Updated Gluten Free List from Panera Bread

I wrote to Panera recently to request the current gluten free options that they provide. While of course they can't guarantee there won't be any cross contamination, they did provide a number of great options to choose from. 

Here is their response:

Hi Bridget,

I’ll be happy to share more details about our menu. Please see below for a list of our menu items that are made without gluten-containing ingredients. However, because we bake fresh bread daily in our bakery-cafes and bread is core to our menu, we simply cannot ensure that there has been no contact between these items, or any other menu items, and gluten.

Nutrition information and complete ingredients are also available on our website, www.panerabread.com. Menu items offered only in test markets or on a regional basis do not appear on the website. Please ask a manager for the nutritional information at the bakery-cafe where the item is offered.

Please note that nutritional information on our website is updated periodically. Tests of new recipes of existing products may be conducted from time to time in certain markets. These new recipes may contain different/additional ingredients, including allergens, as compared to the original version. For the most update-to-date information, please call or visit your nearest bakery-cafe to speak with a manager.

Although we would like to be able to offer gluten-free bread, this option is not operationally feasible for us at this time. The dough for our breads is made in our Fresh Dough Facilities and transported daily in refrigerated trucks to our bakery-cafes where it is shaped, scored, topped and baked. With all of the wheat-based products being made in our Fresh Dough Facilities, there is no way to isolate a gluten-free dough area.

Cross contact in this situation, as well as in our bakery-cafes, would always be a possibility. We would need an entirely separate facility to make the dough for gluten-free breads and a dedicated area to bake the breads and make the sandwiches. However, we will be happy to note your request for future consideration to our Product Development team.

I checked your MyPanera account and the dietary preference selected is Gluten Free.  Some of our rewards, like the Birthday Pastry, cannot be changed in our system.  Please write us and we will do our best to switch the reward for you.

We want your visit to Panera Bread to be warm and relaxing with friendly service and deliciously handcrafted food you can enjoy and feel good about, and we truly appreciate your feedback. I hope you’ll visit again soon and give us another chance to share the Panera warmth.

Sincerely,

John
Panera Bread Customer Care



NOTE: Although we try to meet your special requirements, we cannot ensure that these items have not come into contact with gluten in our bakery-café.

** Gorgonzola (G) and bleu cheeses (BC) are commonly made with mold incubated on wheat. Some may choose to avoid these cheeses for this reason and you may substitute another cheese if you prefer. Items containing these ingredients are indicated below with (G) or (BC).

Salads   (including the salad dressing) (source of modified food starch is corn)
Greek & Greek with Chicken
Caesar & Chicken Caesar (without croutons)
Asian Sesame Chicken  (without wonton noodles)
Classic Cafe & Classic Cafe with Chicken
Fuji Apple Chicken (G/BC)
Chicken Cobb with Avocado (G/BC)
Seasonal Fruit Cups
Thai Chicken (without wontons, vinaigrette, and peanut sauce)
BBQ Chicken (without frizzled onions)
Crumbly Bleu Cheese Salad (G)
Southwest Caesar & Southwest Chicken Caesar (without southwest Caesar dressing)
Steak and Blue Cheese (G/BC) (without frizzled onions)

Salad Dressings
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Caesar
Greek/Herb Vinaigrette
Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
White Balsamic Fuji Apple Vinaigrette
Light Buttermilk Ranch (select markets only)
Raspberry Vinaigrette
BBQ Ranch
Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

Soups
Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean
Creamy Tomato (without croutons)
Fire Roasted Tomato
All Natural Turkey Chili with Beans

Beverages
Coffee- all varieties
Juice, both apple and orange
Beverages, continued
Lemonade
Milk
Soda, fountain and bottled
Brewed Tea, tea bags, Chai Tea (hot & iced) and green tea
All lattes, espresso drinks & Frozen beverages
Smoothies
Signature Hot Chocolate with Chocolate Chip Marshmallows

Spreads
Plain Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Plain Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Chive and Onion Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Honey Walnut Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Roasted Vegetable Medley Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Wild Blueberry Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Reduced Fat Hazelnut Cream Cheese Spread- U.S.
Herb & Garlic- Canada
Honey Walnut- Canada
Light Plain- Canada
Plain- Canada

