Paris Restaurants, Food Allergies

Have you googled "gluten free paris" or "sans gluten paris" yet? The info I have is about 5 months old... http://www.glutenfreeparis.com/en/index.html . There are listings of restaraunts that will work with this like Le Reminet http://www.lereminet.com/ - one that I know of that is a completely gluten free restaraunt http://www.dessietdesmets.com/ - and a bakery that makes "pain sans gluten" Boulangerie Artisanale Pain d'Epis 63, ave Bousquet in the 7th (M) Ecole Militaire(bread needs to be special ordered Ph 01 45 51 75 01 closed Saturdays). Here's a list of shops that sell gluten free products: RENDEZ-VOUS DE LA NATURE 96, rue Mouffetard 75005 Paris Tel: 01 43 36 59 34 LE JARDIN DE VIE 13, rue Brezin 75014 Paris Tel: 01 45 43 54 98 EUBIA 84, avenue de St Mande 75012 Paris Tel: 01 43 44 12 67 LE MORTIER D'OR 51, rue Condorcet 75009 Paris Tel: 01 45 26 96 23
ELAN NATURE 107 bis, av du General Leclerc 75014 Paris Tel: 01 45 42 35 00

One thing your daughter should do is pack a few essential items from home that are gluten free to snack on while in flight and during the visit. There are gluten free meals available with the airlines that you would have to designate in advance, but from experience it is best to have something along in addition to it. She should get a doctors note explaining that she needs these foods with her so she can bring them in her carry on just in case security has issues with it. I never have yet been questioned about my carryon groceries but there's always a first time. Renting an apartment with a kitchen is also way easier on a gluten free person than staying in a hotel because some meals can be made there reducing the risk of wheat poisoning. I like bringing a bag of frozen gluten free bagels to Europe so I can have a bread item with my breakfast without having to stress about finding a store right away. I don't know how severe her reactions are, but for me it can take 3 days before the worst of it is gone and up to 2 weeks to be back to normal. So this should be treated very seriously. BTW, if your daughter has it then either your wife or you may have it & not realize it as symptoms are different with each individual. This is an inherited issue.

I would do as suggested above and rent an apartment, buy my own food and cook most of the meals that she ate at home. Find the above llisted stores and shop there. You could cook her food and take it with you to have as a picnic.

I would also suggest having a small card made up and translated into French detailing the basics of your daughter's allergies. Then if you're in a restaurant you can simply show it to your server without worrying that something could be misunderstood. I traveled with friends to Italy who had Celiac's disease, and they felt much more at ease when they ate out with this system.

An apartment can be helpful to make some basic meals like breakfast or bring breakfast and snack food along (or buy it). But don't avoid Parisian restaurants. A card in French explaining the allergy should be adequate and never hesitate to ask questions (I'm sure she is used to this anyway). Sauces and soups are often thickened with a flour roux so be very careful with those. If she is extremely sensitive, stick to the list of restaurants offering gluten-free dishes as they will be more careful in the kitchen. For example, a dish without gluten ingrediants can still be made on a surface that had flour and sicken someone with high sensitivity.

I forgot to add the website for allergy translation spreadsheets in a bunch of different languages.
http://www.food-info.net/allergy.htm

If you have an IPhone or an IPod, check out the app "iEatOut." It includes French cuisine. You can read about it here: http://glutenfreepassport.com/apps/ieatout/