Traveling with Allergies

Our whirlwind Seattle/Portland trip is over, and it was so amazing! We got to see friends and family, attend our old home group, and eat lots of food! Traveling and dealing with dietary restrictions can be very difficult, but I was about 95% successful! So I have some tips that got me through the week.

1. Do your research- most chain restaurants have their nutritional menu's online. Know what you can order at what restaurants. For instance- I know that I can order the Pasta Fresca at Noodles and Co. If I get rice noodles and no cheese, while I can order nothing substantial at Chili's or On the Boarder. 

2. Know how to instruct your waiters- Most waiters can do a GF meal no problem- ask them to do GF, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free, chicken dish and they normally have no idea where to begin. They are also probably mostly clueless on what "cross contamination" means, or what different things have hidden ingredients (red robin seasoning has both soy and egg in it, and I have had many waiters not know this). I know at most places I can order a grilled chicken breast, no seasoning, and no oil used on the grill if I need to. I can also (if I want to "fudge" and eat beef) order a hamburger- no bun and no seasoning. If you need to, ask for a manager to help. Also, many times I just hand the waiter a list of my allergies and let them go talk it over with the head chef- I have gotten many unique dishes not listed on the menu this way.

3. Ask about restaurant procedures- this one is extremely important for those who have severe allergies. Ask about cross contamination. Ask about what oils they use on the grill, and if they will clean it for you. Ask them if the frier they make their "GF" fries in also makes their chicken nuggets. 

4. Look for restaurants that promote "Gluten Free" or "Vegan" or "Allergy Friendly" I have much better luck at these restaurants, because they understand what dietary needs are and serve people with restrictions more often. I get much better service at these restaurants.

5. Find a restaurant that works and stick to it! I can not tell you how many times I went to "evolution fresh" this week. Seriously once a day. 

6. Carry snacks with you- The FIRST thing I always do when arriving at my destination is find a whole foods and stock up on protein heavy snacks that I can put in my purse. Cashews were my snack of choice this week :-) If I am staying somewhere with a fridge, I also buy cereal I can eat and Almond or Rice Milk

and last but not least

7. Know where you can fudge. It is vacation for pete's sake!! I was very careful NOT to fudge on soy or gluten while I was gone. I did steal a bite of Dan's ice cream one day, and a sip of his clam chowder.  Also, at P.F. Changs, all their meat is pre marinated in a marinade containing egg. I needed to eat protein more than I needed to stay away from the egg, so I ordered their Lemon Chicken. It also had sugar in it. I also ordered vinaigrette dressing on my salads. Sometimes, my need to eat and keep my blood sugar up surpassed my need to stay away from beef or sugar or even corn. I did not do this when I had an alternative, but a girl has to eat!!! This is why I can only claim 95% when it came to sticking to my diet. 

All in all, I am proud of how I did on the trip. Dan was super supportive and did not take me to a sushi restaurant or eat things I was craving around me. I hope this was helpful to those of you dealing with this as well!