Gluten Free Meals?

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TylerP42

TylerP42

Conductor
Joined
May 22, 2015
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1,223
Location
Detroit, Michigan
So I have a wheat/gluten allergy, and I was wondering if there are any food items or meals on the trains that are gluten free?
 
Plan on bringing your own food.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?c=Page&pagename=am%2FLayout&cid=1241337915248

Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Low Sodium, Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Peanut Free Meals
Amtrak does not offer meals specifically designated as low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium, gluten free, wheat free or peanut free. Most dinner entrees are not prepared on the dining car. The fat, cholesterol, sodium, gluten, wheat and peanut content may vary, and cannot be controlled or modified by the chef.
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Given Amtrak's pathetic inability to keep track of ingredients, you can't eat *anything* from the dining car. Assume that the salads, the juice, the milk, the eggs contain gluten, because they have no ingredients lists for anything.

In the cafe car, they have ingredients lists. Pretty much everything does contain gluten, but I think there are a few exceptions.
 
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Celiac disease is really a tough one to deal with anywhere you go. There are different forms of wheat proteins in almost everything we eat. You will have to bring your own almost anywhere you go to be on the safe side.
 
So far as I can tell Amtrak doesn't know or do anything about allergies. Even the extremely minor effort they made in the past has apparently been discontinued. So far as Amtrak is concerned if you visit the diner with an allergy you'll be eating at your own risk with little or no guidance.
 
On the AMTRAK web site is a page FOOD FACTS (www.AMTRAKFOODFACTS.com)which lists the details of the meals and the allergens. Each menu for each train is listed. Please check this out, We have GF and Soy Free in our family.
 
Lonestar648 said:
On the AMTRAK web site is a page FOOD FACTS (www.AMTRAKFOODFACTS.com)which lists the details of the meals and the allergens. Each menu for each train is listed. Please check this out, We have GF and Soy Free in our family.
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That link just leads back to this page.

I can't find any page with that information from Amtrak.
 
If you have celiac, you can't eat anything in the dining car. Even if amtrakfoodfacts.com says they don't think it has wheat, they don't guarantee it, and they promise to change suppliers without warning. :p Don't risk it. Celiac is nasty; I have a friend with celiac, and you really don't want even a tiny amount of gluten, it'll mess you up for weeks.

If you just have a mild wheat allergy, you may be able to risk some of the meals.
 
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Our family has found that many restaurants with GF menus also have the same issues with suppliers plus some of their line cooks are not being careful to follow procedures, so for us the only sure GF and Soy Free food is what you prepare in your home. Its sad, but unless you deal with this, the attention to the details is missing.
 
Lonestar648 said:
On the AMTRAK web site is a page FOOD FACTS (www.AMTRAKFOODFACTS.com)which lists the details of the meals and the allergens. Each menu for each train is listed. Please check this out, We have GF and Soy Free in our family.
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Page footer:

Please be advised that the special nature of our menu profile, variety of our cooking procedures, seasonal and regional variations and our reliance on supplier’s information, may result in variations in the ingredients and nutritional content of these menu items. This list is compiled based on information provided by Amtrak approved food suppliers, as of 5/8/13. Ingredient changes may occur before this list is updated. Amtrak makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy of these items.
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That's amazingly unhelpful.
 
I don't have celiac, I have an allergy which I get hives (sometimes really bad, sometimes not that bad, but I'd rather not risk it) But in all honesty for the sake of it I can take enough benadryl to keep a reaction from happening. I just try to avoid it and I used to eat it and get almost daily hives but decided to let my antibodies/white blood cells fight actual sickness and not the allergens.
 
TylerP42 said:
I don't have celiac, I have an allergy which I get hives (sometimes really bad, sometimes not that bad, but I'd rather not risk it) But in all honesty for the sake of it I can take enough benadryl to keep a reaction from happening. I just try to avoid it and I used to eat it and get almost daily hives but decided to let my antibodies/white blood cells fight actual sickness and not the allergens.
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You could order the burger for lunch (minus the bun) and the chicken at dinner, take some Benadryl, and hope for the best. While I can't guarantee those items don't have gluten in them, they seem to be the least likely to have any. My only concern would be cross-contamination.

I'm not a doctor, so if you eat those things and break out in hives, please don't sue me. ;)
 
It's somewhat the same for a diabetic trying to avoid carbs and sugar. I know gluten-free is harder. Bringing your own food is the best bet.
 
Diabetic options are available, one just has to evaluate the meals. My daughter has been a diabetic since she was 3, but was able to really enjoy eating in the DC. Now, my oldest granddaughter is currently on a GF, Soy Free, and low carb meatless diet by her Neurologist. I can't take her anywhere and cross-contamination by Line Cooks is such an issue which we unfortunately have learned.
 
There are items on the menu I can eat but not the whole entree. My diet is strict - it keeps me from having to take medication - but it's very limited. It's just easier to bring my own.
 
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With all the allergies more and more people are developing, it seems like Amtrak is exposing itself to a serious medical crisis on board as a result of the SSL or DC. Amtrak claims they can provide Kosher and Vegan meals with 72 hour advance notice, so it seems they could offer a sealed certified GF free meal to be served in the DC or SSL.
 
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