Traveling with Food Allergies or Celiac Disease

As someone who teaches gluten-free, dairy-free and allergen-free baking classes, I am familiar with those people who think that it is too difficult to travel with celiac disease or food allergies. I travel each and every month with my three children with relative ease. Notice I used the word relative. Everything in this arena is relative. My 8-year old daughter has severe and life-threatening food allergies (eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, milk) and she has had pretty bad reactions to preservatives and additives in foods, so we avoid them to minimize her looking like she was punched in the face. My 10-year old son has celiac disease, which requires a diet free of gluten. He also happens to be lactose intolerant like many people with celiac disease. Oh yes, and let us not forget that I am highly allergic to all tree nuts and coconut.  Is this sounding a bit like a picnic or a day at the beach now? Let me share some of my best tips for making traveling a breeze.

 

Be Prepared. Anyone with a health condition would be well advised to be prepared. This means have food to feed yourself or your child. Take snacks, sandwiches, or even a hot meal in a thermos. Use good health practices by keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Due to my daughter’s severe food allergies and the scope of them, we take pre-packaged, commercially made foods into a restaurant for her. Most chain restaurants are more than happy to warm up her Kettle Cuisine Chicken Noodle Soup, or her Ian’s Mac and No Cheese - two gluten-free and allergen-free products pictured below. I have no relationship with either company just for the record. 

Ian's Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut free Mac & No Cheese

Kettle Cuisine's Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup (also dairy-free, hormone-free, etc.)

Be Nice. Not every restaurant is ready to go gluten-free or be allergy friendly. There is no need to scowl or be grumpy. Just take your party to a more suitable restaurant. It is not the obligation of a restaurant to serve special needs guests. Besides, you’ll win more favors and influence more people with a generous smile.

 

Know where the closest Wegmans or good health food store is located. When we travel to a new area, we will take a grocery bag of staple items “just in case”. Over the years, we’ve learned where the good stores are in the various cities we visit regularly.

 

Don’t assume the wait staff or even chef “gets it”.  I’ve had my own food allergies long enough to know that the wait staff and chef may say that they understand, but they may not. If you are dining out with IgE mediated – read life threatening food allergies- you should be carrying a few doses of a fast-acting allergy medication and an Epi-Pen®. I’m not trying to be scary or discourage you from eating out. You just should not be eating out with a false sense of security. I’ve known many a celiac who reported being sick after eating an allegedly gluten free meal at a restaurant. Better safe than sorry.

 

If we can do it, you can do it. Let me know your thoughts on traveling with celiac, food allergies and the GFCF diet. I’d love to hear what you do or your questions or problems. Having major food issues does not inhibit our family life and travel so please don't let it limit yours!

Love,

Lisa

Comments

[Food Allergies]

You've convinced me to take this.. Nice post..
https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=batch_download&send_id=817789614&email=7cff47bb7cdcb76fbfa15e66c81a1961

[Paul]

Lisa, I don't mean to make what sounds like a commercial comment, but I had significant frustrations taking my family out to eat (2 of my 5 kids have food allergies), so I created AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com).

Only 6 weeks old, AllergyEats is an online guide to allergy-friendly restaurants, rated by and for those with food allergies. Over 600,000 US restaurants are listed and individuals can go in and rate any restaurant experience by answering just 3 simple questions (with an optional comment box). The questions are translated into a restaurant "allergy friendliness" rating for all those seeking such restaurants to see. Searches are done geographically.

I hope you and your users will try out my site and become users (and raters). Again, while it is in its early stages, many regions of the country have few if any ratings, but some like Boston already have over 150. AllergyEats already has more ratings (by 2-10x) than any similar site on the web.

Every new user and every new ratings helps the entire food allergy and intolerance community. If you check out AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com) and like it, please pass it along to others who share our needs.

Thanks,
Paul

[Valerie M]

our wegmans doesn't carry the mac & no cheese. my daughter won't eat soups.

so we keep fruit bars (which she recently started refusing) and canned fruit in the car at all times. This week we ate out for lunch every day so I brought lunch meats and hard boiled eggs for her too.

We have to completley avoid wheat, dairy, red dye, and peanuts. We need to limit corn and artificial stuff.

When we go on vacation via car for 3 weeks this summer and will be in states where wegmans doesn't exist. I'm not sure what to do.

I can get soymilk and keep picking up ice for the cooler. there is a limit to how often she'll accept lunch meat. protein and lack of variety will be our challenge.

i bought a case of allergeroo's. I wish i could bring my breadmaker with me, but there won't be space.

[Weight Training Blog]

I think I'm going to try that Ian's Mac and No Cheese. And also, thanks for the wonderful tips. Looks helpful so I'm gonna bookmark this entry. Thanks again!