Let’s first get an understanding of what Celiacs is. Celiac Disease is an automimmune condition that occurs when eating a meal containing gluten causing damage to the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide but only 30% of people are diagnosed. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Symptoms can vary depending on sensitivity but include gastrointestinal and immune related consequences. Prolonged exposure leads to increased risk of certain cancers. The only current treatment is avoidance of gluten. Please see celiac.org for more information.
Eating gluten free while travelling is an added challenge that can make or break a trip. Having a reaction can ruin the next few days of your trip and maybe even lead to hospitalization in severe cases. Lucky for me, I have been transitioning to gluten free within the last couple of years and have not needed to overcome all the challenges that my husband had when he was diagnosed with Celiac’s disease 20 + years ago.
Fad diets have helped bring gluten free options into the limelight, leading to more restaurants and bakeries being able to accommodate the diet. However, these fad diets brought a stereotype with them. We have seen this in restaurants from wait staff that seem irritated at the mentioning of gluten free, not necessarily understanding that his diet is not a choice for him but a requirement. On the other hand, we have been to restaurants that are not dedicated gluten free but go out of their way to ensure there is no cross-contamination. Needless to say, each destination is going to be different in how to approach eating out. So, what do we do to help combat the anxiousness around finding meals while traveling?
I spend hours researching restaurants that we may want to try prior to arriving at our destination. A lot of times I start by reading other travel blogs about the location we are interested in going. While I am researching the destination in general, I keep an eye out for coffee houses or restaurants the writer had enjoyed while there. It’s always nice to have recommendations for a reference or some place to start. Once I pin down exactly where we are going to be during our vacation, I pull out a trustworthy friend, FindMe Gluten Free.
FindMe Gluten Free is an app you can download on your phone that lets you search for gluten free restaurants in the area you are going to be. This can be done while you are currently at your destination by using your location or in advance by typing in your location. Sometimes doing it in advance can be a little tricky if you are searching in a large city like New York City or Los Angeles because where you are staying and where the restaurant is located may not be close to one another. Another reason we like this app is because it has the reviewer rate their overall experience as well as rate the safety in regard to cross-contamination. As an additional benefit, you can search for food types you like or by restaurants dedicated gluten free.
This is where I like to read the reviews of restaurants, we are interested in going to. The reason I like TripAdvisor is because you can search for specific words in the reviews so anyone who mentions gluten free will be highlighted. Plus, I like to research overall reviews because sometimes we travel with people who don’t have to be tied to gluten free options. While some things gluten free have a minimal taste difference, others can be quite noticeable and making someone eat gluten free all the time who isn’t used to the diet may be a little harsh.
The another thing I utilize a lot, especially when we travel to more rural areas/countries, is paying attention to what type of food the restaurant has. This way if they do not offer gluten free options, we look to see if there is a way for my husband to get a meal. We have had to do this on more than one occasion. He is a fairly sensitive celiac so this works for us. If you are really sensitive to cross-contamination, then this may be a little riskier for you. He has ordered many burgers without a bun…some come without a bun some still come with a bun that he has to remove.
We like Mexican and Venezuelan food a lot. Knowing that enchiladas and Venezuelan arepas and empanadas are naturally gluten free, we have confidence in him not having a reaction from the food he eats. Italian restaurants and bakeries are not places we go very often unless we know they have a gluten free option. Sandwich places are in the same category unless they let you bring in your own bread like Katz’s Delicatessen in New York City allowed us to do, which brings me to the next point.
If in the United States, we also like to call and see if they can cater to gluten free diets in addition to reading the reviews/menu. This is what led us to bringing in our own loaf of bread to Katz and is why we now travel with a loaf of gluten free bread.
While traveling on long international flights, you should make sure to select the gluten free meal option. Since Terry is normally the one booking the flights, I provide gentle reminders to ensure he does that. I always book a gluten free meal as well just in case something goes wrong and they don’t get his request then at least he can eat mine. It’s a lot easier for me to sub out a meal than for him. And, as always, we have a back-up to our back-up…a bag of snacks.
Lots of research helps in finding potential places you can try while on vacation. Some cities will have plenty of options while others may have slim pickings. Larger cities may even have gluten free restaurant blogs you can read to gather information.
To check out how Terry survives without a list of guaranteed gluten free restaurants, try his favorite snacks post or read about our trials and tribulations for eating gluten free while traveling.
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wereonanadventureblog@gmail.com2024-05-06 08:37:552024-05-06 08:37:55Researching Gluten Free
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