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What Are The Easiest Countries To Live Gluten-Free?

KevinG

By KevinG
in Traveling with Celiac Disease

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KevinG Apprentice
KevinG
Posted

I might have the option to live in a foreign country for a year. Among my other priorities, I want to live in a place where it's super easy to keep a gluten-free diet.

I have identified the following countries as places where gluten is seldom used in the ethnic cuisine:

1) Thailand

2) Vietnam

3) Malaysia

4) India

Any others to add to the list? (I might indeed be going to a 3rd-world country like the above.)

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Olivegirl Newbie
Olivegirl
Posted

I spend a lot of time in Cambodia, and some time in Thailand for work. I find that Thailand is quite difficult as they add soy sauce (or oyster sauce) to just about everything and they have absolutely no idea what wheat flour is (let alone gluten!) - so it's very hard to ask if something is gluten (or wheat) free. Cambodia is slightly easier for me (but perhaps that's just because I spend more time there so am more used to the cuisine). Nonetheless, in both Thailand and Cambodia you will never starve - there is always rice available, and fish sauce, garlic and chilli to have on the side. However, I think out of the countries mentioned, India would be by far the easiest. Even here (in Australia) I can walk into any Indian restaurant and usually eat 75% of the dishes on the menu without any trouble.

Lexxieepooh Newbie
Lexxieepooh
Posted

Mexican food usually has gluten free options.

I wouldn't say that of any country in South America as they tend to eat a lot of bread.

Mexicans tend to use a lot of rice and corn products. Sometimes with wheat mixed in so ot as easy as Thailand!!

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

I don't have experience traveling much gluten free, but I would like to go to someplace like South Africa. Their main staples are sweet potatoes and corn. Here's an interesting link, with many recipes that are gluten free: Open Original Shared Link

Also from that link if you click on "Food in Every Country" it will give you a list of countries and you can look at the background on traditional food in the countries listed. It's a great resource for recipes too.

Milind-k Newbie
Milind-k
Posted

Hi! I live in Mumbai & I am gluten intolerant. In this part of india (western), almost no one knows about celiac or gluten intolerance, including doctors. Almost every food contains spices & spices contain wheat flour as fillers. I have found that it is just impossible to get hotel food that is gluten free; either spices are contaminated or the cooking process causes cross contamination. Gluten free foods (biscuits etc) are available only at very few locations.

I have read that conditions are better in northern part of india as the disease is known & many gluten free options are available.

In southern & eastern parts of india, rice is staple food & wheat is less used. So these should be ok to live in.

  • 7 months later...
Mish-Mash Newbie
Mish-Mash
Posted

I live in Italy and I find it suprisingly easy to live here! There are always great, fresh vegetables, fruit and meats in the local supermarkets, stacked alongside loads of gluten free options (flour, biscuits, bread ecc..) and whenever I dine out, there is usually a gluten free option on the menu :). Most italians have heard of and understand (to a certain degree) celiac disease or gluten intollerance. I hope this helped :)

Mack the Knife Explorer
Mack the Knife
Posted

Australia is a fantastic place for eating gluten free. There is a very high awareness of coeliac disease and gluten free eating is seen more as a lifestyle than an illness. This means that all the supermarkets have healthfood aisles loaded with gluten free foods and it is very, very common for cafes and restaurants to offer gluten free bread, pasta and cakes. I have no trouble eating out.

I just got back form a trip to New Zealand and they are even better than Australia. I ate really well while I was there. I even managed to find a cafe that made gluten free pancakes in a small country town.

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rosetapper23 Explorer
rosetapper23
Posted

I second the suggestion of Australia--great place to live if you have celiac. I visited Sydney last year, and I was able to order sandwiches on gluten-free bread just about everywhere. I even had tea at the Queen Victoria Building, because they offered a fancy gluten-free version. I didn't get sick the entire time I was there (actually thinking of retiring there).

Mish-Mash Newbie
Mish-Mash
Posted

Yeah, I visited new Zealand 2 years ago, it was like heaven! I found that Sydney was quite hard though...most waitors asked me what gluten and celiac disease was <_<

hope this helps :)

anabananakins Explorer
anabananakins
Posted

I live in Australia and it has my vote. I think it's very easy to be gluten free here. Food is very clearly labeled, and lots of restaurants are knowledgeable. Our smaller population means we don't get the larger range of replacement products available in the US - I found Whole Foods just amazing - but I can live without that stuff, it's worth it for the convenience of everything else. I never understood why supermarkets made the newly diagnosed want to cry until I spent a month in the US. Way too many products to go through and everything has added stuff in it, for example, plain yoghurt and cottage cheese are never an issue here.

I hate to be negative about the tea room at the Queen Victoria Building (esp as it's run by family of a friend of mine) but I got sick after eating there so dunno if they're always as careful as they could be.

ElseB Contributor
ElseB
Posted

I live in Canada, but have travelled to Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland and France. Australia and New Zealand definitely had the best awareness and availability of food. (I was shocked to fix a huge selection of gluten-free food in the one tiny grocery store in Coober Pedy of all places!). England and Ireland also had good awareness (but Oz and NZ were better), and since they love their jacket potatoes, its always easy to find something to eat! And Tesco chocolate cupcakes are the best! France was difficult - the idea of not being able to eat a baguette was so foreign to them. They just couldn't understand what I was saying - and it wasn't a language thing!

