The Adventures of Gluten-Free Travel

Hello everyone!

If you don't already know, today is National Celiac Awareness Day! It's just a day dedicated to celebrate those with Celiac Disease, as well as raising awareness about Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance in general. In celebration of the day, I thought I would talk about how to travel gluten (& dairy!) free. I know that summer is over, so it seems a little late to be addressing travel concerns, but with school functions and holiday traveling, it's still a very relevant topic. Most of you probably don't know that I just got back from a trip to NYC. I love that city more than life. (Ok maybe a slight exaggeration, but you get the point.) The first time I went to NYC I was not gluten-free. It was pre-diagnosis so I just enjoyed all of the food I wanted, including some cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Yum. This time things were different so I tackled the city's abundance of restaurants from a gluten-free and dairy-free standpoint. I'm happy to report that NYC is where it's at!

Let's talk preparation. I understand that it's unlikely that many of you will be traveling to NYC anytime soon, but if you are, get excited about the options that await you! Before we left, I began researching restaurants and put together a "restaurant guide." I broke the city down by neighborhoods and listed the restaurants according to location so that no matter where we were in the city, I would be able to find something nearby with suitable dining options. I printed off a copy to put in my purse and emailed it to myself so I would have it on my phone. I also looked into iPhone apps that would be useful, and I found one that works pretty well. It had a few issues, but nothing too serious. It's called "Find Me Gluten Free." It uses your location to find restaurants around you with gluten-free options. You can also enter in an address, search for chain restaurants, or choose whether you want it to search all restaurants or just those with a dedicated gluten-free menu.
Here is a link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-me-gluten-free/id431006818?mt=8

Have you ever been in an airport or your on the airplane and you need a snack? Well here is my suggestion to you... Pack your own snacks. Do not assume that there is going to be something safe for you to eat. What if you were to encounter travel complications and didn't have time to grab something before running on the plane? You can eat the peanuts, right? Sorry, but you can't. At least not the ones on Southwest Airlines. I checked the package and guess what was listed as an ingredient on the back of those seemingly innocent peanuts? Wheat starch. Oopsies! Here are a few of my favorite snacks (in general) that make perfect travel companions. These are all dairy-free, not to mention they are free of other allergens as well (particularly Enjoy Life).

Enjoy Life NOT Nuts Trail Mix. I really like "Beach Bash."

Glutino Gluten Free Table Crackers

Glutino Gluten-Free Pretzels

Enjoy Life Chewy Bars. I prefer Caramel Apple. 

Other suggestions that I would like to add, especially if you are driving, is to take a loaf of gluten-free bread (I like Udi's) with some peanut or sun butter, fresh fruit, gluten-free chips, etc. If your hotel has a refrigerator, you can also purchase some gluten-free deli meat to make sandwiches (no cheese if DF!). This not only keeps you safe, but it saves you money as well.

Research restaurants and ask plenty of questions when you get there. Ask for a gluten-free menu and tell them of your food intolerance(s) so they can accommodate your needs. It's really not that hard to travel gluten and dairy free, especially if you are visiting large cities. There are some resorts, cruises, etc that are now going gluten-free (Disney included) so it's only getting easier!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from my trip. Can't wait to go back!

Greenwich Village makes my heart happy. 

The beauty of Central Park. 

My new obsession, Babycakes. Vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free goodness. 

Flags covering Battery Park in remembrance of 9/11. 

Skyscrapers. In love.

Besos,

Courtney

E Coli: Corn vs Grass

Hey guys!


So I must say that I have been reading and learning so much information that I feel overwhelmed- in a good way! My head is spinning and my emotions are all over the place, but it's ok because I know that I am supposed to be doing what I am doing! After the European E Coli scare, I really started thinking about why they don't just make a few obvious changes and put an end to E Coli as we know it. I know that it wouldn't be easy because it would affect too many pocketbooks - aka the meat producers and government - but who cares! Is our health and safety really not worth it?


In a 1998! (that's 13 years ago) study done by Cornell, they look the differences in corn vs grass fed beef. I don't know where you are, but in Texas this is a big deal. We are all about eating a big, juicy steak the size of our plate. I, on the other hand, am thinking - and have been thinking for some time - about becoming vegetarian or vegan. Meat has honestly started grossing me out, especially with the amount of information that I have learned!


I want to start out by giving you the overview of E Coli.Their article states that, "E Coli is a normal bacterium in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, and most types are not harmful." So after reading that, I wondered what could cause it to be harmful. I am not oblivious to what happens in today's beef industry with the over-crowded feedlots, the use of anti-biotics and hormones, and corn fed diets. I feel that it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this stuff out, but hey, let's just look at the facts. So how did corn-fed diets for cattle become such the go-to diet anyways? Last time I checked, cows were supposed to eat grass. Well during WWII, farmers were producing more grain than the US population could eat so they started feeding it to cattle. They soon realized that they could fatten them up a lot faster for slaughter with grain (corn). During that time, it would take 4-5 years to fatten a cow to 1,200 pounds, but with the discovery of feeding them corn, it cut the time to 14-16 months. Wow! That is so great, right? Well it sounds great, but what are the effects?


Healthytheory.com states that, "the stomachs of cows are naturally pH neutral. A corn-based diet, however, creates an acidic environment that contributes to a host of health problems. Corn-fed cattle are prone to serious health conditions such as bloat, diarrhea, ulcers, liver disease, and a weakened immune system. To combat these health problems, cattle are continually fed antibiotics, which leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that increasingly render modern medicine ineffective." All I can say is... the poor cows! So they are suffering, and we are ruining their digestive and immune systems in the process. Sounds like the kind of cow I want to get my meat from. A sick one. - Total sarcasm. 


I would think we would want them at optimal health so that we can get the healthiest product to feed to consumers, but it's all a money game. So where does E Coli come in with all of this? Well corn leads to a very acidic intestinal tract which is a perfect home for E Coli. Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, states that "the lethal strain of E. coli known as 0157:H7 is believed to have evolved in the gut of feedlot cattle. The development of a more acidic environment in cows’ intestinal tracts created an acid-resistant strain of the pathogen, which is able to survive the acidic conditions of the human stomach and prove fatal." In the documentary Food, Inc., Pollan states that switching feedlot cattle to a grass diet would eliminate 80 percent of the E. coli in the cows’ digestive tracts. 


E Coli 0157:H7 can lead to bloody diarrhea and kidney failure in humans, that ultimately, could lead to death if not treated immediately. That's such a scary situation, but it happens more often than we think. Sure, we have had big outbreaks of E Coli here in the States just like they did in Europe, but what people aren't getting is that there are people that die, here in the United States, all the time from E Coli. Just a few weeks ago, a 2 year old girl and her older brother were both hospitalized for E Coli. The little girl did not survive, but her older brother was able to pull through. It's heartbreaking that preventative changes could be made, but they're not. 


Next time you're in the grocery store, look for organic, grass-fed beef. I know you can get it at Whole Foods and other specialty stores. Make sure it's hormone and antibiotic free also. Antibiotic use is another topic that I could talk about forever, but I will shorten it for your sake, and just say that it doesn't help E Coli. At all. Don't let the media and other people make you think that E Coli comes from vegetables or that you should avoid them at all costs either! Vegetables, cannot produce it, but they can definitely transport it if they are contaminated with some corn-fed, E Coli tainted manure. Reduce the risk and eat beef that's grass-fed (or no beef at all). You're less likely to eat an E Coli burger that way!


Besos,


Courtney