Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Traveling/overnight Ideas For Newbie?


Gaye of PA

Recommended Posts

Gaye of PA Apprentice

I have just been diagnosed with celiac, and we are still awaiting test results for my teenage son, which I assume will be positive, because he


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



happygirl Collaborator

Don't worry----you won't have to cancel!

You can look for gluten free restaurants near where you are staying.

When I travel, I always bring my own food. Make everything ahead of time, and put it in meal size containers. Stay in a room with a fridge and microwave and you'll be fine. If you go out to eat with a group, and its an unsafe restaurant, bring your food along, tell them you have severe allergies, and ask them to plate your food and heat it up for you.

I traveled out of state a few weeks ago for four days/three nights. Didn't eat anything other than what I had brought, but went out with co-workers and brought my own food.

String cheese, fruit, gluten free cereal, yogurt, oj for breakfast.

lunch: lunchmeat/cheese roll-ups, chips/popcorn, veggies/dip, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.

snacks: dips, gluten-free pretzels, crackers and cheese.

Dinner: anything you normally make for dinner, that can just be reheated.

There are also gluten-free frozen foods like Amy's brand, or soups, Thai Kitchen instant meals, etc. that you could bring or pick up at the grocery store when you are in town (which may be helpful if you are not driving, but flying)

I'm sure others will chime in with ideas and suggestions. Good luck!

loco-ladi Contributor

Well, not knowing the restraunts in the areas you plan on traveling to I can't help you there, however I can offer the following:

I am a railroad engineer and due to this fact I have to be prepared to be gone from home 8-48 hours at the ring of my phone, I NEVER know how long I will be gone until I answer my phone

That being said, I have to be able to eat during the time I will be gone, so I have done the following which may or may not help in your situation:

I prepack meals that travel well in my cooler...

#1) when cooking meat for dinner I cook extra and put that in a freezer bag and pull it out to take with me, I can re-heat it in a microwave inside the bag in case the micro isn't clean, single serve cans of veggies also can be easy to carry to go with the meat!

#2) I make big pots of soups/stews and store a couple extra containers of it in the fridge (these dont always freeze well) this can be easily reheated in a micro without to much worry about CC

#3) When all else fails a salad with all your favorites, add meat, veggies whatever your heart desires can esily be put into a storage container and no micro needed just add a fork!

#4) When dining out at a strange restraunt, a safe bet is generally a salad, simple, hard to screw up even for the worst waitress's and you can carry a small bottle of your own dressing

mamaw Community Regular

Hi Gayle

Where do you live in Pa? I'm from north of Pittsburgh. Let me know where you are headed on your trips & maybe I can let you know where you can eat ort find gluten-free foods...

mamaw

Gaye of PA Apprentice
Where do you live in Pa? I'm from north of Pittsburgh. Let me know where you are headed on your trips & maybe I can let you know where you can eat ort find gluten-free foods...

mamaw

I live in Grove City! The trouble is, with these tournaments and conventions, there isn't time to go to a restaurant; usually there's just a 30 minute break, if we're fortunate. So people either bring their own lunch or sign up to purchase the set meal that is served there by the organizers. So I really need to learn how to travel with our own meals.

But after day 3 or 4, wouldn't most of my prepared food begin to spoil (I heard someone say that gluten-free bread doesn't last too long?

By the way, Mamaw, you mentioned somewhere else about a good gluten-free Italian restaurant in Hermitage. Can you tell me the name? Thanks!

Phyllis28 Apprentice

The rice bread will last the three or four days of the tournament as long as it it kept cold. If you don't rent a room with a refrigerator take an ice chest and add ice everyday.

I premake my meals and freeze them when I travel. Peanut Butter and jelly makes a good cold meal. Gluten free bars make great snacks.

kbtoyssni Contributor

I also freeze my meals before to make them last during travel. Will you have a fridge in your hotel? Even hotels that don't offer a fridge and microwave standard will often give you one if you have a medical need. Are you driving? If so, you could pack a large cooler and refill with ice everyday.

I try to bring stuff that doesn't spoil, but that type of food tends to get boring after a while. I'm lucky and have found these prepackaged Indian foods that don't need to be refrigerated. I take cooked rice with me and feel ok leaving that out of the fridge for a few days.

