<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Thank you all so much for all your helpful tips that you sent me as I
plan for my first long visit away from home since I started on this
Gluten Free (GF) diet. Here's a summary of what you kindly suggested:
ACCESSORIES TO CARRY:
1. A fold-up insulated bag that fits under the seat of an airplane.
Load it with frozen ready meals, frozen bread etc and an ice pack or
freeze an empty 1/2 gallon plastic milk carton with water and place
inside. Everything stays cool for 2 - 3 days.
2. A small cooler bag with your lunch in
3. A large carry-on bag with other food items & medications
4. Light-weight cutlery
5. Paper napkins
6. Wash 'N Dry moist towelettes
7. Restaurant card
WHERE TO COOK FOOD:
1. Stay in a place with a refrigerator & microwave available to reheat
meals
2. Choose self-catering accommodation & shop when you get there
3. Buy one of those casseroles from Gluten Solutions that heats up all
by itself when you pull the tab. These are a Godsend when all else
fails.
WHERE TO BUY GF FOOD ITEMS IN UK:
1. Holland and Barrett and other health food stores - good selection of
GF breads, breakfasts, biscuits etc.
2. Tesco's, Sainsbury's and other supermarkets have lots of GF goods in
them and many goods are labeled GF there which is a big plus (but see
note under "comments")
3. There is a coeliac section at Harrod's food
4. Boots carries a selection of GF cookies, etc.
5. Victoria Heath Food shop, Harlequin Centre in Watford (Top floor,
Charter Place end), about 20 mins from St Albans - really good supply of
ready meals & ingredients.
MEALS:
1. Pre-prepare some meals and freeze them in handy re-heat sizes.
2. Mac-a-Riz or DeBoles Rice Pasta and Cheese ready meals
3. Some meals will fit in the ovens of the airlines - eg Tamarind tree
Indian meals
4. Bring a meal along to eat at the airport and skip the airline meal
5. On airlines, order a fruit plate as that is easier than trying to get
a GF meal.
6. Take some herbs/spices to make some meals from local ingredients
7. Box of rice pasta
BREAKFAST ITEMS:
1. For the journey, portion of GF cereal in ziplok bag.
2. If you don't think you can find GF breakfast cereal at the other end,
carry a supply in a plastic container so that it does not become crushed
during travel
LUNCH ITEMS:
1. Some bread, ready-sliced. Pre-freeze or even toast and then freeze.
It is easy to thaw / heat up and then spread with peanut butter, jam
etc.
2. Pop up cans of single serve tuna
3. Ring-pull cans of fruit
4. Yoplait yogurt
5. Small jar peanut butter - high in protein and travels extremely well
6. Portions of cheese, boiled eggs etc
7. Individual size jams, ketchup, salad dressing, mustard etc
8. Boost drinks.
SNACKS:
1. Rice crackers
2. GF Crispbread
3. Mini rice cakes and peanut butter - make little sandwiches out of
them and put about 4 of the sandwiches in zip-lock snack size bags to
carry with you.
4. Rice snack bars (in Australia they are made by Wallaby and bought at
supermarkets).
5. Atkins Protein Bars. Buy directly from 1-800-6ATKINS to get them at
87 cents each rather than $2.87 each at the local market.
6. GF pretzels (Ener-G brand is good and inexpensive - about $1.49/bag)
7. Balance Bars
8. Hain mini popcorn cakes
9. Nut Thins
10. Tortilla chips (Tostitos plain, baked)
11. Cookies - eg Mi-Del GF ginger snaps hold up well to the rigors of
travel as do Pamela's Biscotti -- these days there are plenty of cookies
to choose from.
12. GF chocolate bar
13. GF sweets / farley starlight mints
FRUIT & NUTS:
1. GF dried fruit. Put little packet for easy snacking and the rest in
your carry-on bag
2. Snack size apple sauce and/or mixed fruit
3. Fresh fruit
4. Mixed nuts
5. Walnuts - to mix into yogurt for a bit more "tooth" and protein for
lunch
COMMENTS ON TRAVELLING TO THE UK:
1. <<The GF bread in Britain is so much nicer than here, you have to
still toast it of course, but it tastes much closer to the "real stuff".
