Is it worth it? Traveling with a gluten-intolerance
June 8, 2019 | Sophia Trout
Europe is a continent renowned for its cuisine. Fresh pastries, pasta and pizza are available at every restaurant, which is great...except if you’re gluten sensitive.
Let me tell you a little background on my journey with gluten. I was a carb consumer like no other. However, I struggled with some bad acne for years and could never pinpoint what caused. Turns out, I was poisoning my body with wheat, and the reaction it had caused my bad skin. Cutting out gluten was difficult, but from August 2018 to now, I’ve cut most gluten entirely from diet. As a result, when I do decide to treat myself to a slice of Benny’s Pizza, my body instantaneously rejects it. It’s easier to find wheat alternatives in America than I expected, but when I found out I was traveling to Switzerland and Italy for the summer, I went online to see if there was a way I could get by.
In my research, I found that wheat is processed differently in Europe. Essentially, there is hard and soft wheat. Soft wheat, which is the dominant strains of wheat used in Europe, contains less gluten. The gluten is also significantly less intense versus the tough gluten found in the hard wheat processed in the U.S. Therefore, the lesser amount makes all the traditional meals Europe is known for more tolerable for gluten sensitive people. I’ve had my fair share of margarita pizza during my trip and haven’t run into any health problems, so I’m pleased that I’ve been able to eat out and not have to worry about finding wheat alternatives.
This is my personal experience with eating gluten abroad, so if you have a more severe gluten sensitivity, do some research to make sure you won’t have a reaction! If it seems like smooth sailing to you, I would highly recommend an authentic, Italian pizza as your first meal.
Related Links:
Website I found helpful when researching the wheat difference: https://recipes.howstuffworks.com/is-american-wheat-different-than-european-wheat.htm
Blog post I read prior to my trip. It has a lot of helpful information regarding gluten sensitivity abroad: http://www.celiactravel.com/stories/eating-gluten-free-in-switzerland/