Guest article by Jaclyn Hubersberger

Dining out is one of my absolute favorite activities. So when I received my celiac diagnosis, I thought my world was ending. No more pizza, pasta or sandwiches. Good-bye to sushi happy hours and baked goods. “Having a beer” was now a thing of the past.

On one hand, it was a relief to know I wasn’t dying, and that by eliminating gluten from my diet I could relieve all the symptoms that had left my life in a state of disarray. On the other hand, I knew future family gatherings and social outings were going to require a certain degree of diligence and abstinence on my part.

For those of us with celiac disease and severe gluten sensitivity, dining out can cause anxiety. Even though we are fortunate to live in a city where almost every restaurant has gluten-free options, cross-contamination and uninformed restaurant staff present a real risk. I had to find this out the hard way while navigating this disease and learning as I went along. Getting accidentally “glutened” isn’t pretty—the symptoms can range from gastrointestinal to neurological, and it can take anywhere from a couple of days to several weeks to recover.

I’m aiming to open your eyes to a world beyond bunless burgers and skimpy salads. Whether you can’t eat gluten or simply choose not to, here are my top ten tried and true gluten-free eats in Austin.  [Read more…]