If all else fails and I have to go to a fast food place, I can usually get an ice cream or shake. Then I get a cup of hot water and add my own pasta. The pasta will pretty much cook in five minutes or so. You can add cheese to the top for protein if you have it.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



luvthelake21 Rookie

my 11 year old went to two summer camps last summer and will going to four this summer. WE sent ceral or bagels for breakfast, lunchable nachos for lunch and cookd spagettie for dinners or alfredo and froze them, thhey also keep the cooler cold, We also sent chips and kraft dip, beef jerky, fruit roll ups and plenty of fruit, popcorn. All went well and she can't waite to go back.

Abbott50 Rookie

My daughter and I are both new to this too.... In my work, I have to have a lot of business lunches, I have had to have three since I found out.... I was too chicken the first week. I have taken to calling restaurants and asking if they have gluten free menus and also pulling them up online...... I have been suprised at how many restaurants are accomodating and/or have gluten free menus online.... saved me any awkwardness during important lunch meetings....

My daughter was really bummed when we couldnt go out to get pizza.... but then we found two restaurants in town that have gluten free crusts.... we were shocked and very happy. I am learning to not feel wierd about asking for special menus...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,283
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    CSK 157
    Newest Member
    CSK 157
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Dora77
      Sorry for the long post. I’m 18, and I was diagnosed with celiac disease and type 1 diabetes (T1D). My transglutaminase IgA was >128 U/mL, EMA IgA positive twice, and I’m HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 positive. I’ve been completely asymptomatic since diagnosis, even when I cheated with gluten sometimes in the past and used to eat out(2-5 years ago) I don’t get the typical celiac reactions, which makes it really hard to know when (or if) I’ve been glutened. But for the past year, I’ve been the most strict with my diet, and that’s also when a bunch of new issues started. I eat completely glutenfree, never eat out, dont eat food that says „may contain gluten“.   Current Health Problems • Floating, undigested stools for over a year now. Dont think its related to celiac as it was like this since im 17 and not 13-16( i got diagnosed at 13). • Chronic back pain started gradually, worsens with movement, lots of cracking/popping sounds. Been ongoing for a year now. First noticed in the gym. • Abdominal bulge on the right side, not painful but seems to be getting slightly bigger. Doctor didn’t find a hernia on ultrasound, but it was done lying down (I’ve read those can miss hernias). Noticed it like 6 months ago, couldve been there longer. • extremely dry and mildly swollen hands (this started before I started excessive hand-washing), and bloated face. • Signs of inattentive ADHD (noticed over the past 3 years), now combined with severe OCD focused on contamination and cross-contact. • Growth/puberty seemed to started after going gluten-free. Before that I was not developing. Dont know if any of these are because of celiac as my dad doesnt have those and he is a lot less strict gluten-free then me. I also had pancreatic elastase tested four times: values were 46 (very low), 236, 158, and 306 (normal). Gastroenterologist said one normal value is enough and I don’t have EPI. Family doctor prescribed Kreon anyway (after I pushed for it), and I just started taking 1 capsule (10,000 units) with meals 2 days ago, but couldn‘t see effects yet because I’ve been constipated the last few days. Maybe because of thyroid. I don’t have Hashimoto’s. No thyroid antibodies. But I took levothyroxine for slightly low FT4 levels. My thyroid levels fluctuated between borderline low and low-normal. And recently lowered my dose so that may have caused the constipating. I probably didn’t need it in the first place, and am thinking about stopping it soon.   Current Diet Right now, I only eat a very limited set of “safe” foods I prepare myself: • Gluten-free bread with tuna or cheese • Milk and cornflakes • gluten-free cookies/snacks • Bananas (the only fruit I trust right now) I rarely eat other fruits or vegetables, because I’m scared of contamination. My dad, who also has celiac but doesn’t care about CC, buys fruits, and he might’ve picked them up right after handling gluten bread. That makes me feel unsafe eating them. Even fruit at stores or markets feels risky because so many people with gluten on their hands touch them.   