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| I loved this bike I saw in Winterswijk, Holland |
I have returned home and as I much as I love to travel, I love coming home. Nothing like the coziness of my own house and bed. When I left on this trip I wondered what I would encounter food-wise. I knew that Europeans are more conscious of gmo's and having more healthful ingredients but sourcing food that is both gluten-free and vegan can be a challenge. To be honest, I did fall off the vegan wagon. (I tend to fall off when I travel.)
I was invited for a meal a few times and when someone offers me hospitality and makes the effort of preparing a meal that is gluten-free, vegetarian but not vegan, I would rather err on the side of kindness and eat what they offer. Sure my stomach was resentful but I popped a few charcoal pills and all was good. Here are some grocery stores that carry healthful alternatives in Europe.
Reformhaus is a high quality healthfood store I found to be most prevalent in Europe. I was able to locate this grocery store in Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands. I wanted to take a shot of the interior but a lady scolded me, "nein! nein!" Fine, I won't take a picture!
Edeka is also a German company which isn't exclusively a health food store but carries a lot of health food selections.
Italy was a bit of a challenge. My husband and I joined a group of his colleagues for a continuing educational tour on the reformation so with such a tight schedule, we did not have the freedom to search for health food stores. There was a grocery store walking distance from our Hotel and we had no trouble finding dairy free milk. As for gluten free, the Italians prepare vegetables very deliciously. In Italy I ate potatoes, rice and vegetables and all manner of variations using these three types of foods.
In Prague, Czech Republic, we ran into Adventist owned Country Life Restaurant and Health Food Store.
There is no way I can provide a complete list of health food stores but if you are traveling to Europe, you could always search Yelp.
Just a note to let you know that there is a gluten-free summit going on now. Check out their facebook page to tune in.
Have a great day!
