Gluten-free On Long Flights?

[dh204]

Hey everyone,

Not sure if this goes here or if it should be a new thread, but anyway....

I just flew to the US this week on Alitalia and I had the gluten free meal.

It is actually quite good, much better than the AF/KLM meals.

They actually give you a piece of Scharr gluten free bread (although they kept it in the fridge, so it was a little hard and dry). That was probably the best part of the meal! There was a small salad with carrots and fish and then for the "main course" there was a small piece of beef with broccoli and mushrooms. For dessert, a fruit salad and a chocolate covered rice cake.

[gfp]

I don't know if the restrictions are different when you fly to Europe, but between here and Australia (and back) they didn't restrict any of my food, only my water.

You might want to see if you can order a raw vegetarian meal, or something similiar. That way you at least have some raw fruits and veggies to go with whatever else you bring. Clif Nectar bars, Alpsnak bars and Organic Food bars can come in handy too.

I spent ages doing this... and noone would give me a firm answer.

I even went through all the stuff your not allowed to import into Oz and again you can't get a straight answer....

Moreover it seemed to depend on who you got... we watched in horror one inspctor guy who seemed to find something in everyone who passed on his line and in the end we got someone else (phew) ... as instructed we declared all leather, wool and then got looked at funny for following the official docs?

We had the same thing with what we could take on flights... its a huge mess because its partly where your flying to, partly the airline and partly the airport security... from where your flying from.

The same goes for gluten-free food on flights.... I just don't know whether to trust it but when I used to the problem was they never really paid attention. They would keep trying to give me the roll etc. even after I explained I couldn't... Im sure it depends on who you happen to get of the flight attendants so its pot-luck even assuming it really is gluten-free to start with.

I just flew to the US this week on Alitalia and I had the gluten free meal.

Yep Alitalia suck for a lot of things (like ever getting your baggage back) but the one thing they do understand is gluten-free....

[gfp]

Ugh! What a pain!

I'm going to have to bring some gluten free crackers and cheese spread I think. I found some corn wafers in Germany that taste better than wheat--with cheese and salami, they should be great (as long as I can get in the cheese and salami!).

The security I will go through will be Italian, and there's a lot of awareness of celiac in Italy, so I hope I'll have that on my side. And of course I will have to eat everything before landing in Atlanta or throw it out.

Okay, I'm feeling much better about it now. No need to panic. I may not starve after all.

Italy is pretty good, last time I flew out I had an early flight so I had already bought a huge gluten-free pizza the night before (this was before the current regulations though which now seem to change daily) .. I figured on taking it on the flight but in the end ate it while waiting...course I had a miuch shorter flight but 10hrs isn't too long... (we do it everynight)

[asaph]

Hi I am flying from Australia to Manchester UK Via singapore later this year.

It is really hard to know what I can and can't take with me as this is the first time flying internationally since comencing a gluten free diet. I am flying singapore Airlines has anyone had any experience with this airline?

I will be travelling to scotland so from reading the other posts It sounds like potato will be a staple dish.

For anyone coming to Australia the local grocery chain's of Woolworths ,Coles do stock a good range of gluten free foods.

[georgiagirl]

Go to Whole Foods or Super Target and look in the instant meals section for Tasty Bites. Some of them are labeled gluten free (not all are though). They are delicious! Comes with a pre-cooked rice package and a liquid pre-cooked indian vegetarian sauce package. All vacum sealed to keep it fresh. They come with a plastic dish and plastic spoon. All you need to do is open the packages, put the food in the dish, and have the airline microwave the food for about 2 minutes. This will give you a warm and very satisfying meal on the flight.

Trader Joe's also has a gluten free, pre-cooked package meal called Biryani. Look in the rice section. This is good too, but I found it a little too spicy (personal taste), and it doesn't come with the dish and spoon. I have eaten it cold in a pinch and it was still pretty good.

