Coeliac disease (strict gluten free diet)

[MichelleHolly]

Hi all, I was hoping to gather some advice & helpful hints on traveling with coeliac disease (which means I need a strict gluten free diet). This will be my first time traveling since diagnosis, so I’m a little nervous about navigating it outside of Australia.

I’ll be heading off on the Camino Frances in a couple of weeks time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[henrythedog]

Well; you’ll have a good idea what to avoid.

Spain is knee-deep in bread, but that’s easily spotted. Good sized supermarkets will carry a ‘sin’ range which caters for many restrictive diets if you’re ever self catering.

You might learn or write on a card a helpful phrase such as :”Soy celíaca y no debo comer gluten” or “¿Hay pan o harina de trigo en esta comida?”

 

[wisepilgrim]

The law in Spain now requires all menus to display allergens on a per plate basis, so keep an eye out for the wheat symbol.

These days the gluten free options are much better than they were just a few years ago. Most hotel breakfasts can cater to gluten free needs, and ‘sin gluten’ is the phrase that will help make it happen. There are even gluten free beers!

As mentioned above, many grocery stores have a gluten free section that consolidates everything on one shelf instead of spreading them across the store.

The standard now for most to all of the items found in a grocery store is that if it has any gluten, it won’t have a sin-gluten label. Everything else does.

 

[ktchnofdngr]

I walked in 2013 and 2016 gluten free, and it is pretty easy. Things like Tortilla and jamon con melon are naturally gluten free, although you need to make sure you say, “sin pan”. So is paella, caldo Gallego, and tons of other things. Having a card like above can be helpful, but by 2016, 90% of the restaurant workers understood the phrase “sin gluten”.

I also memorized a few sentences such as, “Necesito comida sin gluten.” Then I tended to choose food that I knew was GF. My trail food was usually a piece of fruit and cheese, for instance, although I was pleasantly surprised by GF cookies at the supermarket on my first Camino.

You do have to ask, but you won’t starve.

Ruth

 

[Andy in Ohio]

We just completed the Portuguese Camino in March. I asked my hiking partners what advice for pilgrims they would like for me to share on this forum. My niece, who is coeliac said to "bring a loaf of gluten free bread with you so you can make sandwiches at breakfast" You never know where you will be eating lunch!

 

[Anita A]

I walked the Camino Francés & Finisterra/Muxia 2016 and I only had trouble finding gf food once in a small village. I always had nuts and gf bisquits in my pack. I usually bought yoghurt and bananas and had it at the albergue for my ”1st breakfast” (can’t walk on an empty stomach) then I had tortilla patata for my 2nd breakfast after some walking. It was never any problem to get gf food at the pilgrims’ dinner.

I will walk Camino San Salvador and Primitivo in May and I will bring a little more food this time since it’s not as busy as the CF.

Buen Camino

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi all, I was hoping to gather some advice & helpful hints on traveling with coeliac disease (which means I need a strict gluten free diet). This will be my first time traveling since diagnosis, so I’m a little nervous about navigating it outside of Australia.

I’ll be heading off on the Camino Frances in a couple of weeks time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I’m also coeliac and have walked multiple Caminos with very very few problems, all of which were my own making through poor planning for the walking day ahead.

If I may offer some advice to help put your mind at ease.

I had a PDF of messages about my dietary needs on my iPhone.
chrome://external-file/spain-may-2017.pdf
That’s from the Ceoliac UK website.

I also had a couple of extracts from the PDF on a small handwritten card in case my iPhone could not be used for shop and catering staff to read if necessary.I can’t recall a single occasion where I could not get gf food from a shop or in a cafe, bar or restaurant.

Go without fear, you are in control.

Buen (gluten free munching) Camino

 

[JCarpenter]

We just completed the Portuguese Camino in March. I asked my hiking partners what advice for pilgrims they would like for me to share on this forum. My niece, who is coeliac said to "bring a loaf of gluten free bread with you so you can make sandwiches at breakfast" You never know where you will be eating lunch!

White corn tortillas are easier to transport and make a great "foldover" of any sort. Great pbj's!

 

[AnnieAu]

Hi all, I was hoping to gather some advice & helpful hints on traveling with coeliac disease (which means I need a strict gluten free diet). This will be my first time traveling since diagnosis, so I’m a little nervous about navigating it outside of Australia.

I’ll be heading off on the Camino Frances in a couple of weeks time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hi, I walked from Sarria to Santiago in 2018. It was easier than I hoped to find GF food. I also carried some basics to make sure I could always eat. Be prepared to be patient at the end of a day of walking. Just once, I had troubles communicating with someone but I managed to get the assurance that the food would be ok in the end.

 

[barbag]

Hi all, I was hoping to gather some advice & helpful hints on traveling with coeliac disease (which means I need a strict gluten free diet). This will be my first time traveling since diagnosis, so I’m a little nervous about navigating it outside of Australia.

I’ll be heading off on the Camino Frances in a couple of weeks time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hi. I have walked 2 caminos and I have Ceoliac disease. Sin gluten foods are easily obtainable all over Spain. The majority of supermarkets have an array and well labeled gluten free foods. Most cafes and restraunts have a good understanding. I would take a translated card to show. I almost live on tortilla de patatas. I am walking again in May and I feel confident that I won't have problems with my diet. Buen Camino