My non coeliac boyfriend

Does anyone else feel that there diagnosis has affected their relationship? I think it has ours, but in a good way. Which is a relief now I think about it.

Obviously there are downsides for him. The boyfriend now gets less say in where we eat, and the range of places we eat out is narrower. But on the upside we eat healthier food, and we put a lot more thought into what we eat.

Not to mention how thoughtful and considerate boyfriend is about the whole thing. Sometimes, I would get frustrated or annoyed and go crazy with some sweets or crisps that contain gluten if it wasn’t for his calm and consistent support. Also, we are travelling in some countries where there is so little awareness of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance that constantly explaining to people and seeing the ‘this girl is insane’ look gets really exhausting, if not demoralising. Having someone there with me who is on my side makes so much difference! Plus, he doesn’t drink beer either; we stand united!

That being said, and maybe I’m crazy, I do wonder if I get any gluten from him. While we are travelling he mops up all the free bread that comes with meals etc. and he loves oats for breakfast. I am considering if he himself could be a source of contamination when we kiss.

Either way, travelling with me, this disease affects him too, and he’s great about it. So thank you to him. AND to all the supportive boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, families and friends that keep us happy and help us feel normal!

Is anyone else worried that gluten might spread from their lips to yours?

My gluten free struggle

As much as I try to eat healthy, satisfying and safe food there are times when I have to confess that the world doesn’t seem set up for coeliacs yet. One of those times has been the last few days.

In Bolivia, a series of stomach upsets (gluten caused or not, who knows?) meant that I retreated to the safest foods. By which I mean something in a packet with an allergen statement that did not  mention gluten. (Normally I would consider fresh homecooked food safest, but with no kitchen and no way of cleaning fresh fruit, this is second best). This also meant junk food.

As ashamed as I am to admit it, I existed for nearly three days on skittles, milky ways and nestle trencito (chocolate). I wasn’t happy about it, but I felt safe and it got me past the worst of my tummy troubles. It helps that I had little appetite anyway.

Of course there have been consequences. Cravings, majorly pissed off skin and guilt that I deprived my body of nutrients mainly.

This for me is the worst of travelling. I can’t whip up my own bone broth when I think I’ve been glutened, I don’t always know what will make me worse, and I don’t have any trusted place to eat out; everywhere is new, and a leap of faith. Sometimes it feels I have to make a choice between junk food and nothing. And, I’m a hungry person, I never choose nothing.

But I don’t want to do this to my body. So for the next month I’m going to be junk food free. I want to stop craving it, and stop using it as a safety net. Which means I’m going to have to find some other solutions, and fast!

If you have any ideas for easy replacement foods (preferably low sugar) please share them with me!

Gluten free tips for organised tours

I am not a really big fan of tours; anything where someone else is controlling my time and experience really gets me grouchy. However, the reality is that all around the world there are incredible sights that cannot be seen without signing up to a tour group. Not the majority, but some. Some could be done in a hire car or your own car, but our experience is that if public transport doesn’t go there, you will need a 4×4, and it’s normally prohibitively expensive on a backpacker budget. For these reasons we have done some tours. Half day tours, full day tours, but nothing overnight; that seems to be my limit.

Aside from the awfulness of being shunted around in a minibus (I know, sorry, some people like tours), for us, there is a food aspect to consider as well. So here are my tips:

1) Check what will be provided

Clarify with the company exactly what they provide, and what they expect you to bring. Sounds obvious, as many things do, but when it is the fifth company that you’ve spoken to (comparing prices, important!), your spanish is stretched to it’s limit and all you want to do is shower after a long journey, it is very easy to just pay and run away, only wondering later if you need food.

2) Request special food

Don’t be afraid of making a fuss, or having people stare at you like you grew a second head. If they are providing food, you have a right to be able to eat it. Not a legal right, but a moral one. (NB this rarely works-it’s a tour, it’s preset and they deviate for no man, woman or coeliac).

3) Pack enough to keep you going

My favourite personal rule- take more, not less. You can always bring leftovers back and it is awful being forced to watch others eat when you can’t. Even if you don’t want the food, you know you have an option.

4) Take a lot of water

Not much to do with being gluten free, but a valid point none the less.

5) Don’t pick around the gluten

Own up, come on. Who’s guilty of this. Wanting to join in, not wanting to cause offence, you casually nudge the bread rolls to the side to eat a bit of the salad they have contaminated. I know you’re hungry, I know it looks tasty, but if it’s not kept seperate from gluten it is poison. Walk away. Those crisps that they are serving as snacks whike you watch sunset with a pisco sour (real life example), do they have the packet? No? Then don’t touch them. Or go ahead, as I did, and feel awful later.

6) Try to get a discount

Why not? Nine times out of ten that food is included in a tour you will not be catered for and they will not offer any replacement. Haggling is the norm in many places anyway, so use this in your favour. At least you won’t end up out of pocket.

So these are my tips. Do you have any of your own? Let me know!

