A gluten-free (or gluten free friendly) diet is an eating plan that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. While many of our partners can accommodate a gluten free diet, we advise those who are extremely sensitive to gluten to visit restaurants on our celiac friendly list.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which an immune response is triggered when consuming gluten. When a person with celiac eats gluten, the protein interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food by damaging a part of the small intestine called villi. Damaged villi make it nearly impossible for the body to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream. Malnourishment and other downstream problems can result. Our celiac friendly partners have extremely high standards for gluten avoidance in their kitchens.

A dairy free diet is one that excludes all dairy products from any animal in addition to foods and drinks that contain milk including cheese, yogurt, butter, and cream.

Soybeans are a legume most common in Asian dishes. A soy free diet entails avoiding all foods containing soybeans or by-products of soybeans including items such as edamame, soy sauce, and tofu.

Peanut allergy occurs when your immune system mistakenly identifies peanut proteins as something harmful. Direct (or in some cases indirect) contact with peanuts causes your immune system to release symptom-causing chemicals into your bloodstream which in some cases can be life threatening.

Tree nut allergies are an allergic reaction to the proteins found in tree nuts, including hazelnuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios.

The Paleo diet consists of foods that may have been eaten during the Paleolithic era, which dates from approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. Generally, this diet includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Proponents of the diet emphasize choosing low-glycemic fruits and vegetables.

The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat diet that involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where fat is burned as your fuel source.

The Primal diet is most similar to Paleo, although paleo prohibits the consumption of dairy, while a Primal Diet can include dairy—generally full-fat, ideally raw fermented, and from pasture-raised animals. The Paleo diet prohibits nightshade vegetables, including potatoes, whereas some starchy vegetables are allowed on the Primal diet.

A vegan diet eliminates any product that's made from an animal. This includes dairy, meat, eggs, fish, and even honey.

Organic refers to food and drinks produced by methods complying with the strict guidelines of organic farming. While these guidelines can vary from country to country, organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Many toxic chemicals are banned in organic farming.

The label “Non-GMO” means non-genetically modified organisms. Genetically modified organisms are organisms created in a laboratory using genetic engineering. Scientists, consumers, and environmental groups have repeatedly cautioned against the health and environmental risks associated with foods containing GMOs.

Unlike highly regulated terms like Organic or Non-GMO, the phrase Farm-to-table is not regulated. So, for our purposes we will define it to mean that the food on the table came directly from a farm, without going through a store, market, or distributor along the way.

A whole food diet is one that consists of eating unprocessed or unrefined food including grains, nuts, seeds, meats, eggs, fish, fruits, and vegetables. Whole foods have little to no preservatives or additives. Examples of things that we consider Whole Foods would be salads, and smoothies with minimally processed ingredients.