The trick is planning ahead. Call the local health food stores where you’ll be staying well ahead of your trip and ask them about their selection of gluten-free foods. If there aren’t enough gluten-free choices, usually the store will be happy to order your favorite gluten-free foods for you.
If there aren’t any health food stores around, some grocery stores have health food sections and may be able to order gluten-free foods for you as well. You can always bring along your own supply of gluten-free foods, such as gluten free crackers for the road or gluten-free flour and pasta for instance, or you can order online from your favorite gluten-free sites and have the gluten-free goodies delivered straight to where you’ll be staying. If you won’t be staying with friends or family, I suggest you rent a condo or get a hotel room with a full kitchen for your gluten-free cooking.
If you’ll be staying with family, particularly during the holidays, tell them ahead of time about your celiac child’s gluten-free diet needs so they can stock up gluten-free foods. You can also send them some gluten-free recipes for the family’s favorite holiday foods. Oftentimes you’ll find that your family will be more than happy to make your celiac child feel at home with gluten-free goodies and a generous stock of gluten-free foods for your gluten-free cooking.
Learning how to meet the gluten-free dietary needs of your celiac child has required some planning and a few adjustments, but in the end it isn’t very tough to successfully adopt a gluten-free lifestyle. Similarly, keeping your celiac child well-fed on gluten-free foods during travel and vacations requires some work and planning ahead, but you’ll find that you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
Tina Turbin
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