Gluten free diet in Nepal is covered in this article for those with gluten allergy or celiac disease.
Bonnie asked the following question:
Hi! I am in Nepal now and having real difficulty with my gluten allergy and dairy intolerance. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I am also going to be traveling to India, and saw the section on that which was very helpful. Thanks!
Catherine answered as follows:
Nepal isn’t a problem. I’m coeliac and if you dhal bhat, their staple food which is basically, rice, lentils and veggies is both healthy and safe for you.
As you’re also dairy intolerant, make sure they don’t use ghee… most of the time they won’t though… ghee is clarified butter used in India and Nepal.
In village and untouristy places, you’ll get this kind of dhal bhat but in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, they might prepare a fancier dhal bhat which might also come with a kind of Indian/Nepali bread.. more like what in India is called ‘thali’…. of course if it does, let them know to put some extra rice instead of the bread…. You can always find gluten free foods to eat in Nepal but dairy is everywhere when it comes to deserts… steer clear of those…. just like in India…..
I was in both countries four times, my latest was for 6 months and left this February. There’s plenty of good fruit you can eat too, especially in India and some bread is done with lentil or chickpea flour so sometimes you can also help yourself to that… but be sure it’s 100% as sometimes they tend to mix it with wheat flour. Enjoy this extraordinary part of the world! It’s my favourite!
Note that ghee (clarified butter) has little if any lactose, so if you are lactose intolerant, ghee should be just fine for you.
Further questions and advice about eating gluten free in Nepal are welcome, please leave a comment.