Eating gluten free

When at home I try to eat without needing an acid preventer. I figure eating food combinations that give me heartburn all the time can't be good for my system. But when on vacation, I fire up that prescription for Prilosec! Are you sure you want to be walking past the delightfully yeasty aromas of a Paris boulangerie without being able to sample the goods? Or even worse, not tasting the tortellini en brodo in Milan... o_O Is there nothing that the wonder of pharmaceuticals can do to temporarily quell your condition???

Hi Evelyn. I have traveled to all those areas and have not had a problem. In Italy, most restaurant people are very aware of the need to eat senza glutine; all children are tested for celiac disease before going to school. There were several places with GF pasta. With the prevalence of polenta, it was easy to have a starch with a meal. In Paris, I also had little problem; I handed the waiter my little card I printed from the net. I purchased GF bread from the natural store Naturalia; there are several in France (they have a website too). That store has many GF products. I bought GF bread or crackers there and had many picnic lunches with food purchased at the open air food markets. In France I ate many salads and omelets for quick lunches or suppers in addition to a great variety of lovely meals. Have a great trip.

In Italy in restaurants, we ordered meat dishes for my son, instead of pastas/pizzas. The only problem with this is that the meat dishes are substantially more expensive! OUCH! We found gluten-free food at the Reformhaus chain for eating at our apartment, but I don't know how far that chain extends into other parts of Italy (we found it in the Germany speaking parts).

That sounds awful. My deepest condolences. I'd have to stick to Banana Republic destinations.

Eli makes a great point. My husband cooks in an Italian restaurant here, and is of-course aware of my son's issues. Even then, most of the time, at his restaurant, we do meat/veggie dishes, with the other chefs checking in with us on how to prepare things. We have done g-f pasta there, but if my husband was not aware of my son's needs, I could not guarantee how that pasta was handled. In a land where we speak the language fluently, it is already complex enough to explain how the food (g-f pasta) needs to be handled. Some restaurants will still toss it in the same water as regular pasta!

It's not too big of an issue traveling gluten free in Europe...in many ways more options that in the USA....I do it all the time...even in places like Czech Republic and Italy. You can google these locations for gluten free. Paris: http://www.dessietdesmets.com/ Note: Plenty of options from the street markets and a few grocery chains offering Gluten free. Milan: http://www.osteriadei5sensi.com/ Note: Just one of many choices. Cinque Terre: http://www.villaedera.com/ All over Italy: http://www.dspizzapoint.com/en/ Note: Farinata is like a thin crust pizza made of chick peas...ask to make sure there is no wheat flour in them as recipes do differ.

Eli...I see your point...I am EXTREMELY allergic to wheat, barley, rye, oats (even the gluten free kind)...and thankfully over the 25+ yrs of travel I have never been sick from my eating adventures from gluten....I have asked to not use wheat flour in the making of dishes like the chickpea pizza explaining my allergy. In most cases they use the same flour to roll out the dough as they do to make the chickpea pizza for the sake of simplicity and easy access. I was told by a lady making them, "why bring out wheat flour when the chickpea flour next to her does the job just fine?" Italian country cooking (not the Americanized version of what USA thinks is Italian) is all about the ingredients, simplicity, & utility. Too many ingredients spoil the dish. They eat with the seasons using what's good now. And they reuse components of one dish to make another part of the dish or an accompanying dish. Example any Italian knows to add the water from the cooked pasta to the sauce for thickening - and it's already hot - no extra kettle to tend for hot water. So even dishes that you think don't have any wheat may have cross contamination. If you know how is made you can convey it to the cook that even pasta water will make you sick. There are plenty of gluten free friendly restaurants in Italy that will cater to these needs.

Good to know Debbie! Do you have a list of those you tried and they worked for you? I would be very interested. I too cannot have oats, not even the gluten free type. I do miss oatmeal cookies :-(

I was just traveling around Europe for 4 months and had no problems besides some hunger in England and France (buy snacks). Upon arrival I thought it was great in Italy where everyone knew what celiacs was. Unfortunately I got sick the first day and didn't feel better till I left. I thing being able to explain about the pasta water is key. People are so nice and accommodating in Italy. I am going back next summer and now know what to should be avoided. Thanks

While I do not have celiac I am very familiar with it. I agree that the biggest issue will be cross contamination. I personally would avoid GF pastas and pizzas in restaurants that don't specifically cater or advertise themselves as being gluten free or sensitive. There soooo many meals in both countries that have no pasta or flour components like fish and roasted meats and veggies. Avoid places with pizza entirely. And pasta in northern Italy is far less common than most Americans are led to believe. Also be careful of sauces and soups and anything that would need thickening - a major issue in France. The good thing about Europe is you can review the menu on the sidewalk and see what types of foods are being prepared. Look for menus with little flour necessary and then show your card when you first ask to be seated and gauge the reaction of the staff. If they are indifferent, just leave - no harm.

Evelyn, have you done web searches for eating gluten free in those places? With so many food blogs these days there has to be specific info out there where you can find recommendations. I know the author of the famous Gluten Free Girl blog honeymooned in Italy and blogged about the food.