People who can eat whatever they want without looking at ingredients meticulously and grilling waiters, how does it feel to be God's favorite? I'm joking... sort of. My trip to Bali has inspired this.
That elephant hug!!! I'm so grateful you mentioned this as i'm gluten intolerant and get massive tummy aches from onions that are slightly more than super small amounts in sauces. I'm ALLLLL up in my head about my first trip to Europe in two months. I'm confident it will be fine, but the amount of space food and food planning take up in my head is...a lot. To be fair, i've been this way since I was a child asking about dinner while eating breakfast, but once I figured out my gluten and onion issues, it's been significantly more intense. It's just such a helfpful reminder to know that seeing food as neutral is such an individual and nuanced thing to work through, and that, of course, I'm not alone in the struggle.
I hear you - have multiple FODMAP struggles (including gluten and onions!). If it's helpful, I have been to multiple European countries and found foods I could eat pretty much everywhere. Sometimes my options were limited at smaller cafes with limited menus, but even there I could usually find SOMETHING. Google translator helped a lot, as did keeping a stash of safe things in my daily pack just in case. Wishing you an amazing time! 🌻
This resonated!! I have had celiac for 15 years and manage it pretty well but the number one trigger for going off the rails is travel. I'm glad you had a great time on your trip!
thanks for the wonderful post. It certainly gives me somethings to reflect on particularly with the second list. I do have a question though in terms of foods one has to avoid where do food choices due to being vegan (in my case i'm an ethical vegan) come in? it's not because of intolerance, disliking the food or medical reasons so I'm wondering if you don't think it is a valid reason and it "diet" culture still invading my brain?
Yes 🙌🏻. I have allergies and intolerances, and they do make travel tricky sometimes - but I also try to find a way to keep safe foods on hand in case a restaurant truly doesn't have something that'll work for me (it's rare, but has happened in the few places with very limited offerings). And I also had a full-blown ED years ago and while I DO eat the foods that had once been unsafe for ED reasons, I have to still really work at it and choose it. But GOSH does it make life more rich when I'm free to enjoy what also tastes good to my heart. Also, I LOVE that you got an elephant hug. A loved one of mine lived in Asia and spent a day at a sanctuary, and the picture on the wall still brings me joy almost daily, even after several years. Thanks for sharing your travel stuff as well as the food content - it feeds me in a different way. 🌻
Working through a lot of this with my anti-diet dietician. Reading this piece, also allergic to the things you listed (close to 30 or so various foods… OAS can eat my shorts) there’s a lot of grief that comes with just knowing how much work goes into managing allergies, and wanting all the delicious food and knowing that it’s not available.
I find it very brave that you went to Bali. It makes me reflect on how much travel I’ve written off because it seems impossible to navigate. Definitely going to be a topic of discussion at the next appointment!
That elephant hug!!! I'm so grateful you mentioned this as i'm gluten intolerant and get massive tummy aches from onions that are slightly more than super small amounts in sauces. I'm ALLLLL up in my head about my first trip to Europe in two months. I'm confident it will be fine, but the amount of space food and food planning take up in my head is...a lot. To be fair, i've been this way since I was a child asking about dinner while eating breakfast, but once I figured out my gluten and onion issues, it's been significantly more intense. It's just such a helfpful reminder to know that seeing food as neutral is such an individual and nuanced thing to work through, and that, of course, I'm not alone in the struggle.
The elephant hug was the highlight for sure! And no, you’re definitely not alone.
I hear you - have multiple FODMAP struggles (including gluten and onions!). If it's helpful, I have been to multiple European countries and found foods I could eat pretty much everywhere. Sometimes my options were limited at smaller cafes with limited menus, but even there I could usually find SOMETHING. Google translator helped a lot, as did keeping a stash of safe things in my daily pack just in case. Wishing you an amazing time! 🌻
This resonated!! I have had celiac for 15 years and manage it pretty well but the number one trigger for going off the rails is travel. I'm glad you had a great time on your trip!
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
thanks for the wonderful post. It certainly gives me somethings to reflect on particularly with the second list. I do have a question though in terms of foods one has to avoid where do food choices due to being vegan (in my case i'm an ethical vegan) come in? it's not because of intolerance, disliking the food or medical reasons so I'm wondering if you don't think it is a valid reason and it "diet" culture still invading my brain?
I love the picture of you and the elephant :)
Yes 🙌🏻. I have allergies and intolerances, and they do make travel tricky sometimes - but I also try to find a way to keep safe foods on hand in case a restaurant truly doesn't have something that'll work for me (it's rare, but has happened in the few places with very limited offerings). And I also had a full-blown ED years ago and while I DO eat the foods that had once been unsafe for ED reasons, I have to still really work at it and choose it. But GOSH does it make life more rich when I'm free to enjoy what also tastes good to my heart. Also, I LOVE that you got an elephant hug. A loved one of mine lived in Asia and spent a day at a sanctuary, and the picture on the wall still brings me joy almost daily, even after several years. Thanks for sharing your travel stuff as well as the food content - it feeds me in a different way. 🌻
Thanks for sharing! I have celiac disease and have definitely felt similarly while traveling.
Working through a lot of this with my anti-diet dietician. Reading this piece, also allergic to the things you listed (close to 30 or so various foods… OAS can eat my shorts) there’s a lot of grief that comes with just knowing how much work goes into managing allergies, and wanting all the delicious food and knowing that it’s not available.
I find it very brave that you went to Bali. It makes me reflect on how much travel I’ve written off because it seems impossible to navigate. Definitely going to be a topic of discussion at the next appointment!