Having food allergies does not mean you have to forgo dining out and stick to self-made meals at home. Granted, you will have less choices and you are upping the risks when you dine out. But with careful planning and a little bit of research, you can also enjoy dining out with your friends and family just like everybody else. For those in the Chicago area, Jenni Prokopy, founder of Chronic Babe, a web site for young women with chronic illness, has compiled a list of dining options for those celiac disease. The list should also be useful for those with wheat allergies, a different condition, but also necessitates that one stays away from wheat products. Of course, if you have other food allergies, some of these restos may not be suitable. Call beforehand and check what the restaurant's policy about food allergies are. I can only repeat Jenni's quote of Anne Muñoz-Furlong, FAAN's founder and CEO.

"Do your own homework and establish a relationship with individual restaurants," she says. Bring medication with you in case of an allergen exposure.

Once you've arrived at a researched restaurant, identify yourself to the waitstaff and manager, explaining which hidden ingredients pose a threat. If you can, Muñoz-Furlong says, "speak to a manager, rather than harried waitstaff. They understand liability and possible bad press." And they are more likely to know every ingredient. "If you don't think they believe you, or if they don't take you seriously, better to leave than call an ambulance."