The GF biscuits there are more like the real stuff too. If you have room
in your case bring some back with you. >>
3. << In Australia, to be labeled GF, foods must contain no detectable
gluten. In the UK foods labeled as GF may contain ingredients from
wheat, barley, rye & oats if the protein content from these grains is
0.3% or less. This level of protein approximately equates to the gluten
remaining in wheat starch after the separation process from the whole
grain. If you are very sensitive, as I am, I suggest you check the
ingredients before you buy rather than rely on a GF label. >>
4. << Celiac is commonly understood in England and if you mention it,
folks will cheerfully give you substitutions, i.e. the ever-popular
ploughman's pub lunch is great with cheese, your bread and extra fruit.
>>
5. << When we travel to UK we don't have much trouble. People there seem
more familiar with the disease and like most people, if you ask politely
they will try to help. >>
6. <<Try the following web site: http://www.coeliac.co.uk/ There is all
sorts of information on it and I know they publish a really super GF
product list - pocket size with everything you could possibly need.
Happily they don't have to worry about being sued and therefore
companies in UK will give the honest answer "to the very best of our
knowledge the product is gluten free." >>
COMMENTS ON TRAVELLING TO JAPAN:
1. << Good luck in Japan, as you probably know, our condition is said to
be unknown in the Asian population. Many sushi bars are now using a rice
vinegar mix that is contaminated. Wasabi can have gluten contaminated
mustard & pickled ginger can have white vinegar. Health food markets
carry "clean" versions of these condiments. And sorry to say that kani
kami or the imitation seafood in California Roll usually contains
wheat.>>
2. << While you are in Japan you should be able to find rice noodles. We
use them all the time and buy all the different sizes. Some just need to
sit in hot water for a few minutes before they are ready just like those
instant soup packages. You could bring along some seasonings and make
your own, or flavour with GF powdered soup base >>
3. Eat lots of rice 8-)
4. Take a bottle of wheat-free tamari with you to Japan and if you are
not sure you are getting l00% soba, ask for rice noodles or carry a pack
of your own.
5. Braggs Liquid Aminos (from health food stores) replaces soy sauce and
is available in 3 sizes, including a portable spray bottle so you can
order dishes without soy sauce & add your own seasoning
6. There is a Japanese travel card at the back of Jax's book, Against
The Grain, which is a must for any newly diagnosed Celiac (there is
Italian, French, German, Greek, Spanish, etc. too) Just photocopy enough
for your trip (people will steal them).
7. Japanese version of a restaurant card at:
http://members.aol.com/zoeliak/japanese.htm
AND FINALLY SOME GENERAL COMMENTS:
1. << Be sure to bring something to eat with you since ordering GF on
the airline is akin to playing Russian Roulette! >>
2. << I can always count on buying yogurt, cheese, fresh fruit, etc.
once I am at my destination so I concentrate on the hard to get carbs
and goodies (crackers, cookies, etc) If I know I can shop for bread,
cereal, etc. then I don't bring quite as much with me although the snack
items have come in extremely handy during some of those long delays,
waiting until the wee hours in the airport (when nothing much is
available for anyone). >>
3. << I would recommend keeping certain non-perishable items always
available in your carry-on bag such as eating utensils, napkins,
restaurant card so that when you need to pack in a hurry it is ready. >>
4. << I have taken to making a check- list of travel foods that I keep
in my bag so that it is just a matter of loading it rather than thinking
through each time. >>
Many thanks again everybody. This has been so much help. I hope I have
remembered to write to everyone personally to thank them, but if I have
forgotten anyone, many thanks.
Take care
Moi
Moi Ravenscroft
[log in to unmask]
|
