Still suffering from jet lag! It's been a few days and I'm not on Japan time and not yet back on Canadian time, I seem to be somewhere in between! Aaahhhh! I wanted to share with you about my gluten-free meal experience on ANA (All Nippon Airlines). The airline staff were great on both flights. I had no issues communicating as they spoke English. A stewardess came and checked that I was the celiac who needed the gluten-free meal on both flights and on both flights they placed a sticker on the top of my seat stating I was the one who needed the gluten-free meals.

If you're interested in my other airplane food experiences, check out these blogs as well!

• My Gluten-Free (Gluten Intolerant) Meals on WestJet's International Economy Flight.
• WestJet's Gluten-Free Snack on a Domestic Economy Flight Review

I ordered my meal from the ANA website after booking my flight. Here is a link to the ANA website regarding the special meals they have, so you can check them out yourself. You go to the website and then click on the "Special Meals" tab and then click on "Dietary Meals" to find the "Gluten Free Meal (GFML). I don't recommend ordering ANA's "Allergen Free Meals" because barley is not considered an allergen by the Japanese Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare, and therefore doesn't have to be included on the ingredients label.

On the way to Japan this is the dinner meal I was given. It was tasty. I got a tomato sauce chicken breast meal with quinoa and grilled veggies. For sides, I had greens, a mixed salad, and what looked like an O'Dough bun, fruit, and a box of raisins. The food was good. For dessert a delicious Mario's Gelati vanilla ice cream. So yummy! Mario's Gelati is a Vancouver, BC company. I thought it was great ANA was supporting a local company from the departing city.

Breakfast was fruit, and another O'Dough bun with tomato slices and a Wisebite bar. I really liked the Wisebite bar. It was my first time trying them.

My flight back to Canada was even better. The staff were so attentive and the food was excellent. Here is the dinner I received. The main was creamed chicken and carrot butter rice, so tasty. The sides were very yummy. I had a tofu mousse with cauliflower and shrimp salad, an octopus and vegetable ceviche, fruit and a soft gluten-free rice bread bun. The bun was so soft and tasty. My return meal was the same as the one shown on the ANA website. It was fantastic.

Ice cream was passed around when I wasn't at my seat. Toilet break ^-^. I'm assuming it wasn't gluten-free, and I didn't ask because I was quite full.

The breakfast was a simple rice and lettuce wrap with I think chicken and veggies inside. No sauce, but still delicious as the filling was very tasty. It was perfect for a breakfast meal as I wasn't very hungry and appreciated the healthy feeling it gave me.

I would definitely recommend ANA for any celiac or gluten-intolerant individual. My flight was from Vancouver BC to Tokyo Haneda Airport and vise versa. It is about a 10 hour flight. I found the staff on the plane to be very helpful and attentive. My only suggestion would be bring your own snacks. None of the snacks offered were gluten-free. I usually pack some gluten-free bars, chips and fruit. On the flight to Japan, I did pack an onigiri, some cheese and pepperoni sticks and instant gluten-free miso soup. On long haul flights, I usually pack a small meal just in case my gluten-free meal doesn't make it on board. I try to only pack what I can eat on the plane as you usually can't bring your food with you into the country you are visiting.

What have your experiences been like when flying internationally? Are you comfortable eating the gluten-free meals provided by the airline or do you bring your own food?

Note: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Always seek out a medical opinion for medical concerns. Not sponsored. If sponsored I will always say so at the top of the post.