What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac Disease is a chronic and hereditary autoimmune disorder that negatively affects the small intestine. When you ingest gluten, the protein attacks and continually destroys your small intestine until you follow a strict gluten-free diet. In addition to the likelihood of developing intestinal cancer if you don't take up the diet immediately, you can experience several side effects. For example, Celiac has caused me to have joint pain, corneal abrasions and gastrointestinal issues.
The Celiac gene typically lies dormant until the age of 20 or so. Left untreated, other autoimmune diseases can develop in the meantime. I was diagnosed just before my 20th birthday, but I was intermittently experiencing a rash on my elbows beforehand. Because I did not know I had Celiac Disease and continued to eat gluten, I was also diagnosed with Dermatitis Herpetiformis, or Celiac of the Skin. Every one out of four celiacs experience this rash. However, after beginning the gluten-free diet, the rash disappeared and has not reappeared since.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. Gluten is also commonly used in foods as a thickening agent. This means that breads, pastas, marinades, beers and even treats like Twizzlers are off the table (literally).
How does Celiac affect golf and hiking?
Learning to adapt my golf game to Celiac was a process (and still is). Fortunately, the gluten-free diet resolved most of my gastrointestinal issues. The corneal abrasions were reduced by switching my contact lenses from two-week contacts to dailies in order to have a fresh pair of eyes each day. The joint pain and inflammation is there, but now that I’m not golfing every day, they make rare appearances.
Cooking my own food in a gluten-free kitchen is the safest solution. However, golf involves heavy traveling, and not all hotels offer kitchens. I try to book hotels with a fridge and microwave in order to have gluten-free frozen meals on the road. Host housing is the best travel option for me, but I still have to be careful because some kitchens have unsafe foods everywhere you look. Additionally, there are some restaurants out there that offer gluten-free menus, but it is difficult to trust a contaminated kitchen when you have to compete the next day; one mix-up, and you're spending the night in the bathroom and curled up on your bed.
Hiking with Celiac is part of the adventure. Luckily, no kitchens are involved, so I can just boil some water and pour it into my certified gluten-free dehydrated meals. Breakfast-, lunch- and snack-wise, I take what I used to eat on the golf course (plus the classic homemade trail mix), and then my meal plan for the day is set.
What can you eat?
More than you think! Almost every food has a gluten-free substitute. I have gluten-free bread, pasta, sauces and go-to candies. Fortunately, more and more stores are taking up our cause and selling gluten-free products on their shelves. My favorite brands include Against the Grain Gourmet, Boar's Head, Enjoy Life Foods, Glutino, Larabar, Munk Pack, OWYN, Schar's Gluten-Free and Udi's. They cover all my food needs, from snacks on the golf course to post-round pizzas with friends.
