While we are fortunate enough to not have to visit hospital cafeterias regularly, we have also found that we must treasure those that actually provide gluten free options. The lack of such offerings initially suprised us since of all places and professions, we initially thought the medical world would understand this need and its prevalence. Experience has taught us that while the knowledge is growing, even good doctors may not understand celiac or the limits of a gluten free diet.
With all of that said, we were happy to find that Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs offers a wide array of gluten free choices. The signs conveying gluten free options availability are hard to find at first but once you spot one, you’ll notice them around at most of the food stations. The baked goods are generally provided by Cece’s, a dedicated gluten free bakery in Northern Colorado Springs. We enjoyed the mock rye bread for a sandwich and gluten free chocolate chip cookies. One word of caution: we are not 100% sure about cross contamination so for the extremely sensitive and very caution you should explore further. We may try to speak further with the hospital about this at some point.
