Hi!
I'm considering studying abroad in Europe next year, but before I apply to programs, I wanted to make sure I pick a country I could eat in. When I don't stick to the diet, I can't walk (neurological symptoms), so its especially important I pick a place I can eat safely and easily.
Anyone have any experience with studying abroad or visiting a European country for an extended period of time? Any suggestions for countries (or cities)?
Thanks!
Celiac is really well known in Finland and Sweden, I have more experience with Finland. 
University cafeterias usually have separate gluten free options on their lunch menus, cafe's usually have at least some gluten free muffins or cookies, most restaurants are aware of it. Even small grocery stores carry some gluten free bread etc.
I haven't been to Italy myself but from what I hear from people that is also a very good country for a celiac. Italy routinely screens kids for celiac and restaurants etc are well aware of it.
Which do you prefer, winter sports or a lot of sun?
Pauliina
University cafeterias usually have separate gluten free options on their lunch menus, cafe's usually have at least some gluten free muffins or cookies, most restaurants are aware of it. Even small grocery stores carry some gluten free bread etc. I haven't been to Italy myself but from what I hear from people that is also a very good country for a celiac. Italy routinely screens kids for celiac and restaurants etc are well aware of it.
Which do you prefer, winter sports or a lot of sun?
Pauliina
Hi
not sure if your considering it but the UK is very good, specifically the bigger cities which have the large supermarkets. I lived in London for just over 1 year and loved the experience, the ability to travel everywhere and the variety of foods in the supermarket.
Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose are just some of the large supermarkets that regularly stock gluten free foods. Huge variety of breads, rolls, cakes, sweets, cookies and for special occation had gluten free hot cross buns or christmas cake! i was really spoilt for choice. Also Tesco do those heat and eat dinners which where very tasty, affordable and in all their labelling stated if gluten was inside in bright hot pink so you couldn't miss it.
The allergy labelling laws in the UK are strick so all process foods will list what is inside their product that cause food allergies.
Have fun,
Sydney73
not sure if your considering it but the UK is very good, specifically the bigger cities which have the large supermarkets. I lived in London for just over 1 year and loved the experience, the ability to travel everywhere and the variety of foods in the supermarket.
Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose are just some of the large supermarkets that regularly stock gluten free foods. Huge variety of breads, rolls, cakes, sweets, cookies and for special occation had gluten free hot cross buns or christmas cake! i was really spoilt for choice. Also Tesco do those heat and eat dinners which where very tasty, affordable and in all their labelling stated if gluten was inside in bright hot pink so you couldn't miss it.
The allergy labelling laws in the UK are strick so all process foods will list what is inside their product that cause food allergies.
Have fun,
Sydney73
I have just returned from Ireland. Believe me whether large city or small town there is no problem staying gluten-free. All I had to do was walk into a restaurant and sa, "I am Celiac." The would adjust anything and some had gluten-free menus, you can buy delicious gluten-free items in every food store.
I studied abroad in Prague last spring, and while it was challenging, (because Czech cuisine is not the most celiac friendly,) I had a really easy time cooking for myself and eating out at non-Czech restaurants. You can find gluten-free pasta and bread and the like at health food and drug stores. Also, Prague is an incredible city, and I would definitely recommend studying there
hey gabbous8,
i live in Barcelona, Spain and i'm celiac too. Here in Spain, not many people know about celiac disease. Well, it depends on the part of Spain where you are.
In all the cities in Spain, there’s a supermarket called MERCADONA. The daughter of the owner is celiac, so since last year, they put in all the products that they make, the things that don’t contain gluten, and there are a lot!! Frozen food (ice-creams, frozen fish, and vegetables), meat and “embutidos”, sorry I don’t know the word in English, but it is very famous here. It is made with animals, mostly from the pork. Is like ham and so. There are also cookies and pastas and breads, sauces, candies, chocolates, and more.
There is also a bid shopping center called EL CORTE INGLES. In its supermarket, there’s a part where there are it says “Gluten free products” and there you can find cereals, cakes, pastas, pizza, bread and coockies.
MERCADONA and EL CORTE INGLES is all over spain.
In Barcelona, people know its and there are some good restaurants that i can recommend you (i live in Barcelona, so I know lots of places here and near Barcelona).
Then, if you go to the south, like Seville, Malaga, Granada... there people eat loots of fried food: fish, meat, vegetables... everything is fried. So you would have problems with the oils or the bread that they use.
In the north, Bilbao, Santander and so… just some people know about it and if you ask someone, they have a little idea of what celiac disease is, but they don’t control it well.
Then, I’ve travelled to some countries in Europe. In Switzerland, erm… They eat loots of butters, and milks, and chocolates. And you would have lots of problems with sauces.
Then Italy, even people can thing ooh!! The pasta country, where it is difficult for celiac to live, its not true. It’s the opposite. As they are known for pasta and pizza, they have lots of things to offer to celiac people. And in cities like Rome, Milan or Venice, you will find some of places where they can prepare gluten free pasta.
