Lyme, Food Allergies moving to Thailand for Med Reasons

[decalwrites]

But terrified I will be unable to eat. We are supposed to move to Chaing Mai - my husband has a job offer and there is a Lyme Disease treatment center but food and chemical allergies are a major issue. I can only eat about twenty foods and they are are really specific and pretty Western. Can anyone tell me if I can get them in Chaing Mai?

Banana

Apple

Sweet Potatoes - NOT YAMS

White Potato

Coconut

Carrot

Honey Dew Melon

Peanut

Almond

Brazil Nut

Peas

Chicken

Turkey

Catfish

Salmon

Tuna

Avocado

Shrimp

Green Beans

Tofu

Are incenses, colognes, prefumes, deisel fumes, and so on major issues???

I know it's a largely Buddhist nation, and that's fine - I am Buddhist myself...but will I have to remain in the US while my husband works there???

Thanks in advance for any and all responses....

[kikoman]

Most of the foods you named are readily available in Thailand, I believe you may have problems with the air quality, as a haze hangs over Asia, Traffic fumes, smoke from fires. you will need to check with the Lyme Center and see if they can be more helpful on the quality of air and other fumes you will be exposed to here in Thailand.

I wish you luck in finding out the info you need.

Cheers:

Edited September 7, 2013 by kikoman

[butterisbetter]

Air quality in the hot season can definitely be a problem. Hot season runs February to May. Usuallly there are a couple of bad weeks. Of course, if you are unusually sensitive, maybe more weeks. That might be a good time of year to go elsewhere. Of all the foods you listed, only brazil nuts might not be readily available.

[decalwrites]

Thank you both for this helpful onformation. I appreciate it.

[SantiSuk]

Most of the foods you named are readily available in Thailand, I believe you may have problems with the air quality, as a haze hangs over Asia, Traffic fumes, smoke from fires. you will need to check with the Lyme Center and see if they can be more helpful on the quality of air and other fumes you will be exposed to here in Thailand.

I wish you luck in finding out the info you need.

Cheers:

A haze hangs over Asia? Bit dramatic and far too generalised.

Come to South East Isaan, No haze at all in southern Sisaket, except on a very localised level when a nearby farmer lights a grass verge or a neighbour (or me) lights a rubbish fire that lasts all of a hour or two.

Nothing at the coasts either IME.

Chiang Mai and Bangkok are bad at times, but don't tar the whole country with that experience!

[AyG]

From the list most are items locally produced or imported cheaply from China. Imported from elsewhere and so rather expensive are: almonds, Brazil nuts, peas (frozen, Australian mostly, not fresh), salmon, tuna (fresh - but readily available tinned), avocado. (Avocados are likely to become very expensive soon since the Thai government has just banned imports from Australia leaving the USA as the main source.)

Difficult to find and very expensive: turkey (more readily available around some American holidays), honeydew melon.

And I've never seen proper, yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes here - only hard, flavourless white fleshed ones. Tinned sweet potato puree can be found, however.

[butterisbetter]

From the list most are items locally produced or imported cheaply from China. Imported from elsewhere and so rather expensive are: almonds, Brazil nuts, peas (frozen, Australian mostly, not fresh), salmon, tuna (fresh - but readily available tinned), avocado. (Avocados are likely to become very expensive soon since the Thai government has just banned imports from Australia leaving the USA as the main source.)

Difficult to find and very expensive: turkey (more readily available around some American holidays), honeydew melon.

And I've never seen proper, yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes here - only hard, flavourless white fleshed ones. Tinned sweet potato puree can be found, however.

I live in Chiang Mai and we get fresh grown sugar snap and snow peas pretty much year round. It's now avocado season and they're not expensive. In fact, the Royal Project is now selling Haas avocados. Turkey is expensive. About 200 baht per kilo. I don't know what salmon costs in the usa. Fresh salmon at Makro with skin on one side is 430 baht. they have lots of different locally grown melons here. Some resemble honeydew and they go for aboutg 40 baht a kilo. I've eaten white sweet potatoes here and they sweet, and to me, at least, delicious.

[CPT]

Incense is to be found burning nearly everywhere, especially in the morning. Many burn incense at spirit houses (almost every structure has one) while vendors will light a few sticks alongside offerings they set out not to mention the temples. Most vehicles here are diesel and traffic is heavy in Chiang Mai so you should probably look to rural areas outside the city. Air quality is awful during the hot season every year in Chiang Mai and healthy people would be best advised to avoid it if possible.

Fortunately, I didn't see anything on your food list that isn't available though some may be expensive or are only carried by a few retailers (turkey, brazil nuts, tuna in any form other than canned). Just remember that you will only be able to dine at home as restaurants here are unlikely to accommodate special diets. Cooks won't say no to a list of requests, but they will disregard them when preparing the dish. You'd be surprised how many "vegetarian" dishes come with shrimp here...

[Jingthing]

...

(Avocados are likely to become very expensive soon since the Thai government has just banned imports from Australia leaving the USA as the main source.)

...

What's that all about?

I was just shocked at a market seeing ONE Aussie-cado for sale for 99 baht.

Normally they're 60 baht tops.

Why would these be shipped from the USA when they are grown in Australia?

Edited September 9, 2013 by Jingthing

[AyG]

...

(Avocados are likely to become very expensive soon since the Thai government has just banned imports from Australia leaving the USA as the main source.)

...

What's that all about?

I was just shocked at a market seeing ONE Aussie-cado for sale for 99 baht.

Normally they're 60 baht tops.

Why would these be shipped from the USA when they are grown in Australia?

There was a report in the-paper-that-dare-not-speak-its-name about a week or so ago about such an upcoming ban. I think it was something to do with disease risk. Imports from two countries were specifically banned, and the reporter suggested that the USA would fill the avocado-shaped void so created.

[decalwrites]

Thanks to all who have replied so far...this is very useful info.