Mango04 Enthusiast
Mango04
Posted

I would imagine that you'd have a fairly easy time in any of the four countries you mentioned.

I second Australia and England being extremely easy places to live and eat gluten-free.

  • 6 months later...
GFinVenice Rookie
GFinVenice
Posted

i am italian and i must say that here it easy. In every city we have at least 1 gluten-free restaurants or pizzeria, in the supermarkets we have a lots of products and we have a little book called prontuario with whom we can buy also '!normal' food shopping by brand.

We have a lots of products a good brand of pasta, piza ecc.....write me more and i will explain you everything

GFinVenice Rookie
GFinVenice
Posted

I live in Venice -Italy and I think that it is easy t be gluten free expeccialy because we have a great range of products and we have a little book, printed every 6 months with all the normal items you find in the grocery store.

come dance with me Enthusiast
come dance with me
Posted

I'm in Australia and we have no problems with a gluten free diet. I love our labelling laws and the way we have options when eating out. We are vegan too and have no problems at all with vegan and gluten free and that's in rural Australia :)

bettyboop3327 Newbie
bettyboop3327
Posted

I might have the option to live in a foreign country for a year. Among my other priorities, I want to live in a place where it's super easy to keep a gluten-free diet.

I have identified the following countries as places where gluten is seldom used in the ethnic cuisine:

1) Thailand

2) Vietnam

3) Malaysia

4) India

Any others to add to the list? (I might indeed be going to a 3rd-world country like the above.)

My daughter is in the Army and will be returning from Iraq either in December, 2011 or February, 2012. Her next assignment will be Germany and she wants me to go with her for her first 2 or 3 weeks. Now I have been a celiac for over 27 years and am sensitive. Ha anyone you know gone to Germany and what do I do about being gluten free. We are both nurses and she knows how sick I have a reaction. Any suggestions???? I have told her I am not interested in going due to this reason, but I would love to visit her more than once but it is a BIG concern and a headache!!!! Thanks

desert rose Newbie
desert rose
Posted

Yes,I am also an Australian and I have lived in remote communities for the past five years and I still have no problems eating gluten free.

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

My daughter is in the Army and will be returning from Iraq either in December, 2011 or February, 2012. Her next assignment will be Germany and she wants me to go with her for her first 2 or 3 weeks. Now I have been a celiac for over 27 years and am sensitive. Ha anyone you know gone to Germany and what do I do about being gluten free. We are both nurses and she knows how sick I have a reaction. Any suggestions???? I have told her I am not interested in going due to this reason, but I would love to visit her more than once but it is a BIG concern and a headache!!!! Thanks

Welcome betty! I can't answer your questions but you might want to post this as a new topic in order to get some answers about Germany specifically. You can also search the board for older posts about Germany using the "Search forum via google" box in the upper right corner.

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

If you have to go to an Asian country Korea may be your best option. They often have more traditional (non-wheat) products available ((soy sauce etc)).

I have lived and traveled in Indonesia as an undiagnosed/didn't know I had a problem with gluten younger person and I wouldn't travel there until I brushed up on my language skills and could buy/prepare my own food.

Indochina (Thai/Cambodia/Burma/Laos) in my more limited experience but from my bit of travel you will likely (pre-Gluten diagnosis) encounter more hidden gluten and less English.

NOTE: The culture in SouthEast Asia is what I call "ease the pain" (peace is good, chill out, calm down, respect elders and welcome/make at ease strangers) - agree, say yes - etc. If you add language barrier you will have difficulties with eating and shopping gluten free.

Pac Apprentice
Pac
Posted

Mexico (at least most parts) is very very easy to live gluten-free, both for staying in one place and travelling without being able to cook. You can buy lot's of snacks along the way, there will always be a taco stand or a see-food restaurant where you can eat, or you can just buy fresh cheese, salsa and tortillas... DH says he met many mexicans who went to live in US or Canada but came back to Mexico because they missed the food. I can totally relate to that.

Mango04 Enthusiast
Mango04
Posted

My daughter is in the Army and will be returning from Iraq either in December, 2011 or February, 2012. Her next assignment will be Germany and she wants me to go with her for her first 2 or 3 weeks. Now I have been a celiac for over 27 years and am sensitive. Ha anyone you know gone to Germany and what do I do about being gluten free. We are both nurses and she knows how sick I have a reaction. Any suggestions???? I have told her I am not interested in going due to this reason, but I would love to visit her more than once but it is a BIG concern and a headache!!!! Thanks

In my opinion, Germany is gluten-free friendly. I've been there a few times and could always find gluten, dairy and soy-free food really easily. The first time I went to Germany I arrived by train and found gluten-free bread for sale before I even left the train station.

amber Explorer
amber
Posted

Another vote for Australia. We find it easy to find gluten free foods whether in the supermarket or in cafes and restaurants. We just visited a small town called Byron Bay and nearly every restaurant and cafe had gluten free options marked on the menu. Even many of the pizza chains offer gluten free pizza now. Within a couple of miles of my house we can get gluten free pizza, fish and chips, Indian food, Thai Food and Turkish food.

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