Eating Well While Travelling
Do you or your loved ones avoid certain foods, deal with a food allergy, sensitivity, or food restriction? Have you ever travelled with someone who does and then tried to eat at a restaurant? Did you find it difficult?
Getting through the holiday season unscathed while living with food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances is a bit of a minefield. To be sure, those with celiac disease may suffer serious consequences for months[i] after even cross contamination, most people have some of the almost 100 more easily ignored symptoms[ii]; things like, headaches, acne, reflux, bloating, joint pain or eczema.
I suffered many of those symptoms before Food Sensitivity and Nutritional Evaluation revealed I would likely be better served by removing wheat and cow’s dairy from my diet. A laundry list of what most would consider minor symptoms resolved in months. Since then, those two ingredients just don’t go in my mouth.
My own food restrictions are one thing to deal with when I’m at home and in control of the menu and ingredients, but it is quite another when I’m at someone else’s home, or travelling; perhaps you can relate.
I use a 3 step plan to help me negotiate eating well on the road:
- Planning Ahead
- Planning to Educate
- Planning to Fail
The planning ahead stage is the time for research.
What is on the menu at the party or event?
Who is cooking or catering?
What restaurants are nearby? Markets? Grocery stores?
If it is a gathering at the home of friends or family, I have a chat with them about my limitations and see if there is a dish I can bring that fits their menu plan. Sometimes this will mean eating at home ahead of the event so I can feel satisfied eating only what I’ve brought with me and know I can trust. I always pack “emergency rations”… an apple, some sunflower seeds, a raw fruit and nut bar, whatever works. I don’t allow myself to be in a situation where I feel I have no choice but to eat something I am not entirely sure about.
Travelling outside the city means scoping out the menus of restaurants in the area I’m headed. You’ll find me pouring over Google searches for “organic” or “gluten friendly” or “allergy aware” coupled with the city I’m travelling to.
If I’ll be staying in a hotel, and the room doesn’t already come equipped with a fridge, I’ll ask for one. I then stock up on snacks or breakfast basics, veggie sticks and hummus or guacamole, ready to eat hard-boiled eggs, making life a LOT easier. I’ve been known to choose hotels based on their proximity to a grocery store.
I make sure to read reviews (Trip Advisor, Yelp, Google and Chowhound) to determine if the chef at a restaurant I’m considering is allergy aware and open to substitutions. I find it is a good idea to call and speak to the kitchen ahead of time, preferably not during busy lunch or dinner times and then make my reservation if one is required.
Step Two is planning to educate and advocate on my own behalf.
With family and friends, I’m sure to clarify, “Yes, butter is dairy; no, eggs are not.”
If dining out, I’ve already called ahead and spoken to the restaurant, but it is important to speak to the wait staff as well.
If I am attending a conference at a destination hotel, I will reach out to the manager to find out who my best contact is for assistance. I like to email as a follow up to our conversations as well, reiterating my restrictions in writing.
Having a plan for when I fail is the final step.
Anytime I am eating food I did not prepare, I use digestive enzyme supplements to give my body a bit of a boost and help break down those foods quickly and get them through my system with much less havoc.
For others, they may find baking soda in water is the right choice and can lessen a minor allergic response. For those with more of a skin response, an Epsom salt bath can be very soothing.
Activated charcoal is another go to. I will use this in cases where food handling or water quality are suspect. Activated charcoal can absorb poisons, bacterial toxins, viruses and gases in the intestines and to increase their elimination, even after systemic absorption[iii]. This is a great defense in combating food poisoning and digestive upset. Activated charcoal should not be used if you are taking ANY medications without speaking to your health care provider as it may reduce or prevent absorption.
I find these three steps: planning ahead, planning to educate, and planning to fail, works well for me.
Perhaps you’ve picked up a tip or two that may help you manage some of the common pitfalls of eating away from home with food restrictions, because finding food that makes you feel energized instead of ill matters.
[i] Celiac Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2015, from http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease/Pages/facts.aspx
[ii] Koch, C. (1994). Allergies, disease in disguise: How to heal your condition permanently and naturally. Burnaby, B.C.: Alive Books.
[iii] Neuvonen PJ, Olkkola KT. Oral activated charcoal in the treatment of intoxications. Role of single and repeated doses. Med Toxicol Adverse Drug Exp. 1988;3:33–58. [PubMed]