Breakfast Hot Plates (without toast)
Ham and Cheddar Omelette
Ranchero Omelette
Vegetarian Omelette
Scrambled Eggs

Hidden Menu
Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Power Mediterranean Roasted Turkey Salad
Power Steak Lettuce Wraps
Power Chicken Hummus Bowl

MISC
Panera Bread Potato Chips (Kettle cooked and Baked Crisps)
Napa Chicken Salad (Add on option for salads)
Tuna salad (Add on option for salads)
Chicken Walnut Salad (Add on option for salads)
All meats (including steak, ham, turkey, roasted turkey, salami, bacon, citrus pepper chicken, smoked chicken, salmon [seasonal], shrimp [seasonal], sausage patty)
All cheeses (see gorgonzola and blue cheese reference 

I have tried several of the Panera GF options and have been very pleased. Although I would choose my all time favorite (you pick two: bacon turkey bravo on tomato basil bread with baked potato soup) if I could, having GF options that taste good is pretty nice too. 

Hopefully this helps you out!

Bridget

2 Years Later...

This April 30th will be two years since I gave up gluten. It's still hard to believe sometimes. When I started this journey I didn't think I could do it. I had convinced myself that this would not be something I did long term. I can recall the night before "go-live" when I was grocery shopping in Publix, trying not to cry because I had to say goodbye to all of my favorite foods. I don't think you really ever get over having to give up Pop-tarts and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

The first few days were tough. I walked around feeling like I needed a fix. I called my doctor and asked him how long I had to stay gluten free (GF). He very nicely tried to explain, for the foreseeable future. What I realized was that I was just going to have to tell myself that I was only going gluten free for 30 days. However, by the time I made it 30 days, I felt better. In fact, I felt good enough to give it another 30 days. After another 30 days, I felt considerably better. So I stuck with it.

My reason for going gluten free can be found in my bio, but the main reasons are that I was diagnosed with two auto-immune conditions, ITP and Pernicious Anemia. For several years I tried to understand what these conditions were and why they were happening to me. I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I questioned my doctors, I came to them with new ideas for tests, and I even switched my hematologist because he was set on having me take cancer drugs and steroids to boost my platelet count.

For me, it just didn't make sense and I wasn't going to accept it.

So, how did I learn about a possible food allergen? I was home sick one day and had the Dr. Oz TV show on. They were talking on the show about gluten allergies and leaky gut. Since they said these could wreak havoc on your body I decided to Google it against low platelets. When I did this, I was stunned. There was article after article linking low platelets to gluten allergies.

I called my doctors right away and while they were skeptical, they humored me and ran the tests. They were blown away when the results came back showing not only showing 73 food allergies, but among those an allergy to gluten (gluten sensitivity), and severe intestinal permeability (leaky gut).

So what were the results?

Well in the first week I lost 5 pounds. In about 6 months, I lost 25 pounds. This wasn't the reason I gave up gluten, but it was a nice perk. My platelets however went from an average of 37K-42K to normal. That's right. NORMAL. My hematologist's lab says normal is 140K. My highest count to date is 175K. No drugs. Just GF.

Yes, I have times when my platelets are affected, but this is usually when I am accidentally glutened. For example, over Thanksgiving I accidentally ingested gluten and my count dropped 80K. That's the thing with an auto-immune condition. It never goes away. Once your body attacks itself, it never really recovers. What I can do though is manage the triggers. For me, gluten is the trigger.

Some other added perks of going GF:

1. My hair stopped thinning
2. My legs don't cramp all night long anymore
3. My eczema disappeared
4. My anxiety decreased
5. My memory improved

Little by little my health has improved. As I have gotten better my doctors have become excited. They have expressed that testing for food allergies are not a part of their normal testing so they never considered it to be the cause of my health issues. This is because of their training. They are re-thinking this now. That part makes me feel happy because I know I have made a small difference.

Recently, my hematologist said to me "Congratulations, you figured it out yourself. You are a smart lady." That was a good day.