“Remember that time when I was diagnosed with Celiac
Disease? (After 5 previous food allergies diagnoses)…So you can see my life has
been crazy. Reading labels, convincing myself that I am doing this because I’m
healthy, and I was! I joked around with my sister that by the time I was
thirty, I would be allergic to every preservative, forcing me to eat totally
organic and unprocessed food…I had never thought about what allergy might come
next…but it did. For four months I was sick. I was tired, my skin itched and
itched and I would scratch until skin came off, I had night sweats, I couldn’t
sleep at night, my body ached all the time. It may sound ridiculous, but I
thought I had cancer. I went to the doctor and they ran every lab they could
think of…Two weeks later I got a phone call. I was devastated. I had celiac
disease. How am I supposed to eat no grains with five other preservative allergies?
I still can’t tell you the answer.”
Today, January 12, 2016, marks the one year anniversary of
my diagnosis of having Celiac Disease, something that shook my world and made
my rethink if I could be an athlete based on my nutrition options. I must say
that the first few months certainly weren’t easy. I lost a record breaking
twelve pounds which I didn’t have to lose in the first place. I skipped meals
because most times I just didn’t know what I could eat or was scared to try
something new. This was no life for anyone, especially an athlete who was still
working out twenty hours a week. I became tired from not fueling myself
properly and became very self conscious about my body weight, so I sought out
my best friend, also a Celiac friend, and recruited her help in introducing me
to the ways of the gluten free lifestyle. Having her and her mother, a Trader
Joe’s employee, were my saving graces in my first few months of this lifestyle.
I learned the best (and worst) kinds of bread out there, how I cannot eat
anything even processed in a wheat factory, how much I love polenta, how
Joe-Joes actually resemble something close to an Oreo and how I can still be an
endurance athlete while having tremendous misfortune in the nutrition
department.
Years ago, there were not nearly as many options as there
are today, so my friend grew to only like one or two things, where as me, I got
to try a variety of breads and pastas to determine what I like the best. Having
been a swimmer my whole life, I was well acquainted with the high protein and
high carb diet. My first choice of breakfast was toast. My first choice of
lunch was a sandwich on delicious homemade bread, and my choice of dinner was
pasta and meatballs with a side of my best friend Claire’s homemade French bread.
I ate gluten all the time and I don’t think I realized that until it was taken
away from me. So, I had to learn that my first choice of breakfast was eggs and
protein smoothie, for lunch I had deconstructed tuna salad or ham sandwich
without the bread with a side of fruit, and for dinner I had a large portion of
protein with copious amounts of rice and vegetables. That lifestyle got old as
that was the only thing I ever ate, so I knew I had to reach out and look for
how I could continue to live the high protein and high carb diet.
Don’t get your hopes up, I’m still looking. I can nail the
high protein one to a tee, but the high carb is something I still struggle with
simply because it is so pricey. Gluten free lifestyles are so expensive, especially
for the young working professional with not large amounts of money. So, rice is
my solution. Lots and lots of rice. I buy gluten free bread about once a month
and love it when my parents buy me gluten free pasta or quinoa because that
stuff is upwards to $5 a box.
I’m not going to lie and say that my life as a gluten free
athlete is 100% solved, but it is so much better than before. I have a healthy
community of those who continue to help me through the uncertainties and the
recipe trying, I have a better understanding of what I need to look for in
labels when it is unclear whether it says gluten free or not and I have gained
ten of those twelve pounds back. I don’t complete workouts if I know I don’t
have sufficient nutrition in my body and sometimes I will be five minutes late
to work if it means I have to cook one more egg so that I can get my calories
back in. I will say the greatest resource to me thus far has been the wondrous
world of Pinterest. From a procrastination tool, and a way to plan my future life,
to a resource I rely on thoroughly, it has provided numerous amounts of recipes
and education for a newbie, like me, to Celiac Disease.
So what does the lifestyle of an endurance triathlete with
six food allergies look like (I only chose my favorites, this is not the whole
list):
Breakfasts:
Famous Banana Bites that have swept the triathlon world (My own
creation)
Snacks:
Banana Bites
LaraBars
Lunch:
Leftovers from Dinner
Made Ahead Chicken, Potatoes and Veggies
Dinner:
Training Nutrition:
So one year later I’m healthier when dealing with this diagnosis, but I’m
not perfect. I still seek out nutrition products and recipes that can fuel what
I do both before, during and after. I’m always up for breaking the stereotype
of gluten free products only ever tasting like cardboard. I didn’t choose this
lifestyle, so I should be able to at least choose what I am eating and make
sure that it’s delicious and can keep up with my training.
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