How I survive when traveling

It's hard enough to travel, let alone when you have a special diet. I am corn and gluten free. I do this to control my Crohn's disease. I also avoid all derivatives of corn and gluten. Such things as soy sauce, salad dressing, mustard, ketchup, relish, white vinegar, corn syrup...I take no medicine and I am in complete remission, my last colonoscopy was normal and showed no signs of Crohn's. However if I eat the wrong foods, that could change.

This is how I dealt with my recent trip to Charleston S.C. for a wedding. It took some planning and some luck.

First off, what I brought with me: I made a big dish of Oatmeal -to -Go. I figured if nothing else, I could have these for breakfast or a snack. I also packed lentil chips, Nu Go protein bars, and dried fruit packages. I did not bring fruits or veggies figuring I could find those anywhere.

All of these came in handy during my five day stay.

The Hotel that we stayed at offered a free breakfast. No carbs of any kind that I could eat. Now the oatmeal bars came to the rescue. They had Nutella there! This was so nice spread on the bars. They also offered hard boiled eggs, Chiobani yogurt, bananas, oranges, apples and orange juice. Plenty now for breakfast. Note: Hard boiled eggs are usually safe. I do not trust scrambled eggs that are already made. Too many things that could have been added.

The next challenge was eating out at restaurants. The safest for me is to get baked fish with a salad or vegetables. No sauce. No dressing. The steamed mussels were a bit if a gamble but the chef said there was no soy sauce in them. Just lemon garlic and butter.

Some of the best places in Charleston were Toasts, The crab Shack, Hank's and Fleets Landing.

Another small challenge was lunch. We found a few smoothie and juice bars so that settled that issue. One sold lovely salads as well. Juice bars also came in handy when we were going through the airports.

And finally, the wedding. It was gorgeous ceremony right on the beach. The food however...nothing that I could eat. It's ok. The night was beautiful and it was a wonderful time with family and friends. I ate a protein bar.

My daughter's dinner and my dinner:

And finally airport food. This was not the best. I felt safe ordering a plain hamburger without the bun and a side of veggies. Everything was over cooked. They still put it on a bun. Really the only bad meal I had the whole trip.

Traveling is a wonderful thing, but not when you feel sick or need to use the bathroom constantly. A little planning can go a long way. And btw Charleston is a beautiful city and we will go back.

Xanthan substitute

Ok this is sweet! Really nice! This company, Pamela's, has come out with a substitute product for xanthan and guar gum. These are generally used in baking products and add to the texture. They make gluten free less crumbly and more chewy delicious.

Of course, I avoid all gluten and corn as well as gluten and corn derivatives in order to control my Crohn's disease. I am on no medication and I am in total remission from the disease. I discovered this diet through trial and error.

Xanthan is a derivative of corn. And it'll flare me. This is one of the ingredients I never eat.

Above are pictures of my latest bread using this product. I just added 3 teaspoons to the usual recipe. The results were good. Would recommend this product.

I bought it at Whole Foods for a little more than 5 dollars and it will last a long while.