The Gluten Free Table on the Road

Kalimera my fellow travelers! The hardest part about eating gluten free on a vacation is dealing with cross contamination so I compiled a list of tips I picked up traveling in Greece. When I decided not to eat gluten in solidarity, I realized it's so easy to accidentally gluten other people's food. It's not just the knife that someone else used to butter their "regular" toast, it's the butter container which has the crumbs from the knife that went in for a second helping to cover the rest of the toast. It's seemingly impossible to keep your food gluten free when traveling with others who eat gluten. A few tips I found on my vacation help you keep your sanity and enjoy your trip:



1. Use disposable plates and utensils when possible. That way you avoid crusted on gluten remnants as well as any contamination that may be left behind on the sponge or in the dishwasher.


2. Keep your food in a small cooler in the fridge. If you have a refrigerator, keep a cooler full of gluten free cookies and bread in there. People will really have to go out of their way to put their gluten covered mitts into your bag of gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Also, keep one or two dips and spreads you want in the cooler.


3. Have your own bottle of a beverage. Who can resist the urge of drinking out of the bottle. Certainly not you, so you can understand when others do so without thinking of the gluten they contaminate the bottle with when they put their lips on the rim. Put aside a liter of your favorite and give people a heads up that it's yours by putting it in the cooler.


4. Bring along bars and meal replacement drinks. You don't have to be a wet blanket in the instance you can't find a dish at a restaurant that looks gluten free. These will tide you over and keep you from getting too hangry.


5. Learn to change the conversation quickly from gluten at restaurants. Keep it short and sweet, don't dwell on the details. When you have a chance to find a market, head to the gluten free section. A gluten free loaf of bread comes in handy at restaurants when they serve bread before the meal or as an accompaniment to a chicken salad.


6. Use your best judgment but remember that you are the keeper of your health and others may accidentally serve you something with gluten. While it my take a long time to cope with that fact, understanding that you are ultimately responsible for taking your health into your own hands, especially abroad, will make you a happy traveler!


7. Have fun and meet lots of new people. Remember that vacation is a time to relax even though it's hard to break out of the usual routine. Hopefully these tips will keep you from screaming at your fellow travelers and binge eating that baklava that everyone else in the car is swooning over. Cheers!

Burbank's Gluten Free Market, Pam MacD's

After seeing Pam MacD’s Gluten Free Market featured in Los Angeles Magazine’s article of gluten free places to check out in Los Angeles, I decided to do just that! I had been in this Burbank store before but the sparse shelves seemed sad and empty. Since it was featured in the magazine along with two other gluten free stores I figured, maybe it was worth a second look.

I learned that Los Angeles Magazine is not the only ones giving Pam MacD’s attention. Tia Mowry dropped by to pick up some ingredients to make her son Cree a gluten free birthday cake for his first birthday. The Cake Divas in Beverly Hills were used to craft baby Cree’s amazing gluten free vanilla cake adorned with a real sized Elmo on top.

The idea behind the store:

When I paid Pam MacD’s a visit, I had a chance to speak with the proprietor Pam Macdonald and her staff. A main hope behind the store is to normalize the shopping experience for people with food allergies. This store allows people with gluten intolerance and celiac to have everything, from cakes to cookies to prepared meals. There is nothing that people with food allergies cannot find.  

Samples of some of the products to try

To assure the safety of all her products, Pam and her staff puts each one through a strict “illicit test.” Pam MacDonald explains that much of the gluten free products sold in stores are junk. The labeling laws for gluten free products in the United States fail to require a low level of gluten. Countries across Europe have stricter labeling laws because gluten intolerance and celiac disease are more prevalent. Most notably, in the United Kingdom all manufacturers have to comply with the labeling laws passed. The labeling law in the UK had a grace period which expired two weeks ago. Now all residents of the UK with gluten intolerance and celiac can enjoy products labeled gluten free without the worry that they will experience repercussions of hidden gluten in their products later on. Products certified as gluten free in the UK can contain up to 20mg of gluten per kg of a product, which is a tolerable amount for celiacs according to studies.

Megan recommends the
almond cookies 

Until the United States finalizes its gluten labeling laws, Pam provides her shoppers with some pointers for taste and safety. She said to avoid chips that can have gluten in the flavoring and other cookies and breads. When asked which bread she prefers flavorwise, she said without hesitation, Kinnikinnik. I picked up a loaf of this Canadian company and found that it is better than the Udi’s brand that I prefer. The loaf is actually a normal size and suitable for making sandwiches that look like regular sandwiches.

Gluten free gift baskets are a great
gift for the holidays 

What to look for in the future:

Pam MacD’s will make access to gluten free products all over Los Angeles more available. She plans on expanding to locations including Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, northern San Diego, and possibly southern Orange County. Also, there is talk of branding special Pam MacD’s products. Now that they have a good idea of the product mix that is tasty and safe they plan on picking it up and dropping it into the other locations across southern California.

In March Pam MacDonald will be speaking with Robyn O’Brien, the author of “The Unhealthy Truth” at the Natural Foods Expo West. Robyn received a Fulbright grant for her work and her exciting studies featured in a Ted Talks Forum. Look for her and Pam MacDonald at the convention in Anaheim. It is one of the largest conventions for natural food in the country.

Pam MacD’s is a great place for nutritionists to meet with their clients or browse through the aisles and recommend a food regimen. A comfortable lounge in the front provides a location to hang out and read current literature on celiac’s disease. The community bulletin board in the entrance of the store is also full of useful information.