"traveling" Gluten Free

[tarnalberry]

I'm heading out to St. Louis for two days for business starting Monday, and we're staying at my company's training center there. They've got a fab kitchen that apparently makes amazing food, and they're supposed to be great about adapting to all sort of dietary needs, but my request for gluten-free foods the last time I was there didn't make it in time, and the chef was too busy to really do all that much for me. This time, I couldn't even find the option to tell them of my dietary restriction, not to mention not being able to do the arrangements until two days ago, so I've been worried about food.

I decided that, to be on the safe side, I would be taking two days worth of calories with me. I've noted before my hypoglycemic tendencies, and it's usually _zero_ problem, if I can have access to a grocery store or refrigeration/cooking, but this time, it's a problem. I'm trying to travel light (just a large laptop case, I only need one change of clothes...), so I decided to think of it much like a camping trip. Only, when you go camping, you've got more space in your backpack, more weight you can allocate towards food (even if carrying a 38lb pack on a 115lb frame sucks), and the possibility to cook things with hot water at the end of the day. And you don't need to look reasonably presentable so you can eat tuna straight out of a can ('cause you can also bring your own can-opener). It presented an interesting dilema.

After going through many iterations of planning (and knowing that too much salty food would not only make me feel bad, but be bad planning since I'll be on a plane at one end of both days), I came to the final "menu", as it were:

* 2 Organic Food Bars (Open Original Shared Link), the gluten free flavors, of course)

* 3oz Just Veggies (Open Original Shared Link, to get my veggie craving satisfied)

* edamame (2 servings, for the fat and protein, but I find it very drying, so I couldn't rely on this)

* 2 travel size boxes Soy Dream

* a mix of 1/2 cup rice bran, 1/3 cup quinoa flakes, and some vanilla and cinnamon (cereal for the morning I've got a microwave)

* Tillamook's Smoked, Dried Beef Nuggets (Open Original Shared Link, which I called to confirm that their Old Fashioned Flavor is gluten-free)

* 2 packages AlpineAire's Wild Rice Crunch (Open Original Shared Link, which is one of their numerous gluten free items)

* 1 serving honey-sesame almonds (from Trader Joe's ... quite the tasty treat!)

* 2 bottles gatorade (and lots of refills of water when I finish them :-) )

* (fortunately, I'll be able to make a filling smoothie the morning I head out to the airport)

I know a lot of us have had trouble with short term travel and day trips where refrigeration issues or weight restrictions are problematic. Finding the camping foods (AlpineAire's and Tillamook's stuff) was very fortunate, and I will likely use their items to update my emergency preparedness kit, as well as for airplane food and other such uses as this trip. With shelf lives of 3-5 years, I'll feel better about not checking up on the food every six months!

Just thought I'd share what I'd found, in case it helps someone, and remind people to check out camp food for filling out their emergency preparedness kits.

[burdee]

Hey Tiffany:

Thanks for sharing your list of gluten-free foods for your 2 day trip. You gave me several ideas for my future trips. I just planned what to take on my next plane trip which only serves pretzels (not gluten-free) and beverages. I'm taking rice cakes, sardines packed in olive oil and a package of mixed dried fruit for my lunch--I spread the sardines on the rice cakes. (Laugh if you must but I depend on canned fish bones for calcium ) I can use the leftover rice cakes with peanut butter and leftover fruit for my first breakfast before I get to a grocery store close to my hotel. Since I have a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's nearby, I can buy the rest of my gluten-free/df/saf supplies the first day. Do the TJ honey sesame almonds have soy oil (which I can't have)? How about the 'just veggies'? Is that all they contain?

Have a great trip.

BURDEE

[tarnalberry]

It's funny... my husband has teased me about knowing where the bathrooms are in all local retailers (the wonders of a small bladder!), and now I feel like I'm getting to know where the specialty grocery stores are in a number of cities. :-)

Do you like sardines? I keep contemplating trying them, but "their reputation preceeds them"....

The ingredients on the honey sesame almonds: "almonds, sugar, sesame seeds, butter, salt, cocoa, honey". Not _quite_ CF, but I think close enough for my system.

[gf4life]

Burdee,

Are you soy intolerant or allergic? I'm soy allergic and can tolerate soybean oil and soy lecithin. Any other part of the soybean and I'm horribly itchy all over.

I was bummed about the honey sesame almonds containing butter. I was looking forward to trying some after a friend told me about them. Oh well. I could probably try making some at home.

God bless,

Mariann

[burdee]

Mariann:

I never had any allergy tests, except when I was very small for sinus/hay fever allergies--the doctor didn't both to ask my mom about her chain smoking habit. I only did the Enterolab gluten and milk sensitivity tests which showed antibodies to both gluten and cow's milk. When I tried to substitute soy products for dairy products I experienced symptoms VERY similar to my 'dairy' symptoms. I wrote to Dr. Fine about that reaction and he said it sounded very much like an intolerance. I also read in 'Dangerous Grains' about gluten/dairy/soy being 'diabetogenic' foods. I have LOTS of diabetes history on my dad's side of the family and I've had hypoglycemic symptoms all my life. However, I have tried tiny bits of soy (soy lecithin in sprays or in gluten-free/DF chocolate) every few weeks and I STILL get those cramping pains, gas and bloating. Never any skin reaction, just all the intestinal stuff I got somewhat with gluten and even more so with dairy. I HOPE I can eventually eat soy without symptoms, but my history doesn't look like I can ever do that. Maybe if I completely avoided soy for a year???? What do you think?

BURDEE