Hyderabad - Post Report Question and Answers
What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
I am gluten-free, non-celiac, and it is a challenge because you never know if anyone has thickened a sauce with flour. However, Yummy Bee makes some lovely baked treats and that has been a delight! Rumor has it that Toscana has a gluten-free pizza crust, but I haven't tried it. You can eat dosa (my favorite), idli, and biryani pretty safely. Since salad is not usually safe outside of your house, it can be a challenge to eat out. I think nut allergies would be a problem because I believe cashew gets blended into some dishes, but I'm not certain. A shellfish allergy might be easier to handle here because most Indian shops don't even offer shellfish on the menu. Vegan is super easy here. - Oct 2026
You'll need to be very careful about figuring out what is in things. it's not always clear, especially depending on where you go. - Mar 2025
Labels are not consistent. - Jun 2024
If you tell someone you're allergic to a food, they're just as likely to encourage you to eat more of it as they are to help you avoid it, so be vigilant. I'm allergic to something in the air and take allegra every day, so if you're prone to hay fever, prepare to take meds. - Apr 2024
AQI obviously a big concern for asthma sufferers. - Jan 2023
I imagine some allergies could be tough to manage. - Dec 2020
It will be extraordinarily difficult to find accommodation for food allergies at local restaurants. - Jul 2020
Pollen allergies are far less frequent here than in other parts of the world, so that's a plus. That said, colds are often a result of pollution or other environmental factors. Germs are everywhere - there are a lot of people! And Indians do not widely conform to Western standards of cleanliness or sanitation, unfortunately. Nice restaurants with owners who've lived outside of India may come back with concepts of "gluten intolerance" and "peanut allergy" but most regular restaurants won't understand, nor will their menus list ingredients. - Jul 2019
Bring antihistamines and you'll be fine. - Nov 2017
It is very dusty here all the time and so everything is the house is always covered in dust, from floors to walls. The air quality is bad, so some develop respiratory problems. - Sep 2016
Be careful. Probably a lot of dust pollutants from the smog. Hard to get around a gluten allergy, I would imagine too. Peanut allergies might be difficult too. - Mar 2015
Because it's so dry, those with dust allergies may suffer. - Jan 2015