Finding Gluten Free Foods While Traveling Abroad

by Pamela Landerson on February 23, 2010 · diet

in diet

When you are living with a gluten allergy, being able to travel can sometimes be hard. Just finding the foods you need is often an extremely difficult task to accomplish. You see, gluten is found in things such as barely, wheat and rye. When you are allergic to it and ingest it, you can experience excessive gas, painful stomach cramps and diarrhea. Even more serious, if the gluten triggers your immune system, you can develop celiac disease. These health risks make it very important to be ready to travel and find the gluten free foods your body needs.

Don\’t think for a minute that you will have to give up on your travels just because you need to maintain a gluten free diet. All it takes is a bit of planning and some effort on your part and you can go out and enjoy life like everyone else. Below are some tips that can help you do that.

Before you leave for your trip, try to locate a celiac support group in the area you are traveling to. Support groups can provide you with a list of local establishments that serve gluten free foods. You can often find this same information on the internet as well if you go looking for it. If you can\’t pack any of the foods you need with you, check in with the health food stores in the area to see if they will have the things you need. In some cases, stores are willing to order the things you need and have it there when you arrive.

As you are busy looking at hotels in the area you are going to be traveling to, look for rooms that have a kitchen. If you can manage to get at least a sink, refrigerator, stove and microwave you should have no problems cooking anything you would want during your stay there.

Also, make out a list of all the things you will need to take with you, like food and cooking utensils. Travel by car makes it a lot easier to pack these things along, but if you have to travel by other means you can pack all of these things away in a separate piece of luggage for easy carrying.

Prepare some snacks to take with you on your trip as well. Gluten free crackers, cookies and chocolates are tasty and perfect for this. You can also order all kinds of other snacks online that will keep you full and won\’t cause you problems.

If you are planning on any cooking and baking while you are gone from home, you can find thinks like gluten free cake mix, flour, gravy, pasta and pastries online. There are numerous companies that offer a wide variety of choices for those with gluten allergies.

Having to stick to a gluten free diet while you are traveling should not prevent you from having a little fun. You can use the tips provided here to ease your worry so you can relax and have a great time. Planning ahead and packing things with you when you can is the easiest way to alleviate the stress of having the foods you need to stay healthy when you are away from home.

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