Love me a smiley face!
If you’re not familiar with the Nima Sensor, it’s a small, portable device that tests food for gluten. You place a pea-sized sample into a disposable capsule, insert the capsule into the sensor, and in about three minutes the device indicates whether gluten is detected. A smiley face on the screen means “no gluten detected,” which is always welcome when you’re testing food for someone with celiac disease.
We were early adopters. Over a year ago I connected with the team at Nima Labs when CEO and co-founder Shireen Yates joined one of our Raising Our Celiac Kids meetings via Skype. She tested food we sent and answered questions, so I knew the device well enough to pre-order one. I received it last fall, and this February break was the first time we traveled with the Nima. The family was excited to have it along.
To give context, my son was diagnosed with celiac disease and has followed a strict gluten-free diet for over six years. We’ve grown comfortable asking questions, reading menus and ingredient lists carefully, and using our best judgment about what’s safe. Still, dining out on a restricted diet requires planning, and eating every meal away from home for ten days can be stressful—especially while traveling with extended family. Ten people visited two states and passed through five airports. Bringing the Nima Sensor felt like adding another useful tool to help determine if food was safe for our son.
Before the trip we wondered how often we would use the Nima and how we’d react to a “gluten found” result. The updated Nima now shows “low gluten” and “high gluten” indicators, too—would that affect our choices? With those questions in mind, we set off: first to Napa, California, for a cousin’s wedding, then on to family vacation time in Hawaii.
What we found
We were especially glad to have the Nima in situations where our usual questions couldn’t give us full confidence. Cross-contamination is always a risk when food is prepared outside the home, and sometimes we decline food if we don’t get satisfactory answers. The Nima helped bridge that uncertainty.
We used the Nima frequently at airports and on the West Coast, where dining options sometimes felt out of our control. Our first test was at JFK before our flight: my son was hungry and the only option that looked reasonably safe was Jamba Juice. Ingredients appeared fine but staff seemed unsure about gluten-free protocols. We trusted our judgment and ordered a fruit smoothie, then tested it with the Nima—smiley face. A reassuring start.
Nima to the rescue
At our Napa inn the large breakfast buffet initially made me nervous. But there was an omelette station, roasted potatoes and fresh fruit—foods my son enjoys. Staff assured us the items were gluten-free, but we still felt cautious. We used the Nima to test the omelette and potatoes; both returned smiley faces, which gave us extra confidence to let him eat without worry.
During the busy wedding weekend, planning was difficult, so we continued to test meals, even at the reception. Everything we tested showed a smiley face and my son ate happily without any issues afterward. We also relied on the Nima during an unexpected long delay at LAX, testing meals at several stops. In each case we still did our due diligence—asking questions and making careful choices—but a negative Nima result added reassurance. On several occasions, without the Nima we might have skipped a meal or eaten tentatively and worried afterward about potential gluten exposure.
Anticipation and limitations
One downside to testing frequently on vacation is the time it takes. The test cycle is roughly three minutes; when everyone is hungry, that wait can feel long. Sometimes other diners were already midway through their meals before ours arrived. For that reason we didn’t test every single meal despite having the device.
In Hawaii we were impressed by how well hotels and restaurants understood celiac disease and cross-contamination. We always called ahead and noted that we needed strictly gluten-free meals. From the moment we entered restaurants, servers and managers demonstrated knowledge about gluten and safe practices. With ten people dining together, there were many times we chose not to use the Nima and instead trusted the staff and our own judgment. It felt a bit odd not to use a tool we had with us, but it was also freeing to relax and simply enjoy the meal on occasion.
Overall, we loved having the Nima on this trip. Being away for ten days without direct control over ingredients and food preparation can be daunting when you follow a restricted diet. The Nima provided an extra layer of confidence and helped inform decisions. It’s important to recognize the device’s limitations: gluten contamination isn’t always evenly distributed in a dish, so a small sample may not represent the entire plate. The Nima is a helpful tool, but it doesn’t replace sound judgment and careful communication with food providers. Still, we were very happy to travel with it—and the best part of the vacation was that my son didn’t get glutened.
Discount code for purchasing a Nima Sensor
If you’re interested in buying a Nima, you can use the promo code HGFF for $15 off a Nima Starter Kit.
Disclaimer: I want readers to know where I stand on products I recommend. While Nima sponsored this post, the views expressed here are my own. Because I find the Nima Sensor useful, I agreed to act as an affiliate; I receive a small payment if you purchase a Nima using my promo code.