Going To Mexico Soon

[Guest barbara3675]

I am going to Nuevo Vallerta to the Mayan Sea Garden Feb 5-12....anyone have suggestions on good places to eat that serve gluten-free meals? Would appreciate any stories of Mexican experiences. Barbara

[flagbabyds]

I went to Mexico on a school trip in the summer and I never got sick once... Just get corn tortillas and beans if all else fails

[wildkitty]

I'm going to Mexico City and Cuernavaca with my Girl Scout troop at the end of June. We'll be staying at a Girl Guide facility, where many of the workers speak English, so I'm not too worried about that part. I kind of figured I'd eat a lot of tortillas!

Trish

[LeeV]

GOING TO MERIDA, MEXICO IN JUNE. ANY SUGGESTIONS WHAT NOT TO EAT, DRINK, WHERE TO EAT, ETC.? NEVER BEEN TO MEXICO. WILL BE STAYING AT A CONDO. SHOULD I TAKE gluten-free FOODS LIKE BREAD, OR MIXES TO MAKE IT THERE? I DON'T WANT TO CARRY TOO MUCH LUGGAGE. THANKS FOR ANY ADVICE.

[Guest barbara3675]

The Mexican experience was delightful......the timeshare resort we were in and all the places we dined out at offered plenty of gluten-free choices. I took some gluten-free crackers and cereal just incase I didn't fine anything and no one even looked in my suit case going in. They did look in the case going out, but never said anything. I think the things they have problems with are fresh food like meat, fruit and veggies. There are lots of grocery stores in Mexico, even a WalMart in most major cities. You should do fine if you are flying into any major town. I would not hesitate to go to Mexico again. Even the water in Puerto Vallarta is said to be 100% safe, we drank mostly bottled because it was offered in our room, but we brushed out teeth with tap water. We actaully stayed in Neuvo Vallarta, delightful.

Barbara

[GFLiisa]

I too am travelling to Mexico in 4 days. I am staying in Nuevo Vallarta as well. I am taking a few gluten-free food items down with me. We are flying. Everything that has been posted has been very helpful to me. Thank you so much!

All of your experiances help put me at ease.

Any additional specific tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest PattyAnne]

We also are planning on a trip to Mexico. But plan on spending about 1 month driving thru Mexico from Brownsville. Texas to Belize. And I have a great deal of anxiety as I am extremely sensitive to gluten. I have talked with many people who have traveled that route into Mexico and have been told that English speaking natives are very few, and I speak no Spanish and am concerned about being able to convey the necesssity of a gluten free diet. Any help in easing my concerns would be greatly appreciated.

[catfish]

The good news is that in Mexico, the main thickener is masa (corn) flour rather than wheat flour. In the United states, I'm always nervous about ordering enchiladas because they usually thicken the sauce with wheat flour. In Mexico, it's almost always masa flour because it's more available and traditional (just as we'd be unlikely to thicken gravy with corn flour here). Still, there are the occasional exceptions of course. Enquire about sauces such as chili verde and moles. Otherwise it is really quite easy to eat gluten-free in Mexico!

[Guest PattyAnne]

To catfish: surely do appreciate the info. Thanks so much

[esther's mom]

I am going to Nuevo Vallerta to the Mayan Sea Garden Feb 5-12....anyone have suggestions on good places to eat that serve gluten-free meals? Would appreciate any stories of Mexican experiences. Barbara

how was your trip? we are going to basically the same place next month and are staying at paradise village. my daughter has Celiac disease and I am wondering how it is going to work...any tips?

[Generic]

My parents just got back from Neuvo Vallerta. My mom is gluten-free, and had no problems at all. She ordered a triumph gluten-free dining card in spanish just to be safe and it was no issue what so ever. They had a great trip.

[jmd3]

how was your trip? we are going to basically the same place next month and are staying at paradise village. my daughter has Celiac disease and I am wondering how it is going to work...any tips?

I have had good and bad experiences in Mexico - I believe my celiac trigger was in Mexico ( I think Elizabeth from the view - her trigger happened in Mexico also.) Anyway, my bad experience was a very upscale resort, and did not eat off property. (Cancun - very bad experience) I had to go back to Mexico for business and dreaded it tremendously, Cabo San Lucas - ended up being a fantastic experience

I spoke with a dr that was vacationing there too, and he told me that Mexico doesn't seem to have many of the auto-immune diseases that we have here.

Do you take a probiotic? You should take a gluten-free one starting at least 3 days before travel...Continue taking it while you are there. It will help protect your intestines incase you get an issue with your intestines..or D.

I hope that you have a wonderfully safe trip!! Make sure you tell us about it when you get back!!!!

[Motorboater]

Hi everyone, thank you for the enlightment on traveling to Mexico. I'm going in Jan and staying at Palladium Vallarta, anyone ever stayed here and did you have any eating issues....I'm so concerned about the eating, I'm planning on taking some things in my suitcase and someone suggested getting a letter from my Dr. incase they want to take my food......Anyone with "any" more helpful advice would be greatly appreciated. I am also going to bring my Spanish Celiac card.

Pam

[mtraezme]

Hi,

I'm going to cut and paste a response I gave to another poster about Mexico. If you search through the travel section on the boards there are some more posts about Mexico.

Here's what I posted earlier, if you have more questions, send me a message or post them here and I'll try to respond.

I ate a lot of corn tortillas, chicken, beans, fruits, veggies, consomme (veggie soup), enchiladas, rice, tamales, rajas, strawberries with cream and sugar, meats, gorditas, eggs, yogurt, and ice cream from La Michoacana which has locally made ice creams. I only had problems with getting glutened once and it was at my favorite restaurant. They made quesadillas estilo de DF (they make the quesadillas differently in Mexico City). I was watching the girl make the fresh tortillas and because the masa or corn meal mixture for the tortillas was too firm, she poured a bunch of wheat flour into it and mixed it together. I was really sad. I also had to avoid the mole because in some restaurants they added bread to it in order to thicken it up.

My advice would be to use corn products whenever available like tortillas and chips and to enjoy the variety of fresh veggies and fruits and cheeses. Things like chilaquiles (tortilla chips or hardened corn tortillas with salsa, cheese and sometimes an egg), fruit, consomme (nothing with fideos or noodles), jello (I'm not sure why they love jello so much), ceviche, tacos, and things like that should be safe. You should also try some pozole (hominy soup) if you get the chance. It's my favorite (they usually have green with chicken or red with pork).

There are a bunch of the celiac websites that have their information in Spanish. You could always print some of those out to take with you. I can help find some for you if you need me to. If at all possible, I would call the resort in the next week and find out what the menu options are so that you can pack extra food if you need it, but they should be able to cook plain foods for you.

You CAN bring Lara bars and other bars with you. The only things you can't bring are fresh dairy, meats, fruits and veggies. Dried foods are okay, but fresh foods won't make it through customs. That's okay though because they have tons of fresh fruits and veggies.

I hope that helps. Let me know what other help you need. I haven't been to Vallarta for a long time, but I do know that people there speak English. I was in Mazatlan for a few days this summer, I spent the summer in Mexico visiting my boyfriend, and had no problem whatsoever with the food.

Ezme