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So Frustrated - gluten-free-living In Europe

Yoekie

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Yoekie Apprentice
Yoekie
Posted

I'm from Belgium and surfing the internet about glutenfree living is sooo frustrating... I see all those delicious-looking foods for sale in USA & Canada -not just basics but also real treats like donuts, bagels, cereals,... argh and I can't find any of it here!! Do you know what I'm talking about?

I'm not used to buy stuff online and wonder about the shippingcosts to Europe... anyone has experience with that? Am also thinking of making a trip overseas (to the UK) for glutenfree shopping.

It's not fair :(

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Lisa B Rookie
Lisa B
Posted

Isn't it funny how the grass is always greener on the other side! I am in Canada and often look at Europe as a kind of gluten-free utopia. Although we have some great products here, the level of awareness and accomodation that seem to be in place in many European countries makes me envious.

My son is Celiac and I am originally from the UK so often think of making trips back 'home' for products as I hear that many of the major supermarket chains have extensive product lines and the labelling is so much clearer. Ireland, I hear, has significant awareness as does Italy. I look for stores in Italian areas here in Toronto for great imported rice and corn pasta, crackers and cookies from Italy.

Try this website from a German manufactuer whose products imported to the US we have tried Open Original Shared Link - you may be able to find a retail location close to you or across the border. The pizza shells and crackers are great but we don't get the full range.

If you are close to a Jewish population centre try looking for some Passover products that are either labelled gluten free or say 'non-gebrokts' for some great options. Many prepared cakes and cookies for this festival are made with potato flour rather than wheat flour.

On another posting I saw reference to a store in Belgium called Delhaize (I don't know if this is a chain or a one-off store) but they carried a lot of products by Allegro, a French company: "gluten free hi-fiber bread, grilled bread, and pain de mie (soft bread). There were cakes and cookies of all sorts, including English cake, marble cake, and sandwich cookies. Flour, pasta, crackers, bouillon, and even a rice couscous were also available."

I hope this helps - we don have great stuff here, but I am sure you have lots of good options close to home and it'll only continue to get better. Best wishes.

  • 1 year later...
ivan Newbie
ivan
Posted

hi, I have the same problem, live in croatia, my daughter has celiac disease, is 4 years old. Every day surfing the internet about gluten free on the USA site, and cry. There has all but inaccessible to me. Postage is expensive. In Croatia can not find puffed cereals such as rice, quinoa, you could eat my girl. There are a lot of products naturally gluten-free but not declared and verified. We have to buy Dr Schar, not much choice. I want to buy the indispensable xanthan gum to make bread, here does not buy. child grows and I'm waiting for better times.

  • 2 weeks later...
pawelski Newbie
pawelski
Posted

It's hard to believe, it's such bad in Belgium when gluten-free food needed. Which doesn't mean I don't beleieve you :)

IMO Europe is too diversificated to judge it generally.

I'd say that real paradise for us is Finland. You can buy gluten-free food, cakes, sweets, beer, etc. almost everywhere. The same fantastic possibilities are, by all accounts, in Sweden(I've never been in Sweden, but Finnish people affirmed).

I live in Poland. Thankfully in a really big city. The only thing I really miss is pizza&beer outside. It's not a fun at all to buy frozen gluten-free-pizza-base and bake it ourself at home.

The awareness is society is veeeeery low, so always must be very carefull in restaurants, but in bigger cities there are plenty of shops where you can buy gluten-free food and waiters generally speak english (but not expect they will know word as "wheat" or so on).

I was diagnosed just a year ago, so my personal experience is very low yet, however providing 1-10 scale of gluten-free satisfaction, my very subjective rating would be as follows:

Finland - 8 (there's no 10 in a whole world for us :( )

Poland - 3 (Krakow - 5, big cities - 3, small cities - 1)

Hungary - 1 (very lack knowledge of English in Budapest amazed me in negative way)

Slovakia - 2

Ukraine (Lviv only) - 1,5 (printed card in their language necessary)

Turkey (Bodrum area) - 1,5 (printed card in their language necessary)

Greece (just Kos and Rhodos Island) - 2,5 (didn't find any gluten-free stores, but some waiters are Dutch or British, so you can easily explain which meal may poison you).

itchy Rookie
itchy
Posted

Ivan, have you considered starting a small business importing gluten free foods?

If coeliac disease is as common there as it is in the English speaking world (it may not be) then there is certainly an opportunity.

ivan Newbie
ivan
Posted

Hi, nice to haer someone to help.

Yes i am interested. What do you mean by small bussines?

Tnx

Ivan, have you considered starting a small business importing gluten free foods?

If coeliac disease is as common there as it is in the English speaking world (it may not be) then there is certainly an opportunity.

Luddie Newbie
Luddie
Posted

I'm from Belgium and surfing the internet about glutenfree living is sooo frustrating... I see all those delicious-looking foods for sale in USA & Canada -not just basics but also real treats like donuts, bagels, cereals,... argh and I can't find any of it here!! Do you know what I'm talking about?

I'm not used to buy stuff online and wonder about the shippingcosts to Europe... anyone has experience with that? Am also thinking of making a trip overseas (to the UK) for glutenfree shopping.

It's not fair :(

Don't be so quick to think that buying and eating gluten free breads and such things is always good! I have found that whenever I eat such treats that are made with "substitute" flours, I have problems the next day. So, just eating plain food is the answer for me, even though there are lots of places to buy "gluten free" things.

Good luck to you.

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Kolla Rookie
Kolla
Posted

I am from Iceland, where the whole population is just over 300.000, its very hard to get gluten free products here. And to import them should also be exspensive, Im in the middle of the Atlantic ocean !!

I have been considering since my girl was diagnosed to go to UK and shop gluten free products for her. Looks very good on their websides and not as exspensive as here. :(

hipretty Apprentice
hipretty
Posted

Ivan I will post to you something I just mentioned to a poster Brian in Serbia.:

I do know for sure Russia has way more resources than Ukraine for example who has next to nothing. But even in Ukraine (Kyiv) I was able to find in the larger markets Orgran gluten-free Pastas, and cookies. If you contact Orgran... I am sure they will tell you where to find gluten-free in Croatia! Dobra sreća!!

I STRONGLY suggest for you to go here to drop down window and switch it from inside australia to outside australia..write to them they are a wonderful company. And no I do not work for them, but they saved the day when I was in Ukraine over the course of 3 months. I cried when I found them in Mandarin Plaza in Kyiv!

Open Original Shared Link

India Contributor
India
Posted

I went to Brussels a few months ago and didn't find things too difficult - I found a gluten-free pizza place (which even had special gluten-free after dinner cookies) and the main supermarkets had pretty good labelling and some gluten-free products.

That said, if you're struggling, hopefully a trip on the Eurostar would be worthwhile - London is pretty well supplied for gluten-free food.

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