Primal, Celiac and traveling...any tips for me? page

[slee11211]

Hoping I can get some ideas here...just about to spend a week in Carribean at an all-inclusive - not entirely sure how food will be other than fresh fruit and veg, hopefully safe meat. In Jamaica, all meats were cooked with soy sauce (wheat)...hoping Dominican Republic doesn't do same!

Wondering what any of you have figured out as "go to" foods to pack in your bag for travelling like this? I'll likely have some backup egg protein to make drinks with and some beef jerky. Any ideas would be appreciated...

Thanks!

[EagleRiverDee]

I would call ahead to the resort and ask them what options they have for you. A resort might well be fully able to accommodate your requirements without you having to pack a thing.

For air travel I do bacon and eggs for breakfast (sans toast) and often seek out some sort of grilled fish or something with a vegetable for lunch and dinner. Since you're intolerant, I'd definitely ask first that there would be no breading or fillers. I'm not sure I'd trust every restaurant, but the higher end places I probably would.

[slee11211]

thx, yes, will do that for sure.

[PaleoPanda]

Asking for plain grilled meats/fish without sauce - you can always ask for a lemon to squeeze over fish/veg if they're too plain.

I travel with nuts and dried fruit for emergencies, beef jerky is a good idea too. If your hotel room has a mini bar fridge you can go to the local shops for fresh fruit.

[fresa]

My advice would bet either find a waiter who speaks English (which may be easy, I just don''t know), or learn to say something like "I can't eat wheat" in the local language. I don't know about the Caribbean, but I know in Spain you have to insist and explain. The idea of not being able to eat certain foods is completely bizarre, so they tend to interpret "no wheat" as "no bread" because they don't always know what other foods have wheat in it. It is a real cultural difference. But like others said, I would expect lots of plain grilled chicken and salad. I'm not sure where to get them, but I also know that they make these little cards you can buy that explain gluten intolerance or other allergies in a bunch of different languages so that you can just hand it over to the waiter without trying to explain in a foreign language.

[ezeflier]

Hoping I can get some ideas here...just about to spend a week in Carribean at an all-inclusive - not entirely sure how food will be other than fresh fruit and veg, hopefully safe meat. In Jamaica, all meats were cooked with soy sauce (wheat)...hoping Dominican Republic doesn't do same!

Wondering what any of you have figured out as "go to" foods to pack in your bag for travelling like this? I'll likely have some backup egg protein to make drinks with and some beef jerky. Any ideas would be appreciated...

Thanks!

Getting yourself to a place where you feel comfortable not eating that often can be helpful from a strategic standpoint.. Some people call that "fat adapted". If you feel you have to eat every three hours, it's just that many more challenging situations to deal with. Feeling comfortable in a fasted state gives you flexibility. Do things to keep your stress/cortisol levels in a happy place. Get plenty of rest and sleep. That will help.

The other suggestions people have made are pretty good. Grilled is good. Ask for things to be made without sauce. Ask for butter.

Going to eat when it's not busy is generally better than going when it is busy. Wait staff is often more willing to pay attention, and be more conscientious when they aren't also trying to serve ten thousand other people.

Pure egg dishes can be a pretty low risk - fried or boiled. Scrambled (or omelettes) is OK if you know they actually break eggs (instead of pouring from a carton). You might be able to get eggs any time of day.

Breakfast sausage is a mine field - many brands have wheat. Bacon and ham seem to be safer - based on reading a lot of ingredient lists.

Be wary of deep-fried things. Be slightly wary of steamed things as it's possible they are prepared in the pasta water. Sauteed in butter seems pretty safe.

As to things to take with you, jerky isn't bad. Nuts aren't bad though they can be irritating to the mouth and digestion.

Will your room/accommodations have a fridge? You might be able to stash some things in it.

I don't like protein powders as it seems using them just makes me hungry, and I hate the sweeteners in them. That's just my experience. Maybe the issue is that they have zero fat. If you have a favorite protein powder that makes you feel good, go for it. If you don't, I suggest getting a sample pack of it before buying a big tub.

Do you speak any Spanish? When in Spain I would say something like "No puedo comer nada que tiene harina de trigo. Comida de masa harina es bueno. Arroz es bueno. Trigo, es no bueno. No puedo comer pan." I'm sure it's not perfect Spanish, but the Spaniards seem to get it.

Trying to make friends with somebody in the wait staff can be helpful.. Somebody that knows how food is made.


Good luck and have fun!

Matt-