Salty Zebra

    Today I’d like to share with you an incredible little spot. Some people like to keep secrets like this to themselves, but I want this bakery to stay open forever, so I’d like to drive lots of business in their direction! I’ve dealt with restrictive diets and food intolerances for as long as I can remember. One of the most well-known and yet still difficult ones of these is being gluten-free. We’ve come a long way in recognition of this allergy with many restaurants marking their menus with safe options and occasionally offering gluten-free alternatives like pasta or sandwich bread. Still, if you’re going out to eat, your options will be limited. The cruelest thing you can say to someone who is gluten-free is, “At least you can have a salad!” We’ve heard that so many times it’s become a trope. I almost cried the last time my husband said that to me.   Said husband has completely redeemed himself though by finding this little gem for me! He was out serving the homeles...

  So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.   1 Corinthians 10: 31 I have a long history with restrictive diets. Really, it dates back to my childhood watching my family yo-yo dieting with Slim Fast and other equally toxic and unmaintainable eating styles. Those early messages were so conflicting and confusing. “Food is bad, because it’s so good.” I’m not sure how you ever really clear out those founding memories. Sugar is bad. Salt is bad. Fat is bad. Carbs are bad. Artificial sweeteners are bad. Red Meat is bad. Gluten is bad. Dairy is bad. Oh wait, but most of those things are good and necessary too. As an adult, I’ve bumped up against several needs for diets. When my children were born, I wanted to lose the pregnancy weight. My babies had severe allergies and I was nursing them, so I had to cut out dairy and soy – not an easy thing to do at the turn of the century when labels were still very lacking. Then my body started ...

      In my opinion, cruising is the easiest way to travel when you have a special diet, and Carnival did not disappoint.  What's important, though, is knowing the best way to navigate dining with a special diet, so I'm here to give you the 411.     Most cruise lines request that you inform them of your dietary needs before the cruise, but Carnival does not.  What they do ask you to do is inform each server you work with about any allergies or special diets.  Their special needs website ( Facilities & Services for Guests with Disabilities | Carnival   > Guests with Dietary Needs) talks about a system called Menu Mate.  I never saw anything like this onboard, nor was it offered to me, but perhaps the crew uses it to figure out what is safe to offer.       Carnival is able to customize many of the menu options for different diets, but they need the request to be put in the day before so you will need to order som...