In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of people diagnosed with celiac disease. So in this post I would like to talk about gluten, as this "Moms Runners" who writes is a celiac for only 5 years.
Here is my story:
My gastro-intestinal problems started in the year 2000 - everything felt bad to me! Some days some things were bad for me, the next day they were fine, the next day they were worse. I had heavy digestions, bloating, I would get one gastroenteritis after another, etc. In 2011 I had a pancreatitis that kept me hospitalized for fifteen days. The following year, I had my gallbladder removed because I kept getting biliary colic...until my body couldn't take it anymore, and said enough was enough. After a hospital admission for abdominal swelling, I underwent more exhaustive tests, and on April 25, 2013 they found the diagnosis: CELIAC! ERA CELIAC!
And now what can I eat being celiac?
When you receive this diagnosis, you leave the digestive clinic thinking: What do I eat now? Where can I eat?...You get home demoralized, disoriented, asking me a thousand questions and with the intention of checking the pantry: ALMOST EVERYTHING HAS GLUTEN or TRACE!!!! Cola-Cao, nuts, sausage, jelly beans... even toothpaste can contain gluten in some of its components!
The world fell on my head... "as much as I love sweets...what am I going to do?", that era the question that was on my mind!!!!! With how social the act of eating is and the restrictions I would have as a result of my diagnosis!
Not to mention the comments I was going to have to hear from now on, such as:
You're skinny because you don't eat.
Are you doing the gluten-free diet to lose?
Have you also joined the gluten-free fad?
You can't even share a salad? It's not that bad...
Don't be exaggerated, nothing will happen to you for a little bit...
How much of a celiac are you? A lot or a little?
Don't worry, now in Mercadona you have everything gluten-free.
I got in touch with the Coeliac Association of Navarra, and they gave me a series of guidelines on how to re-educate my eating habits and customs. I became a member for a year, during which I learned the basics, and then I have been learning with experience.
Once you are diagnosed you have to change your whole life and that of your family. From now on I would have to start reading labels and more labels when shopping, tell your family that you are going to go to their birthday so they remember to separate things, to look for restaurants before going to places to know where I will be able to eat and that (obviously) they were aware of the issue and to ALWAYS travel with my celiac kit because you never know if you can eat!
The basic kit of a celiac consists of packaged toast, sweet rolls, fruit, packaged sausage and some dried fruit. Basic things to avoid being envious (and hungry) to see others eating!!!
Oh, and you get used to be called "the weirdo" of the group!!! (All this from love, eh!!!)
What is celiac disease?
Let's start by saying what celiac disease is according to the FACE (Federation of Celiac Associations). Celiac Disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease, caused by gluten and related prolamins, in genetically susceptible individuals, and is characterized by the presence of a variable combination of: gluten-dependent clinical manifestations, CD-specific antibodies, HLA DQ2 or DQ8 haplotypes and enteropathy. This definition was updated by ESPGHAN, European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in 2012.
It is a (LIFELONG) intolerance to gluten proteins. The ingestion of gluten causes severe atrophy of the mucous membranes of the walls of the intestine in people with celiac disease. With the gluten-free diet, a normalization of these mucous membranes and the disappearance of the symptoms associated with this disease is achieved.
According to the FACE (Federation of Celiac Associations), symptoms can vary according to age and can also be atypical or absent, which can make diagnosis difficult.
At the time, I discovered through social networks Helena Osés Ursua, from Disfrutando Sin Gluten, I did a dessert course with her at her house...and she opened my eyes: Celiacs can make desserts just as rich (or more) than people who can take gluten. Thank you Helena, you are not only a great pastry chef, you are a friend.
There are only two things to keep in mind:
- Beware of cross contamination of ingredients.
- The considerable increase in the food budget.
Yes Runnea friends, celiacs have to eat basic things...and we are not rich!!!! No, I'm not talking about eating lobster and elvers every day...we pay abusive prices for a simple packet of pasta (so essential in the diet of runners), and yet, we must always be very careful!!!! Have you ever seen a grain of wheat in a package of lentils? Well, try it and keep an eye out...you'll see, you'll see....
I also crossed my path as a teacher with Laura Celaya, whose husband and daughter are celiac, and who taught me how to make delicious bread in the bread maker.
So being celiac (and lactose intolerant) has also brought positive things to my life. I've met amazing people; I've learned to eat better and healthier; to listen to my body; and most importantly, to enjoy eating. Only those who know me well know the pains I've gone through...right mom?
Runner and celiac is it possible?
The saying goes that every cloud has a silver lining, and a year after having my second daughter, and a thousand complications included, my body was able to put itself in place and stabilize. And I go and I happen to be a runner!
In one of the controls of celiac disease I told my digestive doctor and she told me that we would have to do analytical more frequently, since celiac disease is associated -among many other things- a poor absorption of iron and runners consume a lot of iron in the development of their activity. And if we add to that the fact that Jimena is still breastfeeding... I could not afford to get anemia. By the way, did you know that the introduction of gluten between 6-7 months if followed, if possible, with breastfeeding seems to have a protective effect against a possible gluten intolerance?
He gave me the results of the first tests and everything was within normality. He gave me the green light! But he still prescribed me some iron supplements to take every other month. He also gave me new guidelines for my diet to include iron-rich foods.
What does a celiac sufferer and mom runner eat for breakfast before a race? Well, in my case, I have a banana, some toast with jam and lactose-free butter, some nuts and a good glass of coffee with milk (vegetable). Sometimes I have a ham omelette...although as sweet as I am, I almost always prefer the sweeter option. As you can see, it is very complete. In the first post of Mamás Runners we proposed other healthy breakfast ideas, take a look!
And I started going to the races... There I realized that celiac disease was going to bring me "problems" also in this world of running. When you get to the finish line, there is always fruit (the best option to recover after a race), but there are also usually cookies...and there is the problem: people take a cookie and then go and take a pear "tasting" which is the softest...and then yes, their hands full of gluten cookie have touched the pears...but I do not know...so you have to be careful to clean the fruit well...just in case! (And I can assure you that this is not an exaggeration). Also in other races I've had to hand out potato omelet sandwiches. On that occasion, a very nice lady, opened an omelet exclusively for me and another girl who also said she era celiac!
When it was time to register for the Behobia San Sebastian 2017, I read what I was going to have at the refreshment stations at the 10k and 15k points: raisins, jelly beans and fruit. Era my first time running it, so I didn't really know what it was all about. Once again, I decided to run with my "refreshments" stored in my sports bra (in this case, dates). The race started: the 5k refreshment era liquid, the next one would be solid... there were some big tupper filled with raisins, others with "chuches" (colored beans) and then there were bananas peeled and cut in half... I saw how people put their hands in a tupper, then in another, or took bananas according to their needs...I thought quickly (raisins can have gluten, candy too...I'll go to the banana) and went for the fruit...but I realized that people put their hands in the tuppers (obvious and logical thing) at libre...so there could be cross contamination!!!! So I stopped and asked a girl if they had any unpeeled bananas since era celiac disease. The girl, very very kindly, took two bananas out of a box under the tables and gave them to me. I only accepted the one. Era enough. Congratulations to the Behobia organization! Congratulations! AND...THANK YOU!!!!
Friends, you can be a runner and celiac!!! We just have to be more careful with our diet and at the finish line. We eat healthier, as gluten-free products are generally more processed and we are very aware of it. And NO, we do not follow a (passing) fad to lose weight...our life goes in it!!!!
To close the post, I leave you two images of my friend Helena, of enjoying gluten-free that perfectly ironize our day to day!!!
