How Am I Going to Travel Gluten Free?

One of my favorite things about traveling has always been enjoying the local cuisine. Whether it’s flaky croissants in Paris, tapas in Spain or alpaca in Peru, I want to try it. Especially the flaky croissants and especially if they have chocolate inside.

At least that was the case before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

I miss croissants!

Celiac is an autoimmune disease in which consuming gluten causes damage to the small intestine. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats. Left untreated, it can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, lupus, lymphoma, and a variety of other conditions you would much rather not have. The only treatment for Celiac is to go on a strict gluten-free diet. You have probably heard of a gluten-free diet. It seems to be all the rage for celebrities right now and Chelsea Clinton made the news by serving a gluten-free cake at her wedding. But for the 1 in every 133 Americans who have Celiac, going gluten-free is not an option and it is not necessarily easy.

For people with Celiac, a gluten-free diet means not only giving up traditional forms of pasta, bread, pizza and beer, but it also means reading the finest print on every label of every product you consume and interrogating the wait staff and/or cook at every restaurant you visit. It isn’t enough to simply avoid foods that contain a form of gluten as an ingredient – we must also avoid this nasty thing called cross-contamination where something containing gluten might come into contact with otherwise gluten-free food. If someone brings me a salad with croutons on it, it’s not enough to just remove the croutons – I need a whole new salad. While French fries themselves may be safe, if they’re fried in the same fryer as breaded chicken fingers, they are out of the question. Even the tiniest bit of gluten for someone with Celiac can result in anything from serious gastro problems to migraines to extreme fatigue, often lasting for days.

Going gluten free is forcing me to cook more.

I was very lucky to be diagnosed early. I didn’t experience years of debilitating symptoms before my diagnosis like a lot of Celiac patients do. Celiac runs in my family so I was screened twice for it before I tested positive and I watched my dad follow a gluten-free diet for several years. Cooking for myself at home has been no problem, but eating out is a whole different issue. With a couple exceptions, fast food is pretty much not an option – almost everything contains gluten or likely is contaminated. Sports bars are also a no-no – too much breaded, fried food, not enough knowledgeable staff and a fast-paced environment that makes it difficult to stop servers and ask the questions that need to be asked. And unfortunately, some places that advertise gluten-free menus do not bother to prevent cross-contamination, meaning their gluten-free menus aren’t so gluten-free after all.

In the 4 months since being diagnosed, I have found a handful of restaurants in Chicago where I feel completely comfortable that what I eat will not make me sick. If I try eating anywhere else, I find myself stressed and full of anxiety. Having Celiac has completely taken the joy out of eating out.

I have only traveled internationally once since being diagnosed. To my great relief, I went to a country that is much savvier about gluten-free eating than the U.S. – Britain. Every restaurant I went to in London had gluten-free food identified on the menu. And if something wasn’t naturally gluten-free, they were usually willing to make substitutions free of charge. Every server I encountered knew exactly what I was talking about when I said I was gluten-intolerant – even the girl flipping burgers at the food court at Wimbledon!

Soy sauce usually contains wheat, so eating in China may be tough.

Unfortunately, my next trip likely won’t be to a place as gluten-free friendly as London. For future trips I’m targeting places like Russia, China and Central Asia. Although I speak some Russian and can get cards in other languages explaining my gluten-intolerance, I am still nervous about possible language barriers at restaurants. I am concerned about trying to shop in local supermarkets and not being able to read the labels. I am afraid I will meet friendly locals who will invite me into their homes for a meal and then get offended when I am unable to eat anything they put in front of me. And I am sad that I won’t be able to try street food on a whim or enjoy many of the traditional delicacies that in my pre-Celiac days I would have eagerly anticipated.

I haven’t been able to find much information out there about traveling gluten-free, especially internationally. Glutenfreetravelsite.com does provide links to Celiac associations in some European countries and Celiactravel.com shares some first-hand accounts of travelers in other countries (including China!). However, much of what I find simply tells me to pack my own food and bring my own snacks. That’s great for a short weekend trip in the U.S. but doesn’t really apply for longer trips overseas. So while I won’t let my Celiac diagnosis prevent me from fulfilling some of my travel dreams, I will have to be careful – and I will blog about my experiences along the way in hopes of helping others who come after me.