Now that gluten-free eating has become a trend in the US, abiding by this dietary restriction is no longer as difficult as it once was. Most restaurants offer a gluten-free menu, and most grocery stores readily carry gluten-free items. But traveling abroad, depending upon where you’re going, can be less of a sure bet.
If international travel is on the horizon for you this coming year, take a moment to read up on five apps that have made the process of preparing for and enjoying traveling that much simpler for the gluten-free adventurer.
Gluten Free Travel Checklist
Looking to jump-start your travel preparations? Download Gluten Free Passport’s Gluten Free Travel Checklist app for any number of your pre-travel dietary concerns. You’ll find multiple lists detailing airlines, hotels, and cruises, and the gluten-free meals and snacks they offer, as well as foreign language considerations. Access expert advice excerpted from Let’s Eat Out!, winner of the 2012 Best Health Book of the Year Award, and use it to pack safe snacks, choose the right meals when flying, and safely explore new food options in your new destination.
Gluten Free Travel Guide
Taken from Coeliac Victoria and Tasmania, Inc.’s official Coeliac Travel Guide, this app is an electronic, compressed offering of the hardcopy book. Assisting travelers in more than 80 countries, the Gluten Free Travel Guide app helps those following a gluten-free diet to see the world and taste its cuisine without ever getting sick. Includes dining-out tips as well as common travel tips, useful links, grocery shopping suggestions, well-known gluten-free brands offered in the area, and gluten-free food standards in your specific region.
DINE Gluten Free
So, you’ve made it to your destination, you know where to buy groceries, and you know what to buy. What about dining out? With DINE Gluten Free by GlutenFreeTravelSite, you can access the site’s lengthy database of gluten-free dining and travel reviews from the US and around the world when you’re on the go. Look for multiple personal accounts of dining experiences at nearby restaurants, bakeries, markets, hotels, B&Bs, and even cruises, and even access coupons, a calendar of local gluten-free events, and a database of shared community news and ideas.
GlutenFreeMe
The ultimate gluten-free product database. Celiac Sprue Association’s app, GlutenFreeMe, features more than 20,000 CSA-reviewed products from more than 700 companies. Simply search by product name, or view product lists sorted alphabetically or grouped by category or brand. Examine drop-down details, like a product’s list of common ingredients and additives, and its safety assessment regarding “consistency with a gluten-free diet.” Tag products with your own personal notes, create lists, or reach out—via the app—to a company with any of your unanswered questions.
Gluten Free Restaurant Cards
When dining in a foreign country, it’s necessary to let the chef know about your dietary needs—but it’s not always easy if you don’t speak the language. With the Gluten Free Restaurant Cards app, that pressure is taken off you: with more than 40 card images in various languages from CeliacTravel.com that can be shown to a waiter or chef, your gluten-free restrictions are easily and quickly relayed.