“HELP! I’m Gluten Free but I’m going travelling, what should I do?”
Eating gluten-free is no picnic. Whether you choose to go gluten-free or have it recommended by a doctor, it can be hard enough sticking to the diet at home in the UK – so the thought of heading to a foreign country can be downright terrifying!
But don’t let your diet put you off travelling. I’ve been a coeliac for 11 years, and have lived in Spain for a year, interrailed and travelled all around Europe, and spent time in South America – and I made it out in one piece!
All it takes is a little bit of preparation and being sensible, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t go anywhere you like!
The Tricks of the Trade:
- Look up gluten-free restaurants and cafés in the area. You don’t have to stick to these, but it’s always good to have a couple noted down as back-ups in case you can’t find anything to eat in other restaurants. Plus, you’ll know they really understand your diet!
- A safe bet is to aim for meals that are naturally gluten-free such as meat, rice, potatoes, salads… Just remember to check that any sauces or dressings are GF!
- If you don’t speak the language of the country you’re visiting, it’s a good idea to look up some handy phrases in advance that you can show to a waiter or chef. In some countries (e.g. in South America) ‘gluten’ does not exist, and you’ll need to explain it in more detail. You could screenshot a few sentences from Google Translate, get a native-speaker to write it down for you, or order some special translation cards (there are loads of websites which offer this).
- If you do speak the country’s language, brush up on useful words and phrases: e.g. gluten, wheat, barley, flour, soy sauce.
- Pack some snacks from home that you can pop in your day bag to keep you going, such as energy bars, nuts, sweets, and dried fruit.
If you’re coeliac, or very sensitive to gluten, make sure you double check that the food is being prepared in a clean area. Yes, it’s a pain, but unfortunately some places that offer special foods like gluten-free pizza or gluten-free bread still cook the food in the same oven/toaster as the gluteny food – not good!
If in doubt, don’t eat it! It’s better to be hungry for a little while longer as you look for an alternative than to make yourself really ill.
Don’t feel like you’re being an annoyance – either to waiters, chefs, or the people that you’re with. Sending back your meal because the kitchen ‘thoughtfully’ added bread to your plate, or traipsing round several different restaurants looking for something you can eat will all be worth it in the end!
Fun fact – the word ‘gluten’ is virtually the same in almost every European language….apart from Slovakian (‘lepok’) and Czech (‘lepek’)!
So now you have the guide to gluten free travelling – Bon Voyage!
Coeliac Awareness Week is 9-15th May 2016 – see Coeliac UK for more details.