Airports And Gi Doctors

[seezee]

HI -- We are planning a trip to London this summer and my daughter (10 years old) has celiac. Any advice on airports and airplanes. I have in the past been stranded for hours in airports with weather delays and am wondering what to bring with and what might be available that I don't know about in standard airport restaurants.

Also, does anyone notice GI doctors seem indifferent to stomach pain in children. We went to meet one who works in her pediatricians office one day a month and he told her that she must be cheating on her diet if her stomach hurts. We won't see him again.

[LexsMama]

i dont know anything about airports but your gi dr sounds terrible

[missy'smom]

Rules may have changed since I last flew, 3 years ago. However, these are some of the things that I brought that worked well and some other ideas.

For a very early am flight I made pancakes ahead of time and froze in a dispozable container with a bit of maple syrup spead on each one-you could use jam. The am of the flight, I took it out of the freezer, added ham and fresh fruit and stuck it in my carry on. By the time I was at the airport of my connecting flight and could sit down at the food court, it was defrosted and ready to eat.

For emergency meals, I took Tasty Bite Indian meals, with the rice and curry-not something all kids would go for. I took them mainly because I was enroute around 18 hrs. until I could reach my final destination. Never needed to use them. Also tins of smoked tuna fillets-they had flavor without the need for mayo, there are some cans of flaked, flavored tuna in the markets as well. gluten-free crackers, a baby jar of jam(it was allowed as within the limits and I put it in a clear ziplock. Gourmet delis and places like Cost Plus World Market have them. I see individual small things of P.B. in the stores lately. Beef sticks, sausage bites are stable at room temp and a good source of protein, as are nuts. No sugar added freeze dried fruits are good and there are several brands available now-even Geber makes them. Check the asian section of the market-there are tubs of pre-cooked rice that are microwavable-no water needed.

[debmom]

We just returned from England and Ireland where we had worried about being able to eat gluten free. I was ready to move there after the first few days. We found gluten free food everywhere!

I had requested gluten free meals for the airplane and we had no problem with that except that we were given a lot of rice crackers with each meal and snack. If you haven't called the airlines to request a specific meal, do so before you leave. You are allowed to bring 2.2 pounds of food with you in your checked bags, but not always allowed to bring it in your carryons. On the way to London, we couldn't bring any food into the security gate, but on the way home from London, we had a bag full of gluten free food that went through the security with no problem.

In London we found almost every restaurant and many of the pubs were gluten savvy and we were able to eat gluten free almost everywhere including the airports. Try the Pret a Manger restaurants. They are ubiquitous-- one every two or three blocks, literally. their food is fresh, good and inexpensive. We also found that the 800 chain pub style restaurants (two near the Holborn station) had an extensive gluten free menu. EAT also has gluten free meals that are inexpensive. We found them near or in the popular shops like Topshop.

Have fun. England is lightyears ahead of the US in gluten awareness. Celiac and gluten intolerance are diagnosed there much more often and more easily than here. It is no big deal to them and every restaurant has gluten free food.

[seezee]

i dont know anything about airports but your gi dr sounds terrible

I agree. I was really mad because my daughter is so careful and diligent about it and it is really hard sometimes.

[seezee]

We just returned from England and Ireland where we had worried about being able to eat gluten free. I was ready to move there after the first few days. We found gluten free food everywhere!

I had requested gluten free meals for the airplane and we had no problem with that except that we were given a lot of rice crackers with each meal and snack. If you haven't called the airlines to request a specific meal, do so before you leave. You are allowed to bring 2.2 pounds of food with you in your checked bags, but not always allowed to bring it in your carryons. On the way to London, we couldn't bring any food into the security gate, but on the way home from London, we had a bag full of gluten free food that went through the security with no problem.

In London we found almost every restaurant and many of the pubs were gluten savvy and we were able to eat gluten free almost everywhere including the airports. Try the Pret a Manger restaurants. They are ubiquitous-- one every two or three blocks, literally. their food is fresh, good and inexpensive. We also found that the 800 chain pub style restaurants (two near the Holborn station) had an extensive gluten free menu. EAT also has gluten free meals that are inexpensive. We found them near or in the popular shops like Topshop.

Have fun. England is lightyears ahead of the US in gluten awareness. Celiac and gluten intolerance are diagnosed there much more often and more easily than here. It is no big deal to them and every restaurant has gluten free food.

Thanks - I wasn't too worried about when we got there just the airport. We are switching planes in Dulles in the summer and the last time we flew through DC in the summer we got stuck for 8 hours waiting for a plan to Boston. Airport food is kind of lame to begin with.