The experiences:
-There was a gluten free menu at one of the restaurants I visited -yay!
-One of the restaurants told me that they had a gluten free option…turns out it was a plate of rice and potatoes. Yum. (Ew.)
-A chef at a restaurant tried to convince me that couscous was GF. I think he was a little offended when I refused to eat it….
The things I learned:
-I learned that in Israel, ordering a small decaf coffee means, “Please give me coffee with milk.” Let’s just say that when I re-ordered I had to be very clear that all I wanted was coffee…without milk. I think they thought I was an alien.
-The gluten free products in Israel are absolutely incredible! The bread is the fluffiest GF bread I’ve ever had in my life. Greenlight is the main brand there; their bread products and baked goods are fantastic!
-Dairy alternatives are just not a thing in Israel. There was soymilk in ONE of the 5 hotels that I stayed out throughout the trip, and it was nowhere else to be found-not in coffee shops, not in restaurants, etc. Someone has got to get on that….
The pics:
Breakfast in Israel is incredible. I love eating vegetables for breakfast, which is just not normal here! In Israel, I could eat salad in the morning to my heart’s content! Every hotel had a huge buffet with so many options! A typical breakfast for me was a plate of eggs, fish (sometimes), a few types of salads, and some fruit.
Lunch and dinner for me, considering that I don’t eat dairy or red meat, were pretty much always chicken and veggies. This lunch was from a food court! I had grilled chicken, salad, pickled carrots, and pickles. The chef cleaned the grill for me when I told him I needed a GF meal. Where in America can you find a healthy GF meal at a food court?!
The food in Israel was absolutely incredible! It was a huge part of my trip. Although I did miss out on some things because of gluten and dairy, I have a list of things that I am going to try to make GF and DF at home! Stay tuned for that post!
Just a Wannabe RD 