Austria, I didn’t find any celiac shop. I was 1 week just eating salads and grilled meat, but it is maybe cos I didn’t stay there longer.
Well, here I give you some webs of Europe countries celiac organizations:
Germany: http://www.dzg-online.de/
Austria: http://www.go.to/zoeliakie
Belgim: http://www.vcv.coeliakie.be/
Denmark: http://www.coeliaki.dk/
France: http://www.afdiag.org/
Ireland: http://www.coeliac.ie/
Holand: http://www.coeliakievereniging.nl/
Italy: http://www.celiachia.it/
Catalonia (in spain): http://www.celiacscatalunya.org/cat/
Spain: http://www.celiacos.org/
Hope you can easily find a country!!! If you need anything, just tell me
Byeee
i live in Barcelona, Spain and i'm celiac too. Here in Spain, not many people know about celiac disease. Well, it depends on the part of Spain where you are.
In all the cities in Spain, there’s a supermarket called MERCADONA. The daughter of the owner is celiac, so since last year, they put in all the products that they make, the things that don’t contain gluten, and there are a lot!! Frozen food (ice-creams, frozen fish, and vegetables), meat and “embutidos”, sorry I don’t know the word in English, but it is very famous here. It is made with animals, mostly from the pork. Is like ham and so. There are also cookies and pastas and breads, sauces, candies, chocolates, and more.
There is also a bid shopping center called EL CORTE INGLES. In its supermarket, there’s a part where there are it says “Gluten free products” and there you can find cereals, cakes, pastas, pizza, bread and coockies.
MERCADONA and EL CORTE INGLES is all over spain.
In Barcelona, people know its and there are some good restaurants that i can recommend you (i live in Barcelona, so I know lots of places here and near Barcelona).
Then, if you go to the south, like Seville, Malaga, Granada... there people eat loots of fried food: fish, meat, vegetables... everything is fried. So you would have problems with the oils or the bread that they use.
In the north, Bilbao, Santander and so… just some people know about it and if you ask someone, they have a little idea of what celiac disease is, but they don’t control it well.
Then, I’ve travelled to some countries in Europe. In Switzerland, erm… They eat loots of butters, and milks, and chocolates. And you would have lots of problems with sauces.
Then Italy, even people can thing ooh!! The pasta country, where it is difficult for celiac to live, its not true. It’s the opposite. As they are known for pasta and pizza, they have lots of things to offer to celiac people. And in cities like Rome, Milan or Venice, you will find some of places where they can prepare gluten free pasta.
Austria, I didn’t find any celiac shop. I was 1 week just eating salads and grilled meat, but it is maybe cos I didn’t stay there longer.
Well, here I give you some webs of Europe countries celiac organizations:
Germany: http://www.dzg-online.de/
Austria: http://www.go.to/zoeliakie
Belgim: http://www.vcv.coeliakie.be/
Denmark: http://www.coeliaki.dk/
France: http://www.afdiag.org/
Ireland: http://www.coeliac.ie/
Holand: http://www.coeliakievereniging.nl/
Italy: http://www.celiachia.it/
Catalonia (in spain): http://www.celiacscatalunya.org/cat/
Spain: http://www.celiacos.org/
Hope you can easily find a country!!! If you need anything, just tell me
Byeee
It depends how sensitive you are ....
The UK has a decent amount of awareness but it stops short of really understanding (IMHO)
Equally the supermarkets stock things labelled "Suitable for coeliacs" which frequently conform to "CODEX gluten free" but are not actually gluten free.
I have presently got myself in a bit of a mess with this.
The main problems seems to be that familiarity breeds contempt combined with "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" combined with a reasonable (by European standards) service attitude.
So you can be assured that something is gluten-free then the next thing they are putting bread on your plate or the fries have bits on and then you ask and you find they have been cooked in the same oil as battered shrimps or something... and the familiarity means they don't expect you to drop dead immediately in the resto ....
Having lived in France for 5 years I had the opposite experience. Lack of familiarity meant they had no preconceptions so they don't take it for granted if you are in a decent place... and can explain fully.
Specifically reasonably priced food in the UK tends towards coming from tins, packets and frozen (not everywhere but pretty much) .. so you might be given frozen fries containing gluten because they don't check because fries are potato (or are they).
To my knowledge Italy is the only place TESTS food.... The UK etc. just accept the manufacturers word and give very wide lassitude to gluten-free. Additionally they also have training for chefs and catering staff and they can be certified etc.
Personally I can't eat much of the UK gluten-free food... I tried again and I have been sick since I got here... and the pace of life seems to be forcing me to eat things I'd never consider in France where I cooked mainly my own food from fresh meat and vegetables.
