How To: Take a Celiac on a Date
Got a sweetie with celiac disease? Don’t worry! Whether you’re planning a date for Valentine’s Day or at any other time of the year, we want to make sure you feel prepared—and that your date is in good hands.
Date ideas
The easiest and safest way to take a celiac on a date is to plan something that doesn’t involve a meal. This spares your date from any anxiety they may have about being exposed to gluten. You could take them to the movies, a museum or interactive art exhibit, or a botanical garden; or do an activity together like bowling, axe-throwing, wine-tasting, couples’ massage, or even take a gluten free baking class. If you think you might get hungry during the course of your date, you could always bring individually-packaged gluten free snacks, like KIND Bars.
If your sweetheart is up for a dinner date, your best friend will be the Find Me Gluten Free app (available on iOS and Android), which enables you to search any area code for restaurants with gluten-free menus. For an added layer of safety, always read the reviews for any restaurant you find on the app that appeals to you—sometimes you’ll discover that the restaurant is not as celiac-friendly as it purports to be.
The most courageous and meticulous lovers might want to prepare a home-cooked meal for their date, like this penne alla vodka. If you choose to go this route, your ingredient selection and cleanliness will be of the utmost importance. Check out the Grocery Shopping, Food Preparation, and (if applicable) Serving sections of our How To: Safely Host Celiacs blog post for detailed instructions on preventing cross-contact and avoiding ingredients with hidden gluten. There’s nothing less romantic than making your date sick!
Serious sweeties might opt for a Valentine’s weekend getaway at an Airbnb, hotel, or resort. If you will be traveling with someone with celiac disease, you will need to do research before booking your accommodations to ensure that (a) there are celiac-friendly restaurants in or near the place you’re staying, or (b) that you have a way to prepare your own food if not. There’s no sense in booking a weekend at a resort if they aren’t able to safely feed your date, is there?
Gift ideas
If you’d prefer to offer a gift in lieu of (or in addition to) a date, there are many options available to you. The easiest and most risk-free gifts are those that aren’t edible—your loved one’s favorite flowers, or a gift card to a shop they love. Another option is to pamper them with gluten free bath bombs from Wildfire Aromatics, Salus, or Beauty by PharmD and/or gluten free face mask from Farmhouse Fresh.
If your date has a sweet tooth, don’t fear—there are many candies that are celiac-safe! Valentine’s Day staples like Spangler’s Sweethearts candies, YORK Hearts Dark Chocolate Peppermint Patties, and Hershey’s Kisses—which are readily available in stores like Target and Walgreens—are gluten free. Other decadent store-bought snacks include Brookside dark chocolate-covered almonds; Sillycow Farms hot chocolate; TruFru white & milk chocolate covered strawberries or white & dark chocolate covered cherries; Häagen Dazs ice cream or ice cream bars (select flavors—check packaging); and bottled wine.
If you have the time to wait for a shipment to arrive, Washington’s Seattle Chocolate Company and Albuquerque-based Cocopotamus sell gluten free gourmet chocolates and truffles. For those local to the Delaware/Maryland area, Bespoke Chocolate in Chestertown, MD, has a designated display case of gluten free items that is best shopped in person. Although they do have online shopping, we do not recommend it for celiacs due to the lack of clarity about which items are gluten free.
And if you have the patience and time, you could always make homemade truffles (check our recipe here). Just be sure to reference the shopping and food prep safety tips in our How To: Safely Host Celiacs blog post.
TIP:
If you’ve eaten gluten during the course of your date, don’t forget to brush your teeth before you give your celiac sweetheart a smooch!!