I am off for a week of fun in the sun! In the meantime, Jenn from the Canadian Housewife is here today writing about traveling while eating gluten free. I am not GF, but I have lots of friends who are and I find it very useful advice- even for people with other food allergies.
Hello there! My name is Jenn and I blog
over on The Canadian Housewife about life in the country, gardening, keeping
chickens, making crafts and living with food allergies.
When Casey (who I met in the line for the
Young House Love book) asked me to share today a little about gluten-free
living, I jumped at the chance. You see, I haven’t always been gluten-free and
I know that when I first started down this confusing road of avoiding certain
foods, I felt overwhelmed and discouraged. So I am hoping to help encourage
those of you who are new on this journey or help support others who are already
gluten-free.
At first I toyed with the idea of writing a general post about living
gluten-free but felt too overwhelmed by that thought, since I wouldn’t be able
to fit it all into one post without boring you all to death and taking up way
too much of your precious time. So I opted to choose a specific angle and go
with that.
Before I was gluten-free, traveling didn’t
seem like that big of a deal. All I would do is throw some clothes and
toiletries in a bag, book a hotel and hit the road. Okay, so there was usually
a little more effort than that but you get the picture. Food wasn’t really thought of much since we
normally just ate out at restaurants and chose them according to what we were
craving at the time. Life was easy back
then.
When I first went gluten-free, the idea of
leaving the comfort and safety of my home and kitchen was terrifying. What
would I eat? Would I get sick from eating something wrong? How long would we be
gone for? How many meals would need to be organized? The list went on and on.
It was too much to think about and so we didn’t do much traveling at
first. But over time and becoming a
little more accustomed to my new diet, it became easier.
That being said, it still takes a heck of a
lot more thought than it did before. Now when we plan a weekend away I have to
know ahead of time so that I can do the appropriate amount of research. I need
to know where we are going, how long we will be there for, what sorts of
restaurants are near by, is there a grocery store, a fridge or microwave where
we are staying, etc. It takes thought and careful planning so that I know I
will be able to eat.
Luckily, a lot of restaurants are now
offering gluten-free menu items so it makes eating out a lot easier than it was
before. You can usually find out if you can eat somewhere by checking the
restaurants menu online or making a quick phone call. I have also discovered
that while some places don’t advertise it, they are usually more than willing
to accommodate me.
I also like to pack lots of snacks when we
travel. There is usually a bag dedicated completely to food where I bring
things that I can eat, like muffins, bread, crackers, applesauce, peanut
butter, rice cakes, cereal and almond milk. We try really hard to only book
hotel rooms that have a fridge and a microwave so that I can at least have
breakfast and possibly lunch in the room. While many restaurants do offer
gluten-free items, I usually feel safer eating foods that I bring and know for
sure are safe for me to eat. Not to mention it saves us money to not have to
eat out for every single meal.
Going away for the weekend is entirely
possible when you are gluten-free, it just usually takes more preparation. It
also becomes easier the more you do it and the longer you are gluten-free,
since you become more comfortable with your restrictions and aren’t so easily
overwhelmed.
So my advice to you would be to just stay
calm and plan ahead. You won’t starve, you just might get a little hungry and
grumpy if you do spontaneous trips. But over time, you will get used to it and
one day it will be second nature to you.
I do feel like I should add that traveling
is a little bit trickier for me now, since I am now gluten/dairy/corn free, but
it is still entirely possible. Feel free to join me over on my
blog for gluten-free recipes and stories about living life with food
restrictions.
I shall leave you with a
quote that I find quite inspiring and hopefully encourages you as well.
“After I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I said yes to food, with
great enthusiasm. . . . I vowed to taste everything I could eat, rather than
focusing on what I could not.” ― Shauna James Ahern
Great advice! :)
ReplyDelete