5 Apps That Make Living Gluten-Free Easy
Whether you’re gluten-intolerant or gluten-free by choice, the restrictions on your diet and your choices can make you develop a new allergy to diets altogether. But swearing off wheat doesn’t have to mean swearing off all of the pleasure in eating. After all, eating good food in good company is an experience that we should all have the opportunity to indulge in. This week, to Upgrade Your Life, we’re cutting the wheat from the chaff and sharing five apps that will help you enjoy a hassle-free, gluten-free lifestyle.
1. Have a Night Out: When you have a food allergy, the fun of eating out quickly fades when you can’t find an allergy-free restaurant in the vicinity. Fortunately, there’s AllergyEats, an app that helps you locate gluten-free-friendly restaurants in your area. Restaurants are rated as allergy-friendly based on real feedback from prior diners who have assessed how accommodating a given restaurant is for individuals with allergies. You can simply choose the allergy — from gluten to tree nuts to dairy — and search for an allergy-friendly restaurant near you. After you’ve eaten like a king, the apps helps you pay it forward by rating the restaurant for other diners.
DL It: Free on iOS and Android
2. Join a Community: If you’re a fan of Yelp but need an app that is more allergy-friendly, check out Find Me Gluten Free. This app lets you find local gluten-free businesses and view reviews, menus and directions. The app also allows you to easily suss out the gluten-free menu options at popular chains like Burger King, Chili’s and more. For extra assurance, dining cards are provided so that you can give your waiter a complete list of your food intolerances when you order to help prevent unwanted surprises. With a community of over two million users, you’ll be in good company among other savvy, gluten-free diners.
3. Eat This, Not That: If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Can I eat this?” and it’s fallen on deaf ears, there’s finally an app that will answer you. ShopWell is a diet and food scanner app that allows you to scan the barcode of a food item such as a box of cereal and learn instantly whether it meets your dietary requirements and whether there is a healthier alternative. The app rates a food’s suitability for you on a scale of 0-100. You can customize your dietary profile as gluten-free or heart-healthy, for example. When you provide feedback to the app, you can even earn rewards to make eating right even sweeter.
4. Stay Current: If you’re a foodie who loves to keep up with culinary trends and gain new insights into the gluten-free lifestyle, the Delight Gluten-Free app can make your wishes come true without any allergy-inducing fairy dust. The app is the mobile version of the bi-monthly, international Delight Gluten-Free Magazine. It offers a host of tantalizing recipes, photos and articles catered to gluten-free individuals. Magazine subscriptions can be purchased within the app.
DL It: Free on iOS and Android
5. Read Me: You may know your dietary restrictions like the back of your hand, but your waiter and the restaurant chef don’t. This can lead to unwanted surprises sneaking onto your plate. Gluten Free Restaurant Cards from CeliacTravel.com was created to close this communication gap. The app allows you to print out at home more than 40 restaurant cards that clearly communicate your dietary restrictions in multiple languages. You can then give this card to restaurant staff when you dine out to help make your dining experience more streamlined for everyone involved.
DL It: Free on iOS
Do you have food allergies? What hacks do you use to take the hassle out of eating?