In honor of Valentine’s Day, The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. published an article called “Sex and the Celiac” with tips for dating. It’s an excellent article and I’m glad these tips are being passed along, as a diagnosis of Celiac Disease can certainly put a damper on your love life, especially in a society that loves to eat! I’ve posted many of the tips in some of my past blogs, but it’s still a good read and can be downloaded here: February_Sex and the Celiac- Dating Tips for the Gluten-Free
I’d like to talk about my FAVORITE tips of theirs in more detail: SKIP THE FOOD!
Dates so frequently revolve around dinner and a movie that it’s practically a cliche. While it can be fun and interesting if done in moderation, I find “dinner and movie nights” to be quite mundane and not terribly interesting. This is just my opinion; I know many people enjoy these low-key nights. But like the NFCA suggests, there are many other fun and interesting dates that don’t have to involve eating, or can involve eating in a safer way than going out to eat. Some of these may depend on how well you know the person, but in general, I find these to be fun dates regardless of how well you know the person.
1) Go for a hike: This is one of the NFCA’s suggestion but I agree! Getting outside, being active, enjoying the fresh air and each others company all make for great date. I’ve had first dates involving hikes, but I also go hiking with my boyfriend of three years. It never gets old and there are always new trails to check out. It’s a perfect opportunity to have good conversation without staring in each others faces awkwardly as you eat food in a restaurant.
At the top of Mt. Monadnock
2) Go for a bike-ride: Similar to the first one, you’re being active in the great outdoors, enjoying each others company. What’s not to love about that? Plus, if you haven’t gone for a bike ride in a long time, it’s extremely exhilarating and makes you feel like a kid again. Ahhh, carefree love….
3) Have a fancy date-night at home. Plan out a 3 course meal (or 5 course if you’re feeling ambitious) of foods that are safe to consume. Get all dressed up and act like you’re at a fancy restaurant. Clearly, you also need a bottle of wine.
4) Play games. This is good for groups or one-on-one, though some games are clearly better suited to groups. One “game” I like to play with my boyfriend is Table Topics. It’s good for getting to know a new person, but also getting to know your current partner even better. A game I was recently introduced to, thanks to friends, is Cards Against Humanity. This is a hilarious, inappropriate and at times dreadfully awkward game. It’s a definite ice breaker and will have you laughing until you cry in no time. Not appropriate for one-on-one dates, though. I’ve only listed two games, so be creative! There are loads of fun games out there and I’m sure you know of a few yourself.
5) Reserve a museum pass from your local library and go to the museum. You save money and get to do another fun activity which doesn’t revolve around food. Maybe you’ll even learn a thing or two 
6) Go to a Rock Gym. I’m no expert rock climber but indoor rock gyms are challenging and SO much fun. It’s a great workout and I, for one, feel extremely accomplished afterward.
7) Pack a GLUTEN FREE picnic and go to a state park to eat it. Okay, so this revolves around food, but you control what goes into your picnic basket, and it’s a bit different than the typical restaurant date. Depending on where you live, this may not happen around Valentine’s Day!
8) Go on a wine-tasting tour. Look for local wineries and see if they offer tours. We’ve gone on a bunch in the past few years and they’re always a fun, nice way to spend the day. If you get a good tour guide, you’ll also leave with some more knowledge about wine.
9) Go to a professional sporting event. I LOVE going to Celtics games with my boyfriend. It’s so much fun, and even though plenty of people are eating, it’s not the focus. Plus, most sports arenas will allow you to bring in a snack if you have food allergies or Celiac Disease.
10) Go kayaking. I only tried kayaking for the first time with my current boyfriend. It was very early on in our dating and we spent the morning running a 5K together. I was a little nervous because I don’t know how to swim, but it was SUCH a great day and I discovered I love kayaking in spite of hating the water and being unable to swim. Trying new things together brings you even closer to one another.
These are just a few ideas but if you’re creative, you can come up with plenty more! Our society does seem to revolve around eating but from my perspective, there is TONS to do that doesn’t involve eating and is way more fun.
What are other fun things to do, which don’t revolve around food?
All good ideas!! Isaac and I struggle to find date ideas because of my allergies so we’ve definitely had to get creative! Recently we went to the batting cages and it was really fun…and a surprisingly good workout! Another fun one (if your guy is into painting/art) is painting pottery. There’s also the zoo, bowling, and museum hopping! Okay now I’m itching for a date night
More great ideas! I’ve never been to the batting cages, or pottery (at least not with Eric), but the zoo, museums, and bowling we have done too! I have a feeling he might not do pottery with me but I’ll try LOL. He’d finely be up for batting cages though.
Yeah I’m pretty sure Isaac would never paint pottery with me, but a girl can dream.
Yep! That’s what our girl friends are for, LOL.
My favorite first date is a coffee house — coffee or tea are safe, even for my multiple allergies, and they’re good and public. Some of your ideas are great — for a fourth date or so. But a first date needs to be more public than hiking or home, which makes “dating” harder than dating someone.
I’d add lectures, low-key music nights out (we have a local bar, a coffee house, and a jazz club), and book readings (followed by coffee or tea) as good options.
Thanks for your suggestions! I’ve definitely gone hiking on first dates, but in very public, well-traveled places. Probably not a good idea to go on a trail behind someone’s house though, on a first date! I agree that tea or coffee houses are a great idea; very low key.
Great ideas! I love how active you and your boyfriend are. Makes me nostalgic about my life before kids… one day they’ll go to college, but hopefully I’ll be able to go on a proper date before then, ha!
Yeah, it must be a little harder when you have kids! Do you use babysitters or are you too nervous with food issues?
I love the wine photo! heehee
Haha, thanks girl!
Great post! It really is super hard to plan dates when you’re right, they almost always revolve around food or going out to dinner.
When my husband asked me out on our first date, he made reservations at a hibachi restaurant. I had to tell him about my celiac, and that soy sauce was out of the question. He called and talked to the chef to see if there was anything I could eat. There wasn’t, but it was that intentionality that sparked something in me and I thought I should get to know this guy a little more! Almost four years of marriage later, he is still so intentional about finding gluten-free restaurants to go to. For big, fancy dates, we sort of now have an arrangement – he tells me about the surprise date coming up and then I call the restaurant to arrange a meal. It takes a lot of pressure off him and I can ask questions he might not think about.
That’s awesome that he would put that much consideration into your finding out if a restaurant was safe for you on your first date! Sounds like you have a keeper.