Packing for trips when traveling gluten free due to celiac disease as well as with food allergies is hot topic when I'm guest speaking at conferences. From my perspective, maintaining a 100% gluten, dairy, fish and shellfish free diet for over 15 years has definitely changed the way that I pack for business trips and vacation.
First, I always make sure to pack what I call my "home comfort kit" which includes my medications, supplements, herbs and other health remedies that I take in case of an adverse food reaction.
Since I recently found out that I have anaphylaxis to seaweed, I now always carry epinephrine auto-injectors. I also carry antihistamines, antacids and aloe vera for stomach upset, digestive aids such as ginger, turmeric, and charcoal as well as bath salts. Better to be over prepared than sorry!
Packing for trips when traveling gluten free due to celiac disease as well as with food allergies is hot topic when I'm guest speaking at conferences. From my perspective, maintaining a 100% gluten, dairy, fish and shellfish free diet for over 15 years has definitely changed the way that I pack for business trips and vacation.
First, I always make sure to pack what I call my "home comfort kit" which includes my medications, supplements, herbs and other health remedies that I take in case of an adverse food reaction.
Since I recently found out that I have anaphylaxis to seaweed, I now always carry epinephrine auto-injectors. I also carry antihistamines, antacids and aloe vera for stomach upset, digestive aids such as ginger, turmeric, and charcoal as well as bath salts. Better to be over prepared than sorry!
Second, I pack enough snacks in my carry-on bag to get me to my desired destination as well as a variety of snacks in my suitcase for excursions throughout the trip. These food snacks may range from no preparation items such as protein bars, cookies, protein mixes and fruit, to hot-water preparation items such as dried soups to foods requiring a small cooler as suggested in Let's Eat Out. Packing my home comfort kit and my snacks definitely helps me feel safer when traveling.
Third, I make sure that any prior research that I have conducted about specific restaurants, stores and food brands at my destination are with me for easy reference. If I am traveling internationally to a foreign language speaking country, I always ensure that I have downloaded and/or print and packed copies of my travel translation cards, country travel bundles and any advice from the local celiac and food allergy associations.
Downloadable restaurant cards with ingredient and food preparation phrases are available in numerous languages and are my life savers. I present my chef dining cards to the wait staff and/or chef at restaurants, hotels and stores to help to communicate my food concerns.
I print extra copies for my travels because there have been lots of times that restaurant staff have asked me to keep the cards for other gluten free and allergy-free guests. I have spoken with some people that prefer to access these cards on their smartphones. I just don't like to give anyone my phone!
Taking the extra effort to pack all of these things helps me to feel safe at all times and gives me the opportunity to enjoy my travels wherever that may take me! I hope it does the same for you!
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https://glutenfreepassport.com/it/blogs/travel-favorites/best-food-allergy-mobile-apps-and-gluten-free-too2018-05-04T11:36:00-05:002018-05-15T16:11:32-05:00Best Food Allergy Mobile Apps and Gluten Free Too!Kim Koeller
My team and I are thrilled to have been notified that our app iEatOut Gluten & Allergy Free was voted as one of the top food allergy apps of 2017 by Healthline. This is one of our favorite apps because once you select your food allergen concerns to personalize your app, you see ethnic food ingredients and questions to ask for safe eating in restaurants close to home and around the world.
We are also very happy to see that our app shares this recognition and is a compliment to other excellent apps for safe gluten and allergy free eating including Find Me Gluten Free and Allergy Eats restaurant directories!
My team and I are thrilled to have been notified that our app iEatOut Gluten & Allergy Free was voted as one of the top food allergy apps by Healthline. This is one of our favorite apps because once you select your food allergen concerns to personalize your app, you see ethnic food ingredients and questions to ask for safe eating in restaurants close to home and around the world.
We are also very happy to see that our app shares this recognition and is a compliment to other excellent apps for safe gluten and allergy free eating including Find Me Gluten Free and Allergy Eats restaurant directories!
Receiving this honor brought back memories of finding out 15 years ago that I had celiac disease and food allergies. It also reminded me why and when we created the 1st gluten free and allergy free app available on the Apple app store in 2009 and then again the 1st iPad app after that. I just love innovation and creating 1st time solutions!
Anyway, when I received my diagnosis, I was a partner with Accenture and consulting with clients about emerging technologies and transformation projects across the globe. I still remember receiving that one page piece of paper from my doctor who said, now you must eat gluten free and you also have lots of allergies too. Wow!! What is gluten?? What can I eat? What can't I eat?? What do I do??
In order to figure out how to change my lifestyle and become healthy again, I researched anything and everything that I could find about gluten, allergies and food. Information about eating outside the home was practically non-existent. This was also the time in technology history, way before apps existed, that the first IPAC mobile phone was available on the market which stored Microsoft word and excel files.
So, my niece and I developed detailed spreadsheets identifying ingredients in various ethnic cuisines as well as lists of fast food chains and restaurants with potential foods to eat. I also designed electronic and pocket size paper materials with foreign language phrases to communicate overseas. What can I say - I'm a consultant!
I then downloaded all of these files on my IPAC mobile phone for easy access anywhere. It also gave me a comfort level, confidence and safety factor that I was prepared and could order / eat meals and not get sick wherever I was around the world.
All of this extensive research as well as lots of trial and error became the basis for writing our Let's Eat Out! series which is detailed more in my story (PDF download). In addition to empowering millions of people about food and travel, another main goal in designing our 1st edition book in 2005 was to ensure that the content was in succinct groupings and modular sections. That way, it could be available via mobile devices somehow and somewhere.
