# Diet concern



## Podmike

Hi,

I have recently accepted a job in Tokyo and I am expecting to move there sometime in late February or early March. My concern is that I am gluten sensitive, meaning that food with ingredients derived from wheat, rye or barley can make me pretty sick. I was wondering if there was anyone already living there that has some experience with this and if they can give me some advice on shopping and dining out in Tokyo. 

Thanks


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## Lezz

I've never had a problem with gluten myself, but I don't see why you should have a problem in Japan. Unless I am wrong, the Japanese staple food of rice doesn't contain any gluten.

You haven't stated whether you can speak or read Japanese, but if you say gluten (グルーテン) slowly and cross your arms in front of you to in an X shape to signify no, the waiters/waitresses should be able to understand you. To check for ingredients on food packaging you should be ok with ライ麦 for rye,　小麦 for wheat, and 大麦 for barley. 

Good luck and enjoy yourself!!!


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## Podmike

Sorry for taking so long to reply, but thanks for your reply Lezz.

It is true that rice does not contain gluten, however most noodles do (udon and ramen), a lot of sauces and soups do (soy sauce) and a lot of different processed foods do. My main concern is the last thing because I read that the Japanese eat a lot of very processed foods. Gluten is often hidden in the ingredients of processed food and is hard to spot sometimes even when the label is in English. I know that buying and cooking only fresh foods myself will solve this problem for me but I also know that will be impossible for me to do every day. I was just hoping that maybe there was someone else with similar issues who could give me some advice.


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## Lezz

I can't compare to the USA, but I would say that yes, there are alot of processed foods in Japan. I would say avoid all convenience store food for starters and be especially careful when eating out. Even if you ask restaurant staff about the gluten content, I wouldn't be surprised if there are people that don't know exactly what it is and to what extent it is used in stuff like soy sauce.


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## larabell

I'm staring at a cup-of-noodles package (probably the lowest rung on the processed food ladder) and, while they don't list "gluten", per-se, there is a matrix of ingredients where ingredients which are potential problems for those with food allergies are colored in. Things like komugi (wheat) and daizu (beans) are listed but it's not altogether clear which ones in the matrix you'd have to be careful with. For instance, yamaimo (a kind of root) is listed but I'd have no idea whether that contains gluten just from looking at the package. Also, while I have seen a similar matrix before on other products, I don't know if it's something mandated by law or if it's just there because this particular manufacturer decided it might be helpful.

I've also seen something called "glutinous rice" on restaurant menus before so I question whether all rice you're likely to find here is safe. Of course, that could have been a mis-translation as well.

I've hosted vegetarian coworkers from India before and I know it's a real pain to find restaurants who even know what all is in the food they cook. A lot of what restaurants use to construct their dishes is basically processed food in bulk. And I don't feel there's as much awareness of gluten sensitivity (or even vegetarianism) here compared to Western countries. You may have to stick with rice, vegetables, and sushi at first and do some research into other stuff as you branch out.


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## rob_thomson

There are bound to be plenty of 'natural food stores' in Tokyo which will have gluten-free options. Try import stores like Jupiter and Kaldi Coffee. You'll most probably pay more for them though, as opposed to the 'West' where gluten free options are more common.


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