Going on holiday with IBS/Gluten intolerance.

kittylester

You people who go self catering must be much more irganised than I am.

I never have all the ingredients I need - Henderson's Relish, balsamic, mustards etc.

I cook entirely differently when I self cater....much simpler stuff. In the Uk there is also the option to shop at supermarkets who are getting much better at labelling their ready meals. (can't tolerate any kind of non sugar sweetener or MSG)

Georgesgran of course I don't mean anyone with an illness shouldn't go away. Nor am I being light hearted.

I am gluten intolerant but if I go on holiday, I don't want to be cooking. I want to be able to access tasty meals without having to cook them myself.

kittylester

Strikes me as a lot of hard work for a holiday.

No need to be rude Kitty .

I was not being rude - expressing an opinion isn't rude.

VioletSky

I take Buscopan with me everywhere, if I take it at the first sign of trouble it usually works

It’s not that simple if you are coeliac though. Buscopan might ease the immediate symptoms of bloating but it won’t help the lasting effects of fatigue, anaemia and horrible smelling poo. This can last for two or three weeks.

Sorry I'm gluten intolerant like OP mentioned so I'm answering in those terms

Definitely not trying to advise anyone with coeliac!

It’s possible to access a ‘need the toilet’ urgency card or have similar on a phone which explains ( not in detail) why. I had an embarrassing moment in a shop recently and was asked if I have this card. I have it now.

We always stay in self-catering places. Usually do a main shop on the way at a local supermarket to see us through 2 or 3 days, which gives us a bit of leeway if we decide to go out somewhere. We found that when we stayed in a hotel we rarely ate there anyway as often we wouldn't get home till late. We can knock up a lovely breakfast in no time at all so that's no problem. I think the main problem is lunches, so we usually get takeaway drinks to eat with our own food in a park somewhere.

I have found going to restaurants in both Italy and France very accommodating as they have proper chefs who will cook something special if you ask. I had a message in French and one in Italian on my phone explaining what I could/ couldn’t eat. When I needed to be GF and onion / garlic free they were excellent and in Italy GF pasta and gnocchi are readily available. Many places in the U.K. they buy in stuff ready made and don’t cook from scratch so they can’t modify the sauces or the ingredients in a dish. The best place I have found in the U.K. are Italian restaurants, who tend to make their own sauces etc. Having said that, I agree self catering is best when you have dietary issues.