Home for the Holidays

With fall term quickly (too quickly, I think) coming to a close, everyone is preparing to head out for the holidays. Whether you’re on your way to your parents’ house, your friend’s parents’, your in-laws’, Barbados (I wish), here are some ideas both for your own personal travel and as gluten-free stocking stuffers for your loved ones.

 First of all, not to boast here, but I have recently acquired an iPhone and it’s pretty EPIC, um, wonderful! Enough with the death-stares, because aside from being another glorious distraction, there are some really handy gluten-free/celiac friendly applications out there. Some of them are free, like the ‘GF Card’ (from http://www.celiactravel.com/restaurant-cards.html) which many of you may be familiar with already: it’s a program that provides a basic textual explanation of celiac/gluten-intolerance right on your screen -- available in 48 languages! Others, like iCanEat OntheGo (one of several applications from AllergyFree Passport http://www.allergyfreepassport.com/ ) is $4.99 and provides allergy-free menu items (combining up to nine different allergens) from 15 national fast food or quick service chains; AllergyFree Passport’s iEatOut is the expanded version which, in addition to providing material for ten different allergens, allows you to narrow down your menu choices by cuisine: Italian, Mexican, French, Thai, etc. From there, it allows you to “discover ingredients, food preparation techniques, cross contamination concerns and culinary practices” while the application is $8.99, if you’re prone to travel, this is something to look into. 

Next, an absolute travel-must is Minimus.biz which provides travel and individual serving sizes of beverages, food products, personal care and pharmacy items. They have a vast gluten free selection (enter ‘gluten free’ in the search bar) with items like Kari-Out gluten free, wheat free soy sauce packets, EnviroKidz Organic Amazon Frosted Flakes in a single-serving cup, and Mary’s Gone Crackers individual packets. In addition, there is a vast selection of teas, salad dressings, condiments, and personal care products. However, be wary: some products on the list are obviously not gluten free, so use your best judgement and read the product info carefully before purchasing!

Finally, I can’t finish this article without mentioning GlutenFreeda’s own Instant Oatmeal  (four flavors) and Granola (three flavors) which, in addition to being unbelievably delicious - and healthy, too! - are packaged as individual servings. Perfect for breakfast or a snack on the go, they make the perfect travel companions or stocking stuffers! 

If you have any questions, comments or ideas of your own - let me know! Feel free to contact me at this link.

- Kelsey Ganes, University of Washington student

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