Ep 36 Business Travel Gluten Free
Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:
My guest this week is a frequent gluten free business traveller. Christina Varro is an avid traveller, but points out some of the different requirements for those on a business trip needing to eat gluten free. Christina has travelled and navigated eating gluten free in more than 25 countries worldwide. She is a photographer with a wealth of knowledge about many different aspects of travel. Her websites and blogs can be found at –
Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast – http://www.acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
New Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – www.glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
Often, needing a gluten free diet is something that calls on us to be empowered for our health. We are taught to speak up and ask questions. There is, however somewhat of a disconnect when it comes to business travel. There are many different reasons to travel on business, but in many instances you are meeting and spending social time with people you are not normally “friends” with. Friends can be “taught” to deal with your special diet, but this is not normally something that makes for good business conversation, unless, like me, your business is gluten free.
Christina has a great attitude towards some of the unknowns of business travel. I think attitude has a great deal to do with the success of any business trip. Although your diet is very important to you, and likely to your family and friends, it is not something that most business colleagues take the time to bother with. On a business trip, you are pretty much going it alone. This is where the attitude comes into play. You want to assert your needs, but stay under the radar. Setting yourself up as needy is not likely the image you want to portray for yourself amongst your business colleagues.
This is often when we can call on our “super power”. I define our super power as our great understanding that eating unconventionally is better than taking a chance of eating gluten and that doing without is better than getting sick. We understand that maybe a hard-boiled egg and a gluten free muffin is a better lunch than eating from a buffet laden with gluten and cross contamination. Let’s face it, once your after-meal meetings have started, none of those at the table remember that you left the room for a short time during the meal, or that maybe you opened your bag and pulled out your own cookies or gluten free wrap.
Business travel requires us to be not only resourceful, but as Christina says, to grow a somewhat thicker skin, to protect ourselves and our health. My challenge when I feel uncomfortable asserting myself is – What is the alternative? Would I rather be sick? How would that impact my trip? I’m sure you can all agree with me that no food is worth it. Thanks Christina, for giving us lots of tips to make gluten free business travel simple and easier than we think it might be.