For a warm gluten-free soup, I love Edward & Sons Miso Cup - Reduced Sodium Soup. Just add hot water. You'll need to have a cup and spoon though. This is great for a snack, but are not very filing. You can get this at Return To Eden. They also carry Matter of Flax which are really tasty wholesome gluten-free crackers.

I recommend you experiment with a couple of these before you leave so you can figure out which one you like best. Good luck!

[BrisQuil]

Don't forget that what they will allow you to take on the plane itself is very different to what you are allowed to bring into the country. Someone suggested cheese and salami - great for the flight (really good idea BTW) but don't try bringing either into Australia! You will find yourself on our programme 'Border Security' which films in the airports. Nothing fresh, dairy, meat or egg based can come in.

Processed goods such as snack bars, rice cakes etc are fine. But truly, I wouldn't bother bringing any of that if you are coming to Australia - stock up once you get here at a Woolworths or Coles or health food store. The exchange rate is probably better anyway!

I find travelling in Continental US and Canada problematic. Most of the carriers don't do special meals, the airports have very little to eat (maybe a plain salad, or some fries - after questioning the attendant) and delays are inevitable. I need my snacks on those flights. Your tips have been really helpful. Thanks.

[steveindenver]

Forgive me if this has been posted already, but another option for snacks/meals is from Thai Kitchen. I just bought their Pad Thai package and even though I'm not a pad thai fan, it's a great option. It comes in a little plastic tupperware container so all you need to do is add hot water, which the flight attendants can provide. I think it even comes with a plastic fork. Too bad the friendly skies aren't that friendly anymore...

[once and again]

There was a gluten free specialty store that had dried meal mixes where you just added water and nuked it. Unfortunately they went out of business and I don't remmeber the name. However, I'll bet if you tried some of the gluten-ree manufacturers, you would be able to find them. It's amazing what you can find on the 'net.

Bakery on Main has a great granola that I took on a cruise as an alternative to eggs every day. It held up very well and if you tolerate milk so much the better. Italy is supposed to have a lot of celiacs, so you might even find some products in Germany like crackers to go with the salami and cheese.

[eveelady]

Hi all

just thought would pass on some info from a friend of mine who is a flight attendant.

she recommends that if you have any serious food reations (coeliacs, nut allergies etc..)

ORDER THE FRUIT MEAL and bring your own snacks.

the galleys on the planes are really cramped and cross contamination can easily happen, and also staff arent always told why passengers have special meals (hence them trying to give you bread rolls etc...)

[Shelbythecat]

little boxes of cereal - snack packs. Or just a big box of your favorite gluten-free cereal.

--Ask the flight attendants for milk.

peanut butter 2-go (new from Jiff)

gluten-free Pretzles

My husband and I just returned from Tokyo and the above items helped a ton.

[Kathbert]

I just returned from my first flight since being diagnosed. United provided the special meals on flights to and from London. Their dinner going over was plain salad, steamed chicken, rice, carrots and fruit. Breakfast was a rice cake and some fruit along with juice.

I supplemented the breakfast food with some prewrapped string cheese, Blue Diamond gluten-free crackers and MiDel gluten-free cookies. Some of the shops in LAX also sell fresh fruit, so was able to buy and eat in the airport while waiting.

Going back, they provided plain salad, steamed chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, yogurt and raisins for the main meal. The lunch was a garbanzo bean salad, plain salad and raisins. The only irony is that they initially put a prewrapped rye cracker on my tray which they removed, while all of the other passengers got a bag of chips labelled "coeliac friendly". Go figure!

I supplemented the food with some gluten-free corn crisps and mini Baby Bel cheeses purchased in London.

A flight attendant friend of mine suggested that you call the airlines a few days before departure and ask them to tell you if and what special meal is next to your name in order to confirm. She also said to identify yourself to the galley staff after boarding so they can check their meal roster.

Overall, a good experience and gave me confidence in travelling. The big perk is that the "special" meals are often served first