Being glutened; Five South American mishaps

I’ve been thinking about writing this post for a while, but having not left South America it felt premature. Having spent the best part of today feeling truly pants due to a very stealthy glutening (and without Internet- the horror) I realise that that was flawed logic. I should share my disasters as I go, maybe I can help someone else avoid the same fate!

So far these have been my big fat gluten mistakes:

Breakfast

I’m not completely daft; I’m aware that a bread heavy traditional South american feaUst won’t do me any favours. I come armed with rice crackers. It took me longer to start scrutinising the condiments as well. I thought that an untouched looking communal pot of jam was safe. It wasn’t until I worked in a hostel and saw the mother pot, in all its crumb filled glory that the penny dropped. No sharing with the gluten people! Unless you know that jam is from a fresh pot, steer clear.

Chocolate and sweets

I have a sweet tooth. I’m not ashamed of it. You’re probably already aware of it as, reading this, you are statistically my boyfriend or my mum. I am a bit ashamed that the last products I started examining the labels of closely were these delicious junk foods. Something in my subconscious couldn’t see a risk until it was explicitly pointed out. And, especially in South America I think, there are very few uncontaminated brands. I’d been digesting (or not) sneaky gluten in this manner for about two months of my travels, and gluten free life.

Local foods that you KNOW are safe

I didn’t actually make this mistake (yay) but it’s well worth mentioning. There is so much joy when you discover a naturally gluten free food. You see it, ask what it is and what’s in it, Google it to be sure, and then gobble it down whenever possible. This at least is my path, and there is no better example than the delicious milcaos from the island of Chiloe (you can see how much I loved them in a great blog post by my boyfriend here: http://www.englishmuffinandegg.wordpress.com). Milcaos are gluten free. Everyone knows this. Every recipe I’ve seen knows this. They’re just potato. Except when they’re not. Before I had a chance to find a recipe, but had already tried one trustingly at a friend’s, we found some on a stall. Not having verified by collective Internet wisdom their safety I quizzed the seller and found they did contain flour! This nearly put me off altogether but I persisted and that is the only flour containing milcao I’ve ever heard of. The lesson however is to always ask. Because if she had been the second, or fifth, or hundredth seller, I wouldn’t have asked and would have had a nasty shock. Now I ask each new stall, restaurant and cafe, because people do like to experiment and I want no surprises. At least not of that kind.

Thinking ‘just chicken’, means just chicken

It never does. Unless you specify, and then deal with the incredulous looks, the chicken will either come breaded or battered. The same is true of fried fish (always in batter ). Al horno is roasted, which is fine and obvious rotisserie place will also be ok.

Assuming a product will stay gf across borders

I didn’t even look at the wrappers of products I knew to be safe when I travelled on to new countries. It was only when bored on a bus and playing with a packet that I saw it had gluten in! Completely safe in ones country, poison in the next. Different factories I assume. Same rule as always, check first and e at later.

Gluten free Brazil

There are many advantages for the gluten free traveling in Brazil. The first one would have to be the labeling. The words “contem gluten” and “não contem gluten” (contains and does not contain gluten) are on everything you can buy in any shop, up to and including bottled water (safe, if you were concerned!). Whilst I though Argentina was good in this respect, products made by smaller companies often neglected this (I assume there is a small business loop hole), whereas in Brazil it is on everything, you never need wonder.

The second advantage is that many foods are gluten free. The first one that Everyone knows of, tries and loves, is pao de queijo, or cheese bread. These balls of cheesey goodness are the ultimate convenience food in Brazil, and it is hard to walk more than five minutes without seeing them. Priced around £1 (4 reals) for a large one, the ubiquitousness of this snack means you won’t ever find yourself completely screwed when at the bus station and in need of something to sustain you on a long journey (not at all bitter that this just happened to me in Argentina). They are made from tapioca flour and are pretty darn tasty. There is even a chain devoted entirely to pao de queijo, Casa de Pao de Queijo, who make all sorts from this dough, including paninis and stuffed treats full of dulce de leche. This is my first gf Brazilian super food.

The second best food is biscoitos de polvilho, or cassava biscuits. You won’t ever have to try and pronounce these, as they are sold in bags in shops, like crisps or biscuits, and in taste they are somewhere between the two. Very cheap, very low in calories (they are mainly air), and although only sweet or salty traditionally they now come in a range of flavours.

And taking the third prize is Brazilian cuisine. A bit broad perhaps, but such a relief to have all meals accompanied by beans and rice rather than bread. My favourite was feijoada, a black bean and pork and beef stew, traditionally served on Saturdays at lunch time. It comes with rice, farofa (toasted cassava flour), greens and something a bit like pork crackling. It is salty, filling and delicious.

So that’s just a brief round up. It is a lot easier to eat out here than in many countries, but awareness of gluten issues is non existent amongst the general population. You will need to find your own way around a menu because I’d be very surprised if anyone has any idea what gluten is, or is very helpful when you try to explain. But as always, do try!

Also, no branded chocolate in Brazil is suitable for coeliacs. None. The chocolate chain, called Chocolates Brazil Cacau, is available in larger cities and is completely gluten free, but a bit odd tasting.

Any questions or recommendations, please let me know!