Hello, All. I'll be traveling through Europe with my Mother, who has Celiac's disease. I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on Celiac's or Gluten Intolerance.
We're visiting: Ireland, Austria, Italy and Slovenia.
We plan to bring a little food with us, just in case (something she can snack on if we can't find anything.)
Has anyone had any personal experiences? :) Thanks!
Someone asked a similar question a few months ago, you may find some interesting answers there if you search for the thread.
Newbie to this particular forum question Tom - how do I search for threads? Thanks for the help! Chris
You can either search in the upper right box (with limited success) or use google.
In the google search box type:
site:www.ricksteves.com {your search}
Don't put in the curly brackets of course...
In regards to traveling with Celiac, my wife lived as one for years (only later to find out she didn't really have it). It was practically impossible for her to eat anything in Japan when we were there. As well, I could see you having quite A LOT of trouble in Austria, Italy and Slovenia just trying to tell them what you troubles are. Ireland they will at least know English, but you will probably have trouble finding food that is safe.
Lots of European groceries have Celiac food available (we did look into it, just for curiosities sake). As well, make sure to bring a bunch of snack bars, etc. as you will probably find that many restaurants won't be able to help. As she probably eats a lot of salads here, I would have your mother look into those mainly because you can generally see what is in the food (most of the time) except for the dressing.
We have had very limited luck in bringing one of the 'Celiac Cards' with various languages on it. Pretty much any time you show something like that to a server they either don't understand it, or say nothing is safe, so don't rely on it. As well, one of the biggest issues servers have in regards to gluten issues is lack of knowledge about it. They just don't understand what it means. Also, it is common for servers to see customers with dietary requirements as just being 'picky' which leads problems.
I think it boils down to "take all the pain you have here going out to eat as a Celiac and then throw in a language barrier".
Traveling with Celiac is hard, but we have done it, so it is possible. :-)
I actually blogged about this awhile back...
check out the company
Selectwisely.com
and see if this might be of help to you..
also the Celiac Asscociations (use google) I think offers tips...
I have lactose intolerance..to a degree...
sadly the degree that affects consuming GELATO..
Best of luck
There is a link on the Graffiti wall for "Dietary Restrictions" where there are many postings about this sort of thing
Thank you all for the great replies/resources! I'll check things out! FYI - I did find a Celiac's "restaurant card" app for iTunes in the Apple Store. :)
On a Rick Steves Family tour I took last summer, we had a family where the mom and daughter both had celiac, and in another family the child had a life threatning peanut allergy. All did fine.
The family with Celiac did bring some rice cakes, they used them alot for breakfasts where in many places breakfast was buns, or breads and jam.. they of course were able to eat the fruit and yogurts provided though. They also brought some snack type bars, just to have handy in their bags. Every where they ate they had to order carefully, but always managed to find something to eat. When others had pasta , they would order roast chicken or pork. They avoided gravies and sauces unless they were reassured that sauces were not made from rouxs.
The mom and dd with Celiac did not seem to have too many problems they did send back soup that came with a crouton on it,, after they just explained to waitress the deal, sigh.. but, , the family with the child with a peanut allergy had to be alot more restrictive.. even a tiny smidge of peanut could have killed the girl,, so they couldn't even eat gelato,, as the mom could not be sure the flavor of gelato they selected would not have been contaiminated with peanut from the scoup being used in a peanut or nut based flavor.. I felt bad for her, but mom did bring a whole suitcase loaded with peanut free chocolates and treats!
Wow, Pat. That's great info! We were thinking of bringing a stock of rice cakes with us, as she can eat most of the meats/eggs/jams/fruit at breakfast, etc. That all makes me feel a little more secure! :) chris
Hi Chris. I have traveled twice to France as a Celiac with success. I did pack GF rice krispies for breakfast for one trip, then just asked for a bowl and a glass of milk. There was a good selection for breakfast with yogurt, fruit, cheese and ham, that I had with my rice cakes. I also packed GF rice crackers and was able to find more rice cakes in France. Through searching the net, I found out that in Italy (where I am travelling this April) most pharmacies stock GF foods, as all children are tested for celiac before going to school, so there are many more diagnosed celiacs in Italy. I found links to a pharmacy that had locations with addresses. The store name is Elenco Farmacie and a gluten free company they stock is Bi aglut. I did print off the celiac info cards to give to waiters, that worked very well in France. I researched where the open air food markets were before I left, and I visited them as soon as I arrived to have some fruit and veggies on hand for snacks. I found food shops with dried fruit and nuts so I could always have a snack with me (that I put in my zip lock baggies that I had packed). I did also bring some raisins and a nut mix with me from home to have snacks available on the plane; it is a good idea to have something to eat for the plane in case they miss your gluten free meal. I brought some protein bars and GF granola type bars from home also; they were good for the trip over and nice to have in my daypack for snacking. Happy Travels.
Eli of Tornado Alley might be able to make some suggestions? (I'm thinking back to a few months back...I've been away for a while...)
I guess buying food from Supermarkets is not going to help you all the time, since you perhaps don't speak the local language(s). I know for sure that majority of the foods have the ingredients written in English.
Another idea for her is to eat fruit and veggies, if she can do it.
Thanks, Bea! I speak enough German to catch most of the big stuff, but I'm a little worried about complicated processed terms, etc (soy lecithin, things like that). But yeah, she loves fresh fruits and veggies, fish and meat, so that should help! :)
Flight Attendant - Thanks!
June - Wow. Thanks so much for that info, especially about Italy!
Celiac is quite well-known in Ireland. (I am of Irish ancestry and it is from my Irish ancestors that I inherited it). I have traveled all over Europe, particularly Ireland, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, etc., without trouble. Your mom just needs to focus on what she CAN eat rather than what she cannot. Of course no breads, pasta, etc., but I also avoid all soups and most sauces, as well as all sausage IWurst in German). Still, that leaves a lot of delicious food---grilled meats and chicken, lots of fish choices, lovely salads, and in Italy, risotto and polenta. I snack on fresh fruits and nuts.
She might want to carry something with the local translation for "celiac" or "gluten'intolerant" in case she has questions.
