Gluten Free Travel Blog

People with Celiac Disease and others following strict gluten-free diets are often intimidated by the thought of traveling abroad. It can be scary to take a trip to a foreign country where the food and its preparation isn't familiar -- and there may even be a language barrier in communicating your gluten-free needs. That's why we launched GlutenFreeTravelSite years ago...so that people could share their gluten-free dining and travel success stories and advice with others. Our hope is that travel lovers that just happen to be gluten-free will see that it is indeed possible to find safe places to eat and stay -- virtually anywhere in the world. One frequent gluten-free traveler is Delight Gluten Free magazine Executive Editor Vanessa Maltin Weisbrod, and she was kind enough to share highlights from her wonderful experience at Banyan Tree Resort in Phuket, Thailand, where she and her husband honeymooned almost a year ago. The resort had many restaurants to choose from, and Vanessa and her husband dined at many of them during their stay. Each showcased a particular cooking style, and all were very happy to adapt the offerings to Vanessa's gluten-free diet (although many of the choices on the menus were... Read more →

If you're gluten-free, you've no doubt tried many of the well-known chain restaurants that were among the first to offer gluten-free menus...places like Outback, Legal Seafood, P.F. Chang's, and Uno Chicago Grill. But it's always exciting to discover a lesser-known regional restaurant chain that takes its gluten-free customers just as seriously -- and offers them an extensive gluten-free menu. Rockfish Seafood Grill is just that type of place, and if you live in -- or happen to be traveling to -- Texas or North Carolina, you'll have to make a point of stopping in to one of their 14 locations. You won't even need to ask for the Gluten Free Menu, since they bring it to each table, along with their "Body and Sole" (cute play on words!) health-conscious menu. As you'd expect, you'll find mostly seafood options on the menu. Want to start with a unique appetizer? Try the Mexican Shrimp Martini (shrimp with avocado, pico de gallo and salsa) or the Ahi Tuna Nachos -- both consistent crowd-pleasers. Another special choice is the Roasted Jalapeno Cream Soup, thickened with corn starch so it's totally gluten-free. Fish entrees can be either grilled or blackened and are served with your... Read more →

As some of you may remember, each January we tally the prior year's gluten-free dining and travel reviews submitted to our website, GlutenFreeTravelSite. We then name the location with the most reviews from the prior year the "World's Most Celiac-Friendly Destination." In 2009, when we first started the contest, the winner came as no surprise: New York. As most of us know -- whether we've visited the Big Apple or not -- New York City is fast to embrace food trends, although using that word sometimes makes me shudder, since we all know that gluten-free diets are not a choice -- and a lot more than a "trend" -- for many of us. Nonetheless, New York City was among the first cities to give gluten-free diners dozens of safe restaurant options. Many of these restaurants are NON-chain restaurants...independent, neighborhood restaurants who may have initially been motivated to create gluten-free choices (and safe practices) for a family member, employee, or regular customer who was suddenly diagnosed with Celiac. In the contest's second year, Florida was bestowed with the honor, due to the Disney theme parks and resorts -- and the surrounding Orlando area -- emerging as a gluten-free diner's magical paradise.... Read more →

Practicing Christians often wonder how they will fully participate in Holy Communion if they cannot eat the bread or wafer (host). The Catholic Church in particular is rooted in Scripture and Tradition. In keeping with the belief that Jesus used wheaten bread at the Last Supper, the Church has required that breads used for communion be made with wheat and contain gluten. Thanks to the research of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, a company was found that produces wheat starch, which is wheat that has had most of its gluten removed. After much trial-and-error, the Benedictine Sisters were able to make low-gluten bread out of this special wheat starch and water. The gluten content is only .01%, or 100 PPM (parts per million). But it is the 37 micrograms that is significant, because the best current information shows that 10 milligrams per day should be safe. The low-gluten wafers are made, stored, and shipped in a dedicated gluten-free environment. Best of all, these wafers meet both the stringent requirements of the Catholic Church as well as the requirements of the gluten-free community, as confirmed by data from the Center for Celiac Research. You can order 20 wafers for $5.15,... Read more →