Is There A Gluten-Free Medic Alert?
Not officially – but you can create one. The restaurant card is a card you carry with you at all times, and it has basic information on it about gluten free diets. They don’t tell the chef everything he or she really needs to know, but I really believe there’s a big psychological factor in handing someone the card. It sends a message that the information is so important that it requires me to carry a card. I mean, after all, people take the medic bracelets seriously. The restaurant card is the medic alert card for a person with gluten intolerance.
When I go to new or familiar restaurants, I always pull my card out and hand it to the waiter. I also ask them to show the card to the chef. If I know and trust the waiter, I let him or her show it to the chef. If I don’t know the waiter I ask to speak to the manager. Then I ask the manager to show it to the chef. After a while, the manager knows exactly what I need. When a new manager or waiter shows up, I have to “re-train” them, but I don’t mind. Remember, the options I have are to wash dishes at home!
You may ask why I show the card to the manager when I order the same safe items all of the time. The reason I do is because, like processed foods, the recipes are changed periodically for standard menu items. I like to make sure the chef understands that I can’t eat gluten no matter how much better it makes the food tastes. I do call the headquarters of my favorite restaurants periodically and verify my favorite menu items have stayed gluten free.
The restaurant card says the following as a minimum:
- I am on a strict gluten free diet
- I will get very sick if I eat gluten
- Please prepare my food carefully so there’s no gluten exposure
I cannot eat:
- Wheat, Rye, Barley & derivatives including spelt, bulgur, durum, semolina
- I must avoid oats, croutons, bread and any bread coatings, soy sauce, wheat flour, malt vinegar and bread
- I can eat rice, corn, potato, tapioca, quinoa, soy beans buckwheat and millet
Make your own card, or print off our free GFC Restaurant Card:
[button link=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/gfcsite/downloads/GFC Restaurant Card.pdf” style=”download” color=”silver” window=”yes”]Restaurant Card (.pdf)[/button][button link=”https://s3.amazonaws.com/gfcsite/downloads/GFC Restaurant Card.zip” style=”download” color=”silver” window=”yes”]Restaurant Card (.zip)[/button]
WHAT A GREAT IDEA A GLUTEN-FREE RESTAURANT CARD. WE ARE GOING ON A CRISE ON SUNDAY AND I WILL DEFINATELY CARRY A GLUTEN FREE CARD WITH ME TO SHOW THE MATRI’ DE….THANKS AND THANKS AGAIN.
Hello where can I get and buy all gluten free products and where can I get gluten free card for restaurant in Saginaw,Michigan 48603 Thank You
Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I could not print restaurant card in English
Can we get this card in different languages?
In most large grocery stores now, there are quite a selection of gluten free food products. Ask the manager of the store to give you a tour and show you where they are (sometimes they are all in one aisle, or spread throughout the store in different sections). The gluten free restaurant card is just an information card, applicable to any restaurant, in any state. Print off a few copies and have in your wallet so you can give to the waiter to pass along to the kitchen.
What language are you interested in?
Please email [email protected] and we’ll try to fix that for you!
The original organization Medic Alert ( medicalert.org ) will send you a personified Medic Alert bracelet/ pendant with your membership ( I think you can get a membership from around $30/yr). You get to input emergency contact, doctor(s) contact, all medical issues, and an individual identification number. On your id tag is an 800# emergency responders or hospitals can call and get all relevant medical info on you. I have been a member for years and love the security I feel from them.
but, it’s not an allergy….