<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hi, listmates -- Many thanks to all of you who took the time to respond to
my original post about staying GF in Belize and bringing food into a
foreign country. The (edited) responses I received are below. I will post
an email when we return to share our experiences eating GF during our
trip! Best regards, Rita Gordon
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My family & I just returned from 9 days on A.C. and we had a great
time.Stewed chicken with rice and beans
are the national dish of Belize and perfectly safe.We always bring along
some GF treats (this was our 4th
trip!) due to the expense of American Junk food.No one has ever asked us
about bringng food INTO Belize, they
do ask about bringing food into the U.S. though.There is plenty of Mexican
influence so ask for corn
tortillas .There are also street vendors in San Pedro who sellthem by the
pound.There's a Mexican restaurant
on the beach called Calientes that has great tacos and enchiladas. There is
an abundance of fresh local
fruit. I wind up eating a lot of grilled fish rice and beans.
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...my carry-on bag (was) my "chuck wagon". Even though I hate store bought
GF bread, I brought along 2 loaves in my carry-on bag (so as not to get
crushed). I figured they are already packed well for non-refrigeration and
the challenges of shipping. Both loaves arrived in great shaped and took
care of multiple needs-breakfast toast, sandwiches, and some wonderful
French toast for breakfast. I also stashed some GF cookies and pretzels in
my carry-on, since the snacks the airline passes out never works for us. (I
didn't want to put my food in my stow away bags because if they bags
were delayed for some reason, I would still have my food. Also, if a
customs inspector had any questions about the food, I would be there with
the bag to answer them - rather than them just confiscating the items.)
I had stashed a frozen Yoplait yogurt into my carry-on which had defrosted
enough for me to use it for my meal.
The supermarkets on the islands where we stayed had many foods (from label
reading) that appeared OK for me to eat (in addition to the
obvious fruits, veggies, meats, cheeses), so cooking in our unit was no
problem. As for eating out, I just asked all of my usual questions and
then crossed my fingers. Usually, that worked out fine. Do cruise the
aisles of their local market. You may find items
that are GF that we can't find here. For example, I found these wonderful
cookies (in St. Maarten) that actually said "Sin Gluteen.Gluten free" on
the package (very expensive though). I also found a kind of pancake flour
(that appeared to be Indian) that was made with Rice flour and lentil flour!
Amgerbris Caye may have very small markets. If you have time on the Belize
mainland, you may want to purchase your foods from the markets
there as they will probably have a larger selection. You can then pack them
into a corrugated box in order to get them to the caye. This is what
we did to get frood from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac. ....As for a letter
from my doc-I did not have one and was not asked
for one.
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i am a belizean but have lived out of belize for the last 10yrs, u are
going to a beautiful island i can assure u that.
re the food: u get a lot of delicious food in belize which upon asking
around u will find out that it is indeed G.F.
(lots of corn tortillas which are 100% corn) i am sure of one thing that u
will not get G.F. food of the shelves of any supermarket.
very few people must be aware of what is GLUTEN FREE FOOD.and u can also
take with you any amount of g.f.
cookies/bread/cereal of your own without any problems. u will have no
trouble with immigration and customs they are very friendly people.
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I travel to Mexico every year and bring in tons of food as we stay 6 wks. I
have no problem, but also bring a letter from my dr. stating I need this
food... Usually they don't care what you bring, its what you bring out that
matters. I bring a mix for pancakes...and don't have a problem. Most (food
I bring) is frozen and on direct flights, it is still frozen, so it works
great.
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Two years ago I spent a week in San Pedro for a research project. I stayed
at this little hotel (I believe it was called the Hideaway Lodge, but I'll
check) that was kind of shabby, but very accommodating. They let me store
my own meals in their kitchen's freezer, and access my meals (as well as
their kitchen and its supplies) as needed. They supplemented my meals as
they could with the hotel's food (which served one standard dish for
everyone at every meal).
As far as bringing food into the country, I have a little cooler on wheels
(soft-sided with a handle that pulls up--like a suitcase) that I packed
solid with ice and frozen meals. I was allowed to check this with my
luggage, and then bring it into the country. Although they stopped me at
customs in Belize (mainland), once I unzipped the cooler's lid they just
waived me through. It was no problem on the American side, either. I had
no doctor's note or anything like that. You may want to call the airlines
to ask about their current policy. However, the airport in Belize (if you
can call it that!) on the mainland is pretty tiny and informal, so it isn't
a big problem. You'll have to take a little island plane out to Amergris
Caye, but they don't bother to check luggage at that point.
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I remember lots of rice, beans and corn. It is a pretty mezo-american diet.
Also lots of fish and wonderful produce. The national drink is limeade.
You shouldn't have any problem getting food into the country. I travel with
food all the time. And believe me, the airport in Belize City is not
exactly a high security building. If you are catching a puddle jumper to
Ambergis Caye, you will certainly have no problem.
There is also a really nice restaurant called Capricorn. You need to take a
water taxi to get there but those are easy enough to find. It is high end
for that area and, with advance notice, would probably also be willing to
help out. The owners are from Australia originally.
Also, FYI: Avoid anything called bamboo chicken. It is some rodent-like
thing that is a big specialty of the country:)
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On a trip a month ago, I brought along a number of packages of rice
crackers, which I used in lieu of bread with such things as breakfact eggs
and luncheon hamburgers (I was on a boat with food provided). On other
trips, on which I passed through an en-route terminal, I have picked up
cheeses at the duty-free shop. Again, no problem ever in bringing them along.
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I spent 14 days in Belize in Sept 2001. No issues whatsoever. I didn't
bring any food with me, and had no problems. Rice/beans/corn are the
staples there. Latin America is pretty good for Celiacs. I bought food off
of vendors on the street, and never was sick (my wife who is not celiac was
ill several times with food poisoning, but that is another issue). There is
so little pre-made food there, most stuff is fresh, and it was fantastic.
ANd Belize is simply amazing. It is an English speaking country, and as
such, communicating dietary needs is easy, and remember "soy allergico con
trigo"...I am allergic to wheat, and then the non-English speakers know
what you mean. I know it isn't an allergy, but it is far easier to get your
point across.
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I was in Ambergris Caye in 2001 and had no problems with food. It was one
of the best vacations in my life, especially since being diagnosed with CD
5 years ago. We stayed north of San Pedro at Sundiver resort which had
it's own restaurant, and an amazing chef.
I also had lunch/dinner at the Mata Chica resort, Capricorn, Elvis,
Caliente, and a little palapas bar right on the beach in front of Fido's.
(eating out is always dangerous) Ate mostly fresh fish, lobster, chicken,
corn tortillas, rice, beans, eggs and fruit. I did pack rice cakes, rice
crackers, and a small jar of peanut butter. No issues for me bringing food
into the country.
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* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *
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