Celiac and Traveling

In honor of Celiac Awareness Month (May 2016) in the USA, I wanted to talk about traveling with this disease.  For those whom do not know what is Celiac Disease, let me explain a little about it.  This is an autoimmune disorder that reacts to a protein called gluten that is found in many grains which causes damage to the lining of the small intestine. This disease can create different symptoms for each person so it can be missed in a medical examination.  If this disease goes untreated it can create other medical conditions.  The only treatment for this disease is a total gluten free diet.  (It's just not a fad like many in the USA are started to believe, it is away people can stay alive and well.)

I have Celiac.   I have known I have this disease for over twenty years.  When you have Celiac Disease, traveling can seem stressful and scary at times.    I have seen the options for those who have this disease change from nothing to a wide verity of things.  Traveling has become more easy over recent years.

When I travel around the USA, I always have to bring food along with me.  This does make it easy to know your food is safe and you can enjoy your travels.  No one wants to be sick when they travel.  Everyone says to research where you are going and call ahead to see what is there.  It is only possible if you know the area and if the place has available contact information.  There might be times where travel is unknown and there might be roadblocks along the way to get to know things.

My travels to China made me a little scared to travel.  There was a language barrier, many have not heard of Celiac Disease, and there was unknown plans.  When this happens, it is best to have someone that understands.  I was happy to have my husband there with me.  He researched about this disease to learn more about my health.   If you have this disease you should also know about your condition.  Answer questions is also important.

My husband was able to talk to the people preparing our food and able to look into what we buy at the market.  We bought a lot of foods that were made fresh and naturally gluten free.  There are many foods you can eat if you are on a gluten free diet.  As long as you talk with people or have someone do that on your behalf, you should not find it difficult to eat out or find something in the local market.

In fact, I was able to eat out more and go to many places when I was in China than when I was back home in the USA.  When I was in China, I only got sick about two times.  Those times were only because of slip ups of when I was eating in a big group and my husband forgot to inform me of what items were.  Yes, I needed someone to help identify the foods for me because there were many dishes I was not familiar with or have even seen before.

If you are traveling, just remember to have a conversation with your host or your traveling mates.  If you are traveling alone, remember to read the labels (learn the words of your "allergy" so you can stay away from them in processed foods), and also remember you can go to the market to get foods that are not packaged.  Those are almost the most safe way to eat when you travel.  Also try to relax and not be stressed out when you are traveling.  Traveling is all about having fun.

You might just be surprised as to what you can do once you step away from the fear of getting sick when you travel.  Your world will open up more and become bigger.  I sure was shocked as to my ability to travel while still taking care of my Celiac Disease.  I still had some issues and still needed extra help.

If you have Celiac Disease, you sure can travel.  I was able to eat out in Shanghai just fine.