My Home Situation (Shared Kitchen) We’re a family of 5. Only my dad and I have celiac. He eats glutenfree but doesn’t care about CC and sometimes (but rarely) cheats. My mom and siblings eat gluten bread at every meal. My mom is honest (so if i ask her to be cautious, she most likely would try to), but doesn’t seem to understand how serious celiac is. She: • Stopped using gluten flour • only cooks gluten-free meals (but they still heat up gluten bread and also cook gluten noodles) • Keeps separate butter/jam/jars for me • Bought me a stainless steel pan Bu we didn’t replace old wooden utensils, cutting boards, or other pans. The new they bought me pan was even carried home in a shopping bag with gluten bread in it, which triggered my OCD. It also has a rubber handle and I’m scared it might still hold onto gluten. Even if it’s washed well, it’s stored next to other pans that were used for gluten food/bread. Our kitchen table is used for eating gluten bread daily. My mom wipes it but not with soap. I’m scared tiny particles remain. If she made gluten-free bread dough on a board at the table, I’d still worry about cross contmaination contamination even with something under the dough and on the table as at one point the dough would probably touch the table. So I stopped eating anything she makes.   I know OCD is making it worse, but I can’t tell how much of my fear is real and how much is anxiety. Examples: • I wash my hands 20–30 times a day — before eating, after touching anything at home or outside, after using my phone/laptop. • I don’t let others touch my phone, and I’m scared to use my laptop because friends at school or my brother (who eat gluten) have touched it. And it annoys me a lot when others touch my stuff and feels like it got contaminated and is unsafe instantly. • I stopped eating while using my phone or laptop, afraid of invisible gluten being on them. • I wash my hands after opening food packaging (since it was on store cashier belts where gluten food is placed). • I avoid sitting anywhere except my bed or one clean chair. • I won’t shake hands with anyone or walk past people eating gluten. • At school, when switching classes, I wash my hands before getting out my laptop, again before opening it, etc. • I open door knobs with my elbows instead my hands   Job Concerns (Powder Coating, Sandblasting, Etc.) I’m working a temporary job right now that involves: • Powder coating • Sandblasting • Wet spray painting • Anodizing There’s also a laboratory. I don’t need this job, and my OCD makes me believe that dust or air particles there might contain gluten somehow. Should I quit?   Doctors Haven’t Helped My family doctor told me: “Asymptomatic celiac isn’t serious, if you have no symptoms, your intestines won’t get damaged, so you don’t need a gluten-free diet.” I knew that was wrong, but he wasn’t open to listening. I just nodded and didn‘t argue. My gastroenterologist (who’s also a dietitian) said: „If your antibodies are negative, there’s no damage. It might even be okay to try small amounts of gluten later if antibodies stay negative.“ Also said, pepper that says “may contain gluten” is fine if it only contains pepper. She was more informed than my family doctor but didn’t seem to fully understand celiac either.   Questions I Need Help With 1. Is it realistically safe to eat food my mom cooks, if we get separate pans/ and boards even if gluten is still used in the same kitchen? There will always be low risk of cc chances like that she will still touch stuff that was touched by her and my siblings after they ate gluten. And as there are gluten eaters in the house and she also prepares and eats gluten. So would opening the fridge then getting the food and touching the food be okay? So basically what i am doing, washing my hands multiple times while preparing food, she would only wash it once before, then touch anything else (for example water tap or handles) that were touched with gluteny hands, then also touch the food. I dont know if I ever could feel safe, I could try telling her how important cc really is. And I trust her so she wouldnt lie to me then be careless about cc, but idk how safe it really can be if she and everyone else keeps eating gluten and touching stuff in the house after eating. 2. Do I need to worry about touching doorknobs, fridge handles, light switches, etc. that family members touched after eating gluten? What about public places like bus handles or school desks? Or like if i went to the gym, I would be touching stuff all the time, so there will be small amounts of gluten and those would get transferred on my phone if I touch my phone while in the gym. But I want to knos if it would be enough to do damage. 3. Is an endoscopy (without biopsy) enough to tell if my intestines are healed? I’d pay privately if it could help and if i dont get a refferal. Or do i need a biopsy? 