I recently flew economy on WestJet's direct flight from Calgary to Tokyo and back, and I'd like to share my experience having their gluten intolerant meals.

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

• My Gluten-Free Meals on ANA. Perfect for a Celiac
• WestJet's Gluten-Free Snack on a Domestic Economy Flight Review

I had to call the WestJet Call Center to order the gluten intolerant meal. They don't have a 100% gluten-free option. Here is what they say about their Gluten Intolerant Meal: "This meal excludes all forms of wheat, rye, barley, oats, and bran, as well as any ingredients containing gluten. While we take care to select gluten-free ingredients, please note that we cannot guarantee a 100% gluten-free environment." So, order and consume at your own risk. I decided to try it. I had a great experience with the person I spoke with. They were very helpful and made sure that this special meal was booked on both my departing and returning flights.

I did double check with staff at the WestJet counter, both in Calgary and Tokyo to make sure my special meal was noted on my booking information as per their Call Center instructions. The crew on both flights came over to let me know that they were aware that I needed a special meal. My meals came out prior to the main serving time and were hot.

Going to Tokyo from Calgary I had a hot meal consisting of a chicken breast with a tomato based sauce on a quinoa mixture with steamed vegetables, a side salad, a fruit cup and a small hard gluten free bun. Above is a closeup of the main meal. The chicken was tender and tasted good. The tomato sauce was mild, just a slight tomato flavour. I'm not a fan of quinoa. I don't react well to it, so I didn't eat much. It was great to have some vegetables, mainly overly cooked zucchini.

If you look up at the first photo you can see the rest of my first dinner meal going to Tokyo. The bun could have benefited from being microwaved, but the crew was so busy I didn't want to bother them. It would have been nice to have a butter or margarine with the bun. The salad was ok, fresh. It came with a slice of lemon to drizzle on top. There was no other dressing provided. The fruit was sweet and not mushy. Overall the food was ok for airplane food, a little on the bland side. The meal was labelled GFML Gluten Free Meal.

Also, for some reason all my meals came with a glass of water. The other 'regular' meals did not come with a glass of water. Perhaps because mine was served before the others and drinks were served after everyone's meal was served, they thought it would be too long for me to wait for a drink.

The breakfast option was a hot vegan tofu scramble and mushroom mixture with a hot tomato slice and some greens. Not sure if the greens were spinach or kale, I think they were spinach. Tasted not bad actually, very soft, but had a nice strong flavour. Which was welcome as the tofu/egg scramble was bland.

I also got a Wise Bite's gluten-free muffin with my breakfast. It was nice to get something that clearly stated "gluten-free" on the packaging. Wise Bite is a Canadian family company based in Richmond, British Columbia. Here is a link to their website if you would like to find out more about them.

Here is what the muffin looked like out of the packaging. It was tasty, but could have benefited from being warmed up and having some butter. It would be great if WestJet could give these or Wise Bite's gluten-free cookies out as an option for celiac's when handing out the other snacks during the flight.

On the return trip from Tokyo I had been hoping for a more Asian inspired menu. But, I was disappointed as the meals were a generic Western style. Overall the meals were ok, but bland. The main hot meal (see photo above) was a chicken/tofu meatball??? I think with very soft steamed broccoli, carrots, and I think potatoes. The potatoes were watery and had a strange chewy texture. This was served with french lentils. The meal definitely was improved by adding the salt and pepper packet that was included with the knife and fork package. I also got a salad consisting of greens and one cherry tomato along with a lemon slice and a packet of olive oil, the gluten-free dry bun and a plain yogurt. I used the lemon slice and olive oil on the salad and then dipped my bun into the salad sauce for some flavour. The yogurt made the meal feel health, but didn't really add any flavour.

The breakfast meal was an omelette stuffed with something, not sure what exactly, I think mushrooms and maybe red peppers. Some more steamed broccoli, carrots and potatoes and a cauliflower. The omelet was quite tasty. The vegetables were over cooked and bland. Again I got a gluten free bun and a packet of olive oil. When drink service came around, I ordered a vegetable juice, and used it as a cold gazpacho-like soup to dunk my bread in. Worked out quite well. Softened the bread and provided some flavour.

Overall the gluten intolerant (gluten-free) meals were ok. They were filling. On the bland side and the gluten-free roll tasted good, but could have been better if it was warmed up and came with some butter or margarine. The vegetables were all very overcooked, but I appreciated having some vegetables.

No gluten-free snacks were available in economy class on either flight. They provided pretzels (had wheat) and cookies (had wheat) to the rest of the passengers, but nothing for special diets.

I know that how you feel after a meal, doesn't mean there hasn't been damage from cross-contamination, but just for information sake, I felt fine after all meals.

Would I order the "gluten intolerant meal" again? Yes, I would. But, next time I would bring a couple of those individual almond butter packets you can get at stores like Mountain Equipment Co-op to put on the bun. I recommend bringing a few gluten-free snacks. I like to bring some fruit and gluten-free chips, bars and nuts and dried fruit. I sometimes bring gluten-free cold pizza slices or a gluten-free sandwich. I always bring a gluten-free treat like a gluten-free chocolate bar or cookie, so I don't feel left out when the snacks I can't eat come around.

I don't bring anything with peanuts, because if someone with a peanut allergy is on the plane too, you will not be able to eat those snacks.

I don't know about you, but I always bring too many snacks, and have to throw them away before landing. I worry I will be super hungry on the plane. I never have been, but it is an anxiety I have.

Compared to my ANA economy gluten-free meal experience, Westjet is lacking. ANA was fabulous. The ANA crew were very attentive and the food delicious. But, I wanted a direct flight from Calgary to Tokyo and back this trip and WestJet is the only carrier who provides this route.

What have your experiences with gluten-free meals been like on WestJet's economy international flights? Has anyone flown premium or business and ordered a gluten-free (gluten intolerant) meal? What was it like? What kind of snacks do you bring on international flights?

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.