that you can consume when on a gluten-free diet are coffee, tea, sports drink, pure fruit drinks, soda, lemonade, wine, and of course, water.
The Bottom Line
All in all, when browsing your options for gluten-free food, there are plenty of options to consider. However, the best thing you can do is look up reviews of each restaurant or look up your options of food open near me from websites touting gluten-free food places.
When ordering online, you must also check with them to see if they contain any gluten or ingredients that can be potentially dangerous. The best place where you can order food online is ChefOnline. From halal, Asian, and fast food, we contain a plethora of the best takeaway options, some even being gluten-free. Visit our website for more details!
