How to Eat Safely Around the World for Food Allergies
Seeing the world is an enlightening experience, but it can also be dangerous if you are allergic to nuts, gluten, soy, lactose, shellfish, and other foods. However, that shouldn’t hold you back. Here are some tips to help you travel and eat safely.
Do More Research and Plan Your Meals
Unfortunately, if you suffer from severe food allergies, you will have to plan more than other travelers. Eating out at this cool restaurant or at a street food vendor on a whim can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are getting yourself into. It is imperative to do a thorough research before leaving. Check out typical local foods and search for popular recipes to get an idea of what is in what.
You should also prepare yourself to overcome language barriers if you are traveling somewhere where no one speaks English. Jeremy and Angie Jones of Living the Dream suggest you get comfortable using Google Translate or Microsoft Translator and then double-check those translations with a native speaker:
“I usually use Google Translate to get a rough idea of how to tell what I’m allergic to and what I’m allergic to. Then, either before leaving or upon arrival in the country, I look for a bilingual person (your hotel / hostel is a good place to start) to check the Google translation, or ask how best to say it. If you have a serious allergy, also make sure you know how to tell you that you need a medical emergency and need a hospital in case of the worst. “
However, don’t rely on these tools and make sure you memorize some of the most important phrases. At the very least, you should know the general words for your allergies and the ingredients that are dangerous to you, and know how to seek help in an emergency. Your research should also include finding the closest hospital to the areas you visit and finding local doctors who may specialize in your allergies wherever you go. They can write or write a prescription for emergency care.
Plan your meals ahead of time when you dine out if you can. You can browse the menus in restaurants and find out what and where to eat. And if you don’t know where to start, ask people for recommendations. Maybe your allergist has some suggestions, or maybe your hotel’s concierge can guide you on the right path. A little homework goes a long way.
Pack a readily available first aid kit
Be sure to bring a kit that includes all of your medicines and bring extra pens with you. Tell your doctor that you are traveling and you may need more, see if they can write additional prescriptions for you, or ask if they can email or fax prescriptions for additional epi pens if you need them … … Also, find out the generic brand names of your medicines in the country you are visiting. Basically, let’s say that bringing in all the extra is not enough, and you will always have enough.
More importantly, make sure the people you are traveling with know where this kit is located and how to take medication in an emergency (it also doesn’t hurt to inform the flight attendants). If you are traveling alone, Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) invites you to bring along additional, readily available copies of your food allergy and anaphylaxis emergency plan . If you have a fatal allergy to something, it is a good idea to wear a medical bracelet that explains your situation. Here’s a helpful trip planning checklist from FARE .
Carry restaurant maps of the country you are visiting with you
Sometimes, trying to speak the local language is not enough. In such cases, it is better to play it safe and use restaurant cards that indicate what you should not eat, along with a picture of the ingredient. Jodie Ettenberg of Legal Nomads , who has already shared her travel food tips with us , has a collection of great gluten-free restaurant cards . In fact, if you need to eat gluten-free, Ettenberg has a variety of country-specific nutritional guides such as this one that describes Japanese cuisine . If you have other allergies, it’s not that hard to make your own with index cards.
Pack non-perishable foods that you can eat in an emergency
Since it’s not easy to trust the occasional street food vendor or small restaurant chef who understands the severity of your allergies, you should always have something you can definitely eat close at hand. Pack a packet of non-perishable, allergen-free snacks in your luggage and take with you in your day backpack. In fact, take more with you than you think you need, and try to include a wide variety of snacks so you don’t get bored too quickly. Depending on what you plan to do on your trip, chances are you will have to survive on what you bring with you for long periods of time.
Stay somewhere in the kitchen and cook your own food
If you’re really worried about the food situation at your destination, Packsmith’s Laura Lopuh invites you to stop at a location where you can prepare your own meals. An Airbnb with a kitchen or a hostel with a kitchenette ensures you only eat what you know you can. It can also save you tons of money.
Jeremy and Angie Jones of Living the Dream also recommend taking cooking lessons while traveling. Instructors can often deal better with food allergies than in a restaurant if you let them know ahead of time so you can taste the local cuisine without worry. In addition, as you learn how to cook popular local dishes, you will learn about the typical ingredients found in local dishes. The more you know about the local cuisine, the safer you will be able to navigate in it.
When in doubt, don’t take risks.
At the end of the day, your health and safety comes first. If you have a bad feeling about a dish, take it easy. Generally speaking, the easier it is to prepare a dish, the easier it is to modify it and therefore the safer for you to eat, but you must learn to understand when restaurants and vendors are taking your requests seriously. Sometimes chefs will not understand you or find you picky about your food. A quick nod and smile after talking about your allergies isn’t enough to risk your life.
Also, be careful about possible cross-contamination. For example, Natalie Dedak from travel blog Love and the Road is allergic to bivalve molluscs, but for safety reasons she avoids eating all fish and seafood while traveling:
“When we travel to different cultures and eat a lot of street food (we love street food), I avoid fish. In general, I even avoid eating meat because I know that it can be stored in one pan or in one refrigerator. “
Dedak says the easiest route for her is sometimes just sticking to vegetarian options for peace of mind. After all, you want to spend your days enjoying the culture and scenery without worrying about every meal you put in your mouth.