Needless to say, when the Apple app store opened, I couldn't wait to get our content in an app. It took our team six months to create and release iEatOut on the Apple app store based on our Let's Eat Out! book content which then received numerous app quality award.
Then we released our iCanEat Fast Food app which has since been recognized as one of the top 10 food apps by iPad apps for Dummies. We also helped to expand Find Me Gluten Free with thousands more restaurant listings from content provided in our previous apps about gluten free pizzerias, Disney World and Chicago restaurants.
So, after many years of hard work and dedication, our apps are trusted by customers in over 60 countries!
We hope our apps give you a piece of mind like they do for us!
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https://glutenfreepassport.com/it/blogs/travel-favorites/top-10-tips-for-safe-gluten-free-and-allergy-free-travel2018-05-04T11:36:00-05:002018-05-17T09:24:37-05:00Top 10 Tips for Safe Gluten Free and Allergy Free TravelKim Koeller
On a global basis, it is estimated that 300-plus million individuals worldwide are now managing special dietary needs. According to global market research sponsored by GlutenFree Passport, over 85% of gluten free and allergy free individuals have two primary concerns when traveling:
Approximately 50% of travelers are also concerned about airlines, hotels and communication in foreign languages. The following top 10 tips are designed to help you safely and confidently travel with food allergies, celiac disease and gluten free diets, whether it’s close to home or anywhere around the world, for business or pleasure!
On a global basis, it is estimated that 300-plus million individuals worldwide are now managing special dietary needs. According to global market research sponsored by GlutenFree Passport, over 85% of gluten free and allergy free individuals have two primary concerns when traveling:
Approximately 50% of travelers are also concerned about airlines, hotels and communication in foreign languages. The following top 10 tips are designed to help you safely and confidently travel with food allergies, celiac disease and gluten free diets, whether it’s close to home or anywhere around the world, for business or pleasure!
1. Prepare Yourself for the Trip: Inform your hotel and/or cruise line about your gluten free and allergy free needs. Research your travel and restaurant meals options based upon your destination. Prepare yourself with safe snacks and medications as well as back up plans in the event of a mistake, accident or emergency.
2. Order Airline Meals for Your Flight: For long haul flights serving food, order and re-confirm your in-flight meal in advance based upon standard airline codes: GFML for gluten free meals, NLML for non-lactose meals, PFML for peanut free meals and DBML for diabetic meals.
3. Pack Snacks (PDF Download): Pack your own carry-on snacks based on airport security regulations. Bring enough food to get you to your destination and for any excursions throughout your trip. For example, if you’re flying eight hours to Hawaii, take two to three meals worth of food, including protein and carbohydrates, in case of delays. These foods may range from “no preparation” snacks such as protein bars, cookies and fruit, “hot water preparation” snacks such as dried soups or foods that require a small cooler such as yogurt and vegetables. If flying to another country, remember to discard any food that is not pre-packaged prior to entering customs.
4. Pack Medications: In case of anaphylaxis and/or an emergency, carry your medications, including several epinephrine auto-injectors and any other allergy-related medicines. Make sure your medications and snacks are with you at all times for easy access and not stored in the overhead bin in case of turbulence.
5. Communicate with the Flight Attendants: When flying with anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition, significant care and caution are critical to minimize risk and ensure a safe journey. Review the in-flight food options, emergency protocols and allergy policy prior to booking your flight. Notify the airline representative during booking and at check-in about the severity of your allergies and ideally, book the first non-stop flight of the day. Inform the flight attendants, request pre-boarding and sterilize all surfaces as required.
What ingredients contain your allergen(s) and which are safe to eat
How food is prepared and what cooking techniques are used (e.g. flour dusting, type of oil utilized, etc.)
What modifications can be made to accommodate your requirements
Where could allergens be hidden (e.g. soy sauce contains wheat and gluten, artificial mashed potatoes may contain peanuts, etc.)
7. Communicate with Restaurant Staff: Almost 90% of food service and hospitality professionals indicate that communication of special dietary needs when ordering is the top priority for gluten and allergy free guests. Inform the wait staff of your food concern(s) and allergen(s). (e.g. I’m allergic to gluten and wheat so I can’t eat any bread or flour. I’m allergic to dairy so I can’t have any milk and butter, etc.)
8. Ask Questions in Restaurant Terms: Instead of simply asking, for example, “Is this dish gluten and dairy free?” you need to ask questions based on ingredients and culinary techniques in restaurant language terms. For example, if you are gluten free, sample questions could be:
Are your hamburgers made with breadcrumbs?
Is your chicken flour dusted?
Is the sauce made from a roux that includes wheat flour?
Are your french-fries fried in the same oil as other breaded items such as chicken fingers?
If you have a milk or dairy allergy, sample questions may include:
Does your marinara sauce have Parmesan cheese?
Is your steak finished off with butter?
Can you sauté the green beans in oil instead of butter?
Note: Ensuring a dedicated fryer is also important for those with dairy, fish and shellfish allergies so no cross contact occurs with other fried foods such as cheese sticks, breaded calamari or battered fish. Although more restaurants around the world are offering gluten free menus and/or allergy charts by dish, it is still critical to understand ingredients, how food is prepared and to ask questions in “restaurant terms” to ensure safe meals everywhere.