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St. Thomas/st. John

sunshine264

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sunshine264 Newbie
sunshine264
Posted

I will be going to st. John, USVI in a few weeks. Anyone been there? I will be renting a villa, and doing most of my own cooking, except for a few nights out. Any recommendations for gluten-free restaurants? I do plan on eating a lot of seafood.

Also, anyone know if Starfish Market carries gluten-free foods? Any health food stores? or should I pack my own stuff?

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wonkabar Contributor
wonkabar
Posted
I will be going to st. John, USVI in a few weeks. Anyone been there? I will be renting a villa, and doing most of my own cooking, except for a few nights out. Any recommendations for gluten-free restaurants? I do plan on eating a lot of seafood.

Also, anyone know if Starfish Market carries gluten-free foods? Any health food stores? or should I pack my own stuff?

We were just on St. John in March with the kids...literally the week we put our son on a gluten-free diet. It's absolutely beautiful there. We had one suitcase filled with diapers, wipes and gluten-free foods. :) We hit the Starfish Market a couple of times. Boy is it expensive!! I don't think they had any gluten-free brands per se. (ie, Gluten Free Pantry) However, we stayed at the Westin and were able to find Pirate's Booty at the little deli on their grounds. We were shocked!! I would personally pack a lot of your own stuff. If you're staying at one of the resorts, the concierge should be able to help you. I'd try giving them a call, too.

My brother and sister in-law had a villa down there..that's how we were able to afford going for a week with two kids!! I'll ask her for some resturaunt suggestions. I know we went to Margharita Phil's for mexican (the BEST margharitas ever!), La Tappas, Chloe and Bernards and a couple others I can't remember. They were all very receptive to helping us keep Zachary gluten-free, however I can't guarentee that there wasn't any cross-contamination. You'll be able to get seafood anywhere. We just needed burgers and fries for him!!

Guhlia Rising Star
Guhlia
Posted

Just be sure that the seafood, if boiled, is boiled in ONLY PURE WATER. I know some places that do crab, shrimp, etc. put beer into the water and that would contaminate the whole pot. Also, if they're grilling fish or something you may want to ask them to either do it in a clean pan OR clean a small section of the grill AND then do it on top of foil. Be sure they use clean utensils for your food. Good luck!

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    • knitty kitty
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By knitty kitty · Posted

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    • Jane02
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

      By Jane02 · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty for this insightful information! I would have never considered fractionated coconut oil to be a potential source of GI upset. I will consider all the info you shared. Very interesting about the Thiamine deficiency.  I've tracked daily averages of my intake in a nutrition software. The only nutrient I can't consistently meet from my diet is vitamin D. Calcium is a hit and miss as I rely on vegetables, dark leafy greens as a major source, for my calcium intake. I'm able to meet it when I either eat or juice a bundle of kale or collard greens daily haha. My thiamine intake is roughly 120% of my needs, although I do recognize that I may not be absorbing all of these nutrients consistently with intermittent unintentional exposures to gluten.  My vitamin A intake is roughly 900% (~6400 mcg/d) of my needs as I eat a lot of sweet potato, although since it's plant-derived vitamin A (beta-carotene) apparently it's not likely to cause toxicity.  Thanks again! 
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    • Scott Adams
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      I do not know this, but since they are labelled gluten-free, and are not really a product that could easily be contaminated when making them (there would be not flour in the air of such a facility, for example), I don't really see contamination as something to be concerned about for this type of product. 
    • trents
      Desperately need a vitamin D supplement. I've reacted to most brands I've tried.

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      Contact them.
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