Food Advice from a Gluten Intolerant Girl!

If you've been on my blog for a while you will know that I have been gluten intolerant for a couple years now. I'm quite confident in my knowledge on gluten free brands and the options available, however, it's not always been that way! 'Gluten free' is a very new thing for a lot of restaurants and supermarkets so there's not always a lot of option out there, but in this post I want to give you some of my best advice and in next weeks post I want to share my favourite gluten free food!  

I would just like to mention, I wouldn't recommend anyone going through the extreme gluten free diet, unless they have too. The diet is made for people with an intolerance or a condition which can lead to extreme pain and sometimes death. The diet isn't a way to lose weight or to be healthier, and although you do have to cut out a lot of products there are always other options available. 

1. Research before!

If you know you are going out or meeting someone for lunch/dinner, it's not essential but it's always helpful to know if the restaurant or cafe have gluten free options or if it's gluten free safe. I usually go on to their website to check their menu or call them up to make sure. There is more of a demand for gluten free options so often enough there will be one or two choices but it's better to be sure! 

2. Be prepared with backups! 

At school, traveling or going out I always like to bring some gluten free snacks in my bag just in case. Unlike restaurants, cafes still don't have many gluten free option so I like to bring things with me to make sure that I don't go hungry and I can still my cookie and coffee with others. 

Before COVID, I got to travel quite a lot, including Italy, which is known for it's amazing pizza and pasta (but not so much it's gluten free options). Usually they had one option which unfortunately would cost more as they needed separate ingredients but the most helpful thing I did was also pack my own pasta which meant that I could just ask the chef to prepare the meal I wanted with my pasta. 

3. Don't be afraid to ask! 

At the beginning I felt very awkward ask if there was an option, as it sounds sometimes quite picky, however, as it's becoming a more popular demand, I've learnt it's better just to ask-sometimes they even have a separate menu to choose from which makes it so much easier. And what I like to say is; it's better safe then sorry when it comes to gluten! 

Hope this helps!

Love, 

Aria xo