Many people want to enjoy a multi-week trip to distant countries. However, they may not be able to fully enjoy the experience when they have health problems. The landscape can be breathtaking and the weather may be perfect, but choosing the right food would be tricky for people with food intolerances. When eating overseas, it is important to understand about local dietary custom and we need to consider whether we can make some adjustments.
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Learn local phrases
We should learn local phrases, especially if we want to communicate with the chef or waiter. As an example, we should ask which meals contain no peanut or gluten. These phrases should be considered as essential as “how are you?” and “thank you” in local language. For our own safety, it is preferable to learn local languages, instead of assuming that locals will speak English.
In many countries, people will appreciate it more if we try to speak local language. Some people in France are notorious for refusing to speak English to people who don’t want to try to utter some local phrases. For more complex and longer conversations, we should use translation apps in our smartphone. In this case, we should try to use short sentences at a time to ensure that our message is delivered accurately.
Learn more about local cuisine
If we have specific intolerance, it would be very helpful if we known what to expect. As an example, some countries prefer dishes with plenty of dairy products, such as Italy and France. Others may also prefer to use a lot of fatty meat, such as Germany. All over Europe, we could find food that’s loaded with gluten. Rice is more prevalent in many Asian countries.
Check for special restaurants
There could be special restaurants in the area that cater for our medical need. In developed countries, we are more likely to find restaurants that are designed for people with specific dietary requirements. As an example, we could find allergen-conscious ice creameries and gluten-free bakery in the country.
There should also be stores that allow us to purchase different types of peanut-free, gluten-free and other special food products. In Italy, gelato is generally dairy-free, but we should ask the seller to confirm it. By researching for these stores before we travel to a different country could be quite helpful.
Watch body reactions
We should expect anything and be open minded about our body reactions. We should know how our body could react to specific external factors. As an example, if we suffer from dizziness, nausea and migraine after eating something, there could be some amount of dairy in something that we have just eaten.
As an example, salmon in butter sauce could cause unwanted reactions on some people, such as swollen lips and bloated belly. Croissant could cause anxiety on some people and it can be quite difficult to predict how our body reacts to something. In general, symptoms could be quite different, depending on our situation.