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Lauren-Lucille Vasser: Hi, I'm Lauren-Lucille Vasser and I host an online show called the Celiac Diva
where I bring people the dish on all things gluten free.
And today I'm really
excited because
I'm here with Anne.
Anne Roland Lee: Hi, I'm Anne Roland Lee, the dietician at Schar. And we've been doing different episodes on
how to live the gluten free lifestyle. Today's episode, we're going to take gluten free on the road.
Anne: So here we are today. We're going to take gluten free on the road.
I think it's an important part of our whole series on living that
full gluten-free life
because i think travel kind of presents a whole other issue
for many people who are newly diagnosed.
What did you feel, or how did you feel when you were first diagnosed and [having to know] how to travel, Lauren-Lucille?
Lauren-Lucille: terrified.
You know i was really scared that i wouldn't have enough food when i was doing
a road trip. I was also really scared that I'd get stuck in a little town
somewhere and I wouldn't be able to find any gluten free food and I'd be very, very hungry
Anne: and these are these are real concerns for many people but
I think we can master all of those just like we mastered gluten free dining with
being prepared. I think there's some key tips we can do.
Lauren-Lucille: What are those tips? What would you share with us? Anne: The first and probably most important one is that you
go
because we want to live
a full gluten free life and vacation and travel is a big part of it. So first thing, go.
Second thing is be prepared. And that goes from when you start planning the trip.
When you book your hotel make sure that you get a room that has a microwave and a refrigerator
because then you can take care of some basic meal planning
right in your room.
The second would be
check out the local area and go on (there's all kinds of resources), store locators
and different resources online
where you can actually
locate the local celiac support group
the restaurants in the area that have gluten-free menus, stores that have gluten
free products so you can go totally prepared.
If you're going to do international travel and I would
definitely recommend doing that. Gluten free is easier in Europe
is to
also print out
cards that explain celiac disease
and what you need on a gluten free diet
in whatever native language of the country are going to.
Lauren-Lucille: ok, so when you're traveling to Europe or across the country
how many meals you prepare in your check-on bag?
Anne: I always make sure I have enough things for the next day
I want to have a variety so you can cover each of the meals
but you want to have enough for the next day so once you land you know you're prepared
until you can get your bearings and find all those neat local places.
Lauren-Lucille: Ok, so let's look at some of the things that we could put in our checked bag
things such as cheese crackers and regular crackers,
deli style bread so you can make a sandwich fruit and of course you
don't want to forget your lovely dessert, hazelnut bars!
Things like this will definitely keep you that extra day once you get there.
Anne: Right, and it's important to remember that you want to be healthy but you need a treat, too. I mean
it is a vacation. Lauren-Lucille: It is a vacation. Ok, speaking of en route
what do you do while you're en route. What about your carry on bag?
Anne: I also pack something there, too. I pack kind of a meal and a half, if you will.
Lauren-Lucille: Like this? Anne: Yes, so that you would have, again, some things to hold you through
if you get stuck at the airport or the train station.
You could get held up in traffic so you want to make sure you have something in the
bag that's with you
that you can take
and have enough then to keep you going.
Lauren-Lucille: Ok, so now that were all packed up
you ready to hit the road?
Anne: Let's go. Lauren Lucille: Ok, I'm really excited to finally be on the road. Anne: I know, on the road gluten free. Lauren-Lucille: Gluten free road trip!
This actually definitely reminds me of the last time I was on a road trip
Anne: What happened? Lauren Lucille: Well, it didn't go this smooth to be honest with you.
We thought we were going to be only on the road for two hours but as
happens in many road trips due to road blocks and a hurricane and everything we ended up being on the road for eight hours
Anne: Oh my gosh. Lauren-Lucille: You know, my initial reaction was panic because you're like "oh no, what am I going to do?"
And then you're like, "calm down, I know how to do this. I packed extra food. I know what I can snag at a gas station."
But it kind of freaks you out when that happens. Anne: It's so important to make sure you have things that so you're prepared.
I always make sure that I have a picnic basket of emergency
rations if you will, my emergency stash. But although
everyone says, "yeah, I'll throw some things in the car" it's important to
remember that you have things that are single serve, wrapped so
that they can keep fresh, long shelf life, and even shelf stable.
Also important, you need your basics but you need your treats. But we also need to go through
and do a road stop where you stop at the gas station and figure out what you need to
pick up on the way. Lauren-Lucille: Yeah!
Anne: You ready? Lauren-Lucille: Yeah let's do it. Anne: Let's go make that stop.
Lauren-Lucille: Ok, we made out really good Anne: We did.
that's the great thing about this that even in just a regular gas station
look at all the possibilities we have that are gluten free. Lauren-Lucille: Such as chips, fantastic, you can grab
candy and trail mix
Anne: So everything from treats to healthy. Lauren-Lucille: Fantastic. So we grabbed a fruit juice
and I know sometimes in the gluten free community there's a lot of questions about whether
soft drinks and fruit juices are gluten free. Can you clear that up for us? Anne: Absolutely. As long as you pick a juice that's
a hundred percent juice then you know it's going to be safe because it's one of those
things that
we know it's going to be naturally gluten free so a hundred percent juice is
safe and when you get to your other beverages either soda, a tea, or coffee plain and
simple is the way to go. Stick with your name brands on your sodas and your
soft drinks because then you know that they're going to be ok. On your coffees
and teas again when you get into different flavors and herbal infusions that can be
tricky so again plain and simple is the key to go.
So you're ready to continue our trip? Lauren-Lucille: Let's go! Anne: Ok.
Anne: We went through
a whole great road trip today so key takeaway points are
always you know make sure you're prepared,
pack things ahead,
single wrapped things, shelf stable things and things with long shelf life
and enjoy. I think that's the biggest takeaway. Lauren-Lucille: Absolutely. You know, you can
take your life to the next level and travel fearless and with a lot of freedom
in your life and I think that's pretty valuable.