4. Could my job (powder coating, sandblasting, etc.) expose me to gluten or damage my intestines through air/dust? 5. Do I need certified gluten-free toothpaste, hand soap, shampoo, or moisturizer? (For example: Vaseline and Colgate don’t contain gluten ingredients but say they can’t guarantee it’s gluten-free.) 6. Is spices like pepper with “may contain traces of gluten” safe if no gluten ingredients are listed? Or does everything need to be labeled gluten-free?  7. Is continuing to only eat my own food the better choice, or could I eventually go back to eating what my mom cooks if she’s careful? 8. is cutlery from dishwasher safe if there are stains? Stuff like knives is used for cutting gluten bread or fork for noodles etc. I often see stains which i dont know if its gluten or something else but our dish washer doesnt seem to make it completely clean. 9. I wash my hands multiple times while preparing food. Do i need to do the same when touching my phone. Like if i touch the fridge handle, I wash my hands then touch the phone. I dont eat while using my phone but i leave it on my bed and pillow and my face could come in contact with where it was.  10. Do i need to clean my phone or laptop if theyve been used by people who eat gluten? Even if no crumbs fall onto my keybaord, i mean because of invisible gluten on their fingers. 11. Does medication/supplements have to be strictly glutenfree? One company said they couldn‘t guarantee if their probiotics don’t contain traces of gluten.  12. I had bought supplements in the past, some of them say glutenfree and some of them dont(like the brand „NOW“ from iherb). I bought them and used them when i wasnt washing my hands so often, are they still safe? As I touched and opened them after touching door knobs, water taps etc. It was like a year ago when i bought those and even though i was eating gluten-free, I never worried about what i touch etc. I know this post is long. I’m just extremely overwhelmed. I’m trying to protect myself from long-term health damage, but the OCD is destroying my quality of life, and I honestly don’t know what’s a reasonable level of caution anymore. Thanks for reading.
    • lmemsm
      I've been making a lot of black bean brownies lately because it's one of the few gluten free dessert recipes that actually tastes palatable.  I've also seen chocolate cake recipes with black beans.  Someone mentioned a cookie recipe using lentils in place of flour.  Just wondering if anyone's run across any tried and true recipes using beans, lentils or peas for desserts?  I've seen a lot of recipes for garbanzo flour but I'm allergic to garbanzo beans/chickpeas.  Was wondering if adzuki or pinto beans might be useful in replacing some or all of the flour in baking.  Since gluten free flours can be crumbly was hoping the beans might help produce a better, less crumbly consistency.  Any recommendations for recipes?  Thanks.
    • lmemsm
      I've seen a lot of recipes for chia pudding, so I decided to make some with chia, water, cocoa and honey.  Didn't like the taste, so I added ground sunflower and ground pumpkin seed to it.  It tasted okay, but came out more like frosting that pudding.  I used to make pudding with tapioca starch, milk powder, water and sugar.  It came out very good but I haven't figured out what to use to replace the milk powder to make it dairy free.  Most starches will work in place of tapioca starch but quantity varies depending on the type of starch.  If I didn't add enough starch to get a pudding consistency, I'd add gelatin as well to fix it.  Avocado and cocoa makes a good dessert with a pudding like consistency.  Unfortunately, I have a bad reaction to avocados.
    • lmemsm
      Seems like when I find a gluten free product I like, the producer stops manufacturing it and then I have trouble finding a new gluten free source for it.  What's worse, I've been contacting companies to ask if their products are gluten free and they don't even bother to respond.  So, it's making it very hard to find safe replacements.  I was buying teff flour at nuts.com and they no longer carry it.  I noticed Naturevibe has teff and soy flour.  However, I can't get a response as to whether their flours are safe for someone with celiac.  Can't get a response from Aldi if their peas are safe for someone with celiac either.  I know Bob's Red Mill has teff flour but was hoping to get a large quantity.  I've been using up the 20 ounce Bob's Red Mill teff flour too quickly.  Does anyone know of a good source for teff or soy flour?  Any recommendations where to get gluten free beans, peas or lentils?  I found some packages of gluten free beans at Sprouts but not much variety.  I've also been looking for lentil elbow macaroni and it seems like no one is making that now that Tolerant was bought out.  Any suggestions for safe sources for these types of ingredients.  Thanks.
    • chrish42
      All I can say is this site is great!
×
×
  • Create New...