Dining out in Europe with food sensitivities was a breeze
I was pleasantly surprised with the vegan options and ingredient labeling
Before leaving for my recent trip to Europe, I was worried about being able to eat properly while there. Given my food sensitivities from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and alpha-gal syndrome, it can be challenging to dine out in the U.S., even when I know the language. How would I manage it in countries where everything isn’t in English?
With EDS, I’ve always struggled with heavy or greasy foods, and as I got older, I tended not to tolerate large amounts of dairy. A few years ago, I developed alpha-gal syndrome, a reaction to a mammalian protein, from a tick bite. As a result, I can’t eat anything derived from mammals, such as beef, pork, dairy, and some specific vitamins. If I’m dining out, it’s easier to eat vegan. I can eat at home pretty easily, but avoiding all of those products when I’m eating out sometimes feels impossible.
One of the first things that shocked me in Europe was that no matter where we went, everything had labels with the ingredients. And I mean everywhere. The tiny corner bakery? Labeled. The little mom-and-pop eatery? Labeled. I was thrilled! One of the reasons eating in the U.S. is so challenging is that typically only chain restaurants list their ingredients because they’re required to do so by law. In Europe, I could go into any food establishment and quickly determine if there were dishes I could eat.
Ingredients that work for me
Not only did the labeling make things much easier, but I also learned that the European food supply is more highly regulated than in the U.S. Lots of ingredients derived from mammals that are common in U.S. foods are banned in Europe. Their ingredient lists tended to be much shorter, typically with items I could actually pronounce. It was amazing.
In addition to the labeling and the ingredients, I quickly found that people were genuinely willing to help me figure out what I could eat when I went out. While it was often hard to explain to people what alpha-gal is, when I said I had a lot of food allergies but could eat anything vegan, they’d tell me which items on the menu I could eat and which they could modify for me.
In fact, when I arrived in Geneva after my flight, I was exhausted and hungry. Despite having requested a vegan meal, it wasn’t on the plane. The flight attendants were apologetic and did the best they could, but I basically ate some fruit and protein bars I’d stashed in my bag. When I arrived, all I wanted was real food.
It was mid-afternoon, but the waitress at the hotel restaurant immediately talked to the chef and learned that I could eat both the lemon and orange breakfast breads. She sent my parents and me up to our room to get settled and followed a few minutes later with a tray of bread, coffee, almond milk, and sugar. It was incredibly kind.
Overall, after being so worried about what I’d be able to eat, it turned out that I could eat so much better than I do in the U.S. Many restaurants had vegan options right on their menus, and those that didn’t happily accommodated my allergies. I sampled German, French, Afghan, Chinese, and Turkish food.
Now that I’m back, I miss eating in Europe. But I’m trying to bring back some of what I learned. Because of my allergies, I’m limited in the types of processed foods I can eat. Now I’m limiting them even more. So much of what’s in Europe is more whole-food based, and while I can’t change the way the U.S. food supply works, I can include more fresh and whole foods into my daily routine.
Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.
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William Kakish
I am in Austria right now and was really afraid I would only be able to eat salad, but you are absolutely correct. Everything is labelled. For me that means anything with and A (gluten) or an F (soy) is verboten. The same has been true when I traveled in Italy, Spain, and France two years ago. Europe also has strict food purity laws. The food is of such high quality that my morning blood sugar readings drop 50-60 points as soon as I get here (I am diabetic) I often think that if I moved here my diabetes would be cured. I was even to have a gluten-free Viener Schnitzel!
Mary C
When I was in France, I could eat any pastries and nothing made me ill. Here in the US, one donut or muffin sends me running. And we walked so much more which is why I figured that everyone in Paris looked to be a healthy weight.
Patty
Yes, Karen- we are literally being poisoned in the US. I discovered my migraines, allergies and possibly my muscle spasms are ALL due to additives in our food- my list of what chemicals I cannot eat is long and growing! I purchase as much food as I can from Europe- Aldi is my go to for fabulous frozen food from Italy, Germany, Norway, Spain, France, etc... and find chocolate from Belgium and pasta products from Italy, cheeses from Europe, etc.... I'm glad you had this awakening and hope you can find clean food to feel better! It is a task to read all of the labels and I have purchased a small freezer to hoard my favorites. Like Trader Joe's, many of my Aldi's favorites are hit and miss in stock. Hope you have one near you! Always enjoy your column!