RESEARCH: What Risk Camp Are You In?
Analysing the different approaches of coeliacs to eating out
Social Media research study conducted (May 2019) by Gluten Free Joy (J. Thompson)
Sample study of 113 participants (85 FB / 28 Insta responses)
Coeliacs were asked to align with one of the following categories regarding their approach to eating out:
A. No risk
B. Slight Highly Managed Risk
C. Moderate Well Managed Risk
D. Cowboy…Lots of Risk
A. I will not risk my health ever and therefore choose to only consume food I have personally prepared. This means I never eat out of my home, unless I have packed my own food to take. It does restrict my interaction with others in my life, but it means more to me to be in complete control of my physical health.
B. I take my health seriously and diligently research any venue I eat at. I will only eat at venues that have no gluten on the premises (100% GF). This also means I do not usually eat food prepared for me by friends or family, unless they are a fully GF household. I therefore mostly always cater for myself at social functions.
C. I take my health seriously but because social inclusion is very important to me I incorporate some well managed risk in my life with respect to eating out. This means I will check the coeliac safe food practices of a venue before committing to dine there, and I educate my friends & family on the required coeliac safe food prep also. If I am not satisfied with the response to my enquires I will not eat there. However, if I do feel they are sufficiently knowledgeable I will take the risk to eat at a non 100% GF venue if it means I am able to participate in more social occasions and cultural experiences. This does mean I occasionally get ‘glutened’ when the research did not match the outcome (errors occurred in the food prep anyway). I am prepared for that as I feel being able to participate in the social & cultural world more fully is better for my mental health.
D. I don’t really get many symptoms when I am ‘glutened’, so I tend to take quite a few risks with my meal consumption, particularly when eating out. I sometimes will eat food not cooked in a seperate fryer if the ingredients are GF. I know it is causing internal damage, and I probably shouldn’t, but I do anyway.
Survey Results Summary:
A 2%
B 12%
C 87%
D 5%
There were many respondents who actually identified with a mix of A/B (4%), of B/C (15%), and C/D (9%).
Conclusion:
A huge 87% were very comfortable eating at non 100% gluten free venues once they had checked that good CC was in place. Surprisingly 5% admitted to being in the coeliac cowboy category (knowingly ingest gluten), with some of the C category peeps (9%) admitting they also at times throw caution to the wind and eat even though they are not sure correct CC is in place. At the other end of the ‘choice spectrum’, only 2% said they never ate out or always took their own food, and 12% said they only ever ate out at 100% gluten free venues.
To View individual COMMENT RESPONSES (raw data) click HERE
Interested in further discussion on the concepts raised in this study?
You can head to the following BLOGS which further explore why coeliacs make the choices we make:
Does A Coeliac Diagnosis Mean Life Has to Stop?
Not All Glutening is Equal – Understanding the Asymptomatic Coeliac
