One of the hardest parts of having celiac disease is traveling. What will you eat? Will there be safe options? What can you take through the airport? Thanks to being an athlete and traveling almost every week, I have gotten pretty good at packing up my kitchen. The first month I was diagnosed with celiac disease I had to go on a three week trip for volleyball and did not take any food thinking I could find safe options on the road. Let's just say I ended up eating Jif peanut butter out of a jar and felt like crap most of the time. I learned more about celiac disease and since then I have been packing meals and snacks for every away game. When I went to Greece and Italy I packed 42 meals. Those included premade vacuum- sealed chicken, hamburger, potatoes, steak, and rice. It's not the most appealing but it does the job. I once tried a premade food company called Pete's real food but didn't stick with it. I paid a chef that had celiac disease to make meals for me during season because balancing school, practice, and cooking is hard when you travel twice a week. I did this off and on because of the cost. Shoutout chef Nina in Columbus, OH. My mom also brings me pre-made food for away trips because she is only an hour and a half away. It's very hard to find time with class and practice to cook and pack everything. I usually pack the basics that can be eaten cold if there is not a microwave available. Most restaurants will not let you use their microwave, even if they can not serve you safe food. WTF. I pack fruit, popcorn, protein bars (my favorite is Nugo bars), cups of Minute Maid rice, pretzels, animal crackers, avocado, yogurt, etc. Anything schar, GLUTINO, and UDIs. Sometimes I make chicken salad or PBJs. I use the app find me gluten-free to see if there are any dedicated places but usually there aren't and I'm on a schedule when I travel. Most dedicated places are also bakeries (not complaining lol). You can ask your doctor for a note saying that you have celiac disease and need to travel with food and you can take anything through airport security, even liquids and premade things in containers. They might stop you and ask to see the note but I have never had any issues(even out of country), most of the time they don't even ask to see the doctors note once I explain. Pictured is my big YETI cooler that I take with me for more than a day trip. This thing is amazing and I can keep my food in it with ice packs and my food stays as cold as it would in the fridge!
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