If I had the choice then Italy would be number 1... by a long way... and I found Finland pretty much like the UK in allowing CODEX etc. and a decent familiarity breeding contempt... On top of this the food is really disgusting anyway... (even by UK standards which is pretty bad already) on top of which Italy has real skiing as well as sun.... and you won't be commiting suicide in the winter when its dark for 3 months minimum.
Ireland is quite nice and by all accounts quite coeliac friendly (haven't been there since diagnosis) but outside of Dublin people have more time ... (another problem in London is just everyone is constantly in a rush... and this is never good for getting SAFE food IMHO)
Unfortunately they are allowed to sneak it in ... so long as it is below the Codex limits ... and noone actually checks anyway... and if you did pay for analysis then you couldn't actually do anything, the company would just claim it was an accident or a poor batch... no manufacturer has EVER been prosecuted for this in the UK ... they have nothing to lose really..
The UK has a decent amount of awareness but it stops short of really understanding (IMHO)
Equally the supermarkets stock things labelled "Suitable for coeliacs" which frequently conform to "CODEX gluten free" but are not actually gluten free.
I have presently got myself in a bit of a mess with this.
The main problems seems to be that familiarity breeds contempt combined with "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" combined with a reasonable (by European standards) service attitude.
So you can be assured that something is gluten-free then the next thing they are putting bread on your plate or the fries have bits on and then you ask and you find they have been cooked in the same oil as battered shrimps or something... and the familiarity means they don't expect you to drop dead immediately in the resto ....
Having lived in France for 5 years I had the opposite experience. Lack of familiarity meant they had no preconceptions so they don't take it for granted if you are in a decent place... and can explain fully.
Specifically reasonably priced food in the UK tends towards coming from tins, packets and frozen (not everywhere but pretty much) .. so you might be given frozen fries containing gluten because they don't check because fries are potato (or are they).
To my knowledge Italy is the only place TESTS food.... The UK etc. just accept the manufacturers word and give very wide lassitude to gluten-free. Additionally they also have training for chefs and catering staff and they can be certified etc.
Personally I can't eat much of the UK gluten-free food... I tried again and I have been sick since I got here... and the pace of life seems to be forcing me to eat things I'd never consider in France where I cooked mainly my own food from fresh meat and vegetables.
If I had the choice then Italy would be number 1... by a long way... and I found Finland pretty much like the UK in allowing CODEX etc. and a decent familiarity breeding contempt... On top of this the food is really disgusting anyway... (even by UK standards which is pretty bad already) on top of which Italy has real skiing as well as sun.... and you won't be commiting suicide in the winter when its dark for 3 months minimum.
Ireland is quite nice and by all accounts quite coeliac friendly (haven't been there since diagnosis) but outside of Dublin people have more time ... (another problem in London is just everyone is constantly in a rush... and this is never good for getting SAFE food IMHO)
QUOTE
The allergy labelling laws in the UK are strick so all process foods will list what is inside their product that cause food allergies.
Unfortunately they are allowed to sneak it in ... so long as it is below the Codex limits ... and noone actually checks anyway... and if you did pay for analysis then you couldn't actually do anything, the company would just claim it was an accident or a poor batch... no manufacturer has EVER been prosecuted for this in the UK ... they have nothing to lose really..
I live in Holland and it's quite tough here. You have to be very specific in restaurants. This country is known for its beer and it's also extremely fond of bread!!
Read labels wherever you go and learn the phrase "I'm allergic to gluten" in any language where you visit.
Success,
Janel
Read labels wherever you go and learn the phrase "I'm allergic to gluten" in any language where you visit.
Success,
Janel
Here is a link to one of my favorite blogs, by Shauna James Ahern, the Gluten Free Girl:
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html
She describes her honeymoon in Italy over several posts, and the reading is great even when she's not talking about GFness!
I lived in Spain this summer and I would agree with pretty much everything Mafyta said about being Celiac there. If you decide to go there and have any specific questions I'd be glad to try to answer them!
http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html
She describes her honeymoon in Italy over several posts, and the reading is great even when she's not talking about GFness!
I lived in Spain this summer and I would agree with pretty much everything Mafyta said about being Celiac there. If you decide to go there and have any specific questions I'd be glad to try to answer them!
Hi....unfortunatelly my loving country (greece) needs education on celiac matters.....Very few people know what I am talking about....I have trouble finding things to eat....so....difficult for you to feel comfortable here...It's a pitty cause it's a beautiful country...
I was back home in Hamburg, Germany for six weeks last summer, and found it extremely easy to be gluten-free there. In the six weeks I don't think I got glutened once, even though I lived in three different places (an aunt, and two brothers) and traveled quite a lot.
You can easily find gluten-free food there (Reformhaus, Budnikowsky, Aldi) and people in restaurants understand what you are talking about.
Plus, they have an excellent university.
You can easily find gluten-free food there (Reformhaus, Budnikowsky, Aldi) and people in restaurants understand what you are talking about.
Plus, they have an excellent university.