Barcelona is not only one of the most amazing cities I have ever visited but it is also great for gluten free food. This was my first main holiday that I had been on since being diagnosed so I did my fair share of research beforehand. The majority of restaurants there have gluten free menu's and there are also some hidden gems that I found whilst out there. So here goes!
Conesa Entrepans - Carrer de la Llibreteria, 1, 08002 Barcelona, Spain
Conesa Entrepans is a gorgeous sandwich shop located on a square just off Las Ramblas. It was that popular we had to que to get in! They have loads of gluten free options and also a cute little stand for gluten free cakes. They also have a seperate area where they prepare the food to avoid cross contamination.
I had a chicken panini which was amazing, my first panini since being diagnosed!
Jansana Gluten Free Bakery - Balmes, 106, 08008 Barcelona, Spain (Eixample)
This is a must visit if you are visiting Barcelona! It's quite a small bakery so it is easy to miss but just look out for the sign!😄 There are so many options available, quiche, doughnuts, brownies, sandwiches, pastries, cheesecakes, macaroons and loads more! I had a quiche followed by a brownie and it was so amazing! I took a few treats away with me also. Again, highly recommend!
Copasetic - Diputacio, 55, 08015 Barcelona, Spain
Hands down - the best gluten free burger I have ever had. This was the first proper burger that I had since being diagnosed, and I have not found a better one since! This place is gorgeous, it has such a relaxed ambience about it and the food is incredible. Again, this was a place that I had researched before hand and the reviews seemed pretty good!
I had the burger which was filled with all sorts for main with a jacket potato side. The menu is really good, there is a lot to choose from. For dessert i had to have the Nutella Crepe - wow this was also amazing! This place is a must visit if you are in Barcelona!
Mcdonalds - Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain
Of course I had to write about the Mcdonalds in Barcelona. Obviously they are dotted all over the place, but the main one we went to was on Las Ramblas. I'm not joking when I say over the 6 nights that we were there I probably had about 10 burgers 😆 ... obviously I had to take advantage of the Mcdonalds whilst I was there, as for some reason the UK have not jumped on the bandwagon yet!!
Mercat de la Boqueria - Las Ramblas
This was a cute market that we wondered into that is on Las Ramblas. The colours when you walk in are just amazing, there is so much to choose from. They do have stalls for meat, fish and also plenty of drinks, fruit, veg, pastries etc.
I told you it was colourful didn't I!! 🤣
Hard Rock Cafe - Placa Catalunya
I swear I took a picture of my burger at the Hard Rock Cafe but unfortunately I cannot seem to find it now! However, i highly recommend here if you are visiting Barcelona. The food is amazing and they also have a great gluten free menu.
So that is my Gluten Free Guide to Barcelona! I hope you enjoyed the read and I hope this helps you all out when visiting this gorgeous place!
So I thought to start my blog off I would do a small section about me and how I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease.
For a couple of years now I started to notice that something was not right with the way I was digesting food if you like. After mostly every meal I always felt really bloated and my tummy seemed to feel dodgy most of the time.
In early 2016 I decided to get myself to the doctors as I knew something was not right. They gave me the usual talk of it most likely being IBS but to keep a food diary and see how I was feeling after certain things I ate. I was told that it could well be a food intolerance but again, just see how I get on and I can go for a blood test.
I carried on eating gluten and my normal foods for around 6 weeks and went for my blood tests. The results came back that I was borderline Coeliac. So after that I was referred for an endoscopy to see if there was anything abnormal. My first endoscopy came back that I had quite a lot of scarring in my oesophagus and a hiatus hernia was also present. They didn't look for Coeliac disease at this point.
As the first test came back borderline I had to give it 6 months of eating gluten and go back for another blood test to see if anything was different. My second blood test again came back borderline so that is when I was referred for another endoscopy. After my second endoscopy (which the second time really hurt) I had my appointment with my consultant in May 2017 and I was finally told that I did have Coeliac Disease. This was determined as my vili was so damaged (usual diagnosis) and that I was then to go on a fully gluten free diet to try and get me better.
I had 2 sessions with a dietician after that to help me out with what I now had to eat! At first it was so hard, I was constantly down about it. Having to change your whole lifestyle is massive, what you eat, having to be careful of any contamination, all your friends and family eating "normal" foods. It is really hard work initially. I always thought "why me"!
The advice that I would give to someone that is going through what I and many people have had to go through is: push to get a test if you really think something is wrong, I went with my gut and did what I had to do, sometimes I really wish that I never went to the doctors, never had the tests so I could have carried on living my old lifestyle. However, my health is so much better, I feel better eating what I eat now, so now I feel it really was worth it.
Another tip would be to scout every supermarket and try new things. You will be massively surprised at how much there is out there now for people with intolerances to eat. Some foods that I have tried since being diagnosed I would have never of dreamed of trying before. Also, if you are going out to eat I would do your research before and see if they do have a gluten free menu, I will do another post about my favourite restaurants, but again you will be surprised! I would also advise to join support groups, there are loads on Facebook. At least you will then realise that you are not alone!
So there we go... that is my journey and my first blog post! I hope you enjoyed having a read, and I hope at least one person reading this will feel better about their condition.
Below are a couple of links to Facebook groups which some people might find useful:
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/154345311427675/ - Coeliac GUTS
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/5933229822/ - Coeliacs in the UK
