I am in college right now, and thinking very
seriously about studying abroad next year in either the Netherlands (Delft),
Sweden (Stockholm), Scotland (Edinburgh), Ireland (Dublin or Galway) or
possibly London. Does anyone happen to know if Europe in general, or any of
these places specifically, are as friendly to dietary requirements such as
mine as we are becoming in the States? I really just need to be able to
find basic staples such as cashew/almond butter, brown rice pasta, rice cakes and agave nectar,
but more variety would of course be wonderful. Any info anyone could provide
on this topic would be greatly appreciated!
Gluten Free Forums - Elana's Pantry » international
Study Abroad
(8 posts)-
Posted 3 years ago #
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I've read that celia awareness is great in Europe and veganism is popular there.
London has a Whole Foods, Edinburgh has Real Foods Ltd.You might check the Lonely Planet travel website for tips on eating inexpensively; they often point to student neighborhoods and grocery stores and they often reference veg/vegan choices,
Have a great time!
Posted 3 years ago # -
I live in Iceland a tiny island with a population of 300.000 ppl. Just within walking distance I have 6 health food stores that all stock gluten free, dairy free, soy free, other allergen free, organic, fair trade ect products.
I went to the east coast this summer to a town of 2000 and could get all I needed (note: all I needed, not all I wanted ;)
Europeans are generally not in the middle ages ;) Healthy eating, food allergies, veganism, organic, fair trade ect, we have all that :)
I know from experience that in at least Stockholm, Edinburgh, Dublin and London you can get all you need and will probably get lots of new products to try as well. Have not been to Galway or Delft but I am almost 100% sure you can get it there as well.
What you listed you can get in a supermarket in a coastal town of less than 500 here in Iceland (first hand knowledge from our summer trip)Posted 3 years ago # -
I recently travelled to London and had more variety for gluten, dairy and meat free than I have here in Sydney. London has heaps of health food stores, many really great GF options you can pick up if you're out an about (Marks and Spence, for example).
Posted 3 years ago # -
I live in Norway (country next to sweden) and I can tell you that we do have a lot of GF products available. But it depends on what you can eat.. For example, In Norway it's not legal with agave or Stevia. I know that it isn't legal with stevia throughout the european union. I know that Sweden and Britain is quite advanced in GF products, but I don't know about the Netherlands. Italy's got a lot of GF products.
But Europe is not by far as advanced as you are in the states. That's my opinion at least. A lot of the GF products has dairy in it, wich is a huge problem for me. We do have coconut flour and almond flour, but i seldom buy it, since Im a student and it's very expencive. (1kg of coconut flour is about 100 NOK, about $15). Norway is one of the most expencive countries in Europe, so I guess it's better in the other countries.
Good luck anyways!
Posted 3 years ago # -
Hi!
Great that you consider studying in Delft!
It is a lovely, small city with a university that is highly acclaimed in Europe. As for GF products like agave or almond flour: I would guestimate that it is fairly easy to get in Delft. There are good health food stores. I myself live in Amsterdam (about 45 minutes from Delft by train) and here I can get pretty much everything I like. There are also a couple of good websites that will get you fresh flour from organic mill companies on the Dutch countryside, that deliver at your door. It may take a little search at first, but I expect no problems on this topic for you here.Good luck with your decision and if you need further help here, please let me know!
Best wishes, Christianne
Posted 3 years ago # -
I had passed from Delft university.Very high standard of teaching at a world renowned university.The Dutch are nice people,speak good English and are very welcoming.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I live in the mid-north part of Sweden. I have a lot of food allergies & intolerances, but have been able to find places to purchase the things I need. There are gluten-free sections in all supermarkets, lactose-free dairy is very easy to get (& quite popular here), there are lots of health food stores where I've found various nut butters plus alternate flours & stevia. I also order things from a Swedish health food site to save on some money.
Posted 1 year ago #
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