All Inclusive Resorts - Gluten Free

This was the view from our room.  It's ok to be jealous.

I just got back from a week in Jamaica.  It's relatively warm in New York City this winter, but compared to the 85 degree days and 75 degree nights of island life, I'm sitting here wrapped in blankets and pouting profusely.  Gone from Saturday to Saturday, it's a good thing I had today to pull myself together before heading back to work tomorrow.

Last year my man friend and I went to Mexico.  It was my first vacation gluten free and I was kind of nervous about it.  I quickly realized that with so many options available at a resort buffet, eating gluten free was easy.  I had a similar experience this year, which is why this post is about eating at all inclusive resorts, rather than Jamaica.

Whether the resort is big or small, they are feeding so many people that there will always be gluten free options.  I don't mean gluten free pasta or bread. That you certainly won't find.  But there will always be a plethora of fruits and vegetables, along with fish, meat, and rice.  This covers lunch and dinner, and for breakfast there are always eggs, potatoes, fruit, and yogurt.

This trip I didn't knowingly eat any gluten or take nearly as many chances as last time.  I still let a few things slide that I wasn't positive on like jerk chicken and curry goat (the sauces being the potential problem), but I didn't get sick once.  I can't speak on cross contamination, and while I'm pretty sensitive and was fine the entire time, this might be a cause for concern for some.  However, the staff at these places are usually pretty great, and if you want to take the time to ask, I highly recommend it.

All in all, with all the food options at all inclusive resorts, eating gluten free is easy.  You might not always get what you want to eat, but at least you aren't going to starve.  Have some lunch and go drink a pina colada on the beach.  No problem.

Gluten Free Mexico

This is me reading on the beach.

I just got back from a week in Mexico.  It was pretty great.  I did nothing but lay on the beach, drink frozen drinks, snorkel, go on a cultural excursion, and eat - almost entirely gluten free.

It was an all inclusive trip so all the food and drinks were included and available in abundance.  They had a few restaurants open for dinner, a buffet, a 24 hour snack bar, and bars everywhere.  The drinks were gluten free so that wasn't a problem.  Phew.  The buffet had so many different options that I was fine.  I mostly ate veggies, fish, and rice and beans for lunch and dinner.  Breakfast was usually eggs, potatoes, and fruit.  I love Mexico for having watermelon in season in March.  I dislike Mexico for not jumping on the genetically modified food bandwagon and creating seedless watermelon.  That's a joke.  Sort of.  Not at all.

It was easy to avoid gluten most of the time, especially at the buffet.  I just walked past the large sections of breads, pastas, pizzas, and desserts.  Mac and cheese almost got me one day but I finally convinced myself it wasn't worth the stomach ache.  I only knowingly ate gluten twice: going out for hibachi I ate fried rice with lots of soy sauce, and also a chicken nugget that I couldn't resist.  I paid the price for the rice.

Ok ok, I also ate stuff that I'm pretty sure had gluten in it, but I couldn't confirm, and ignorance is bliss, right?  Potatoes au gratin, gravy for the filet mignon, soup?  Meh it's Mexico.

All in all I was fine.  And for those times I wasn't, who knows if it was gluten, or just the foreign food/water.