Cealics on the Camino

Larxene · Aug 1, 2015

Hi there! I do realise that there are a number of threads regarding the GF food issue but I would like to hear opinions from people that did the Camino not too long ago - maybe some people with the cealic disease.
I'm planning to start the camino next month and I'm really scared about the food.
I know that I can bring bread and snacks from home but carrying more weight than I can seems scary aswell.
My cealic isnt that bad, which means that I can tolerate food that might have gluten in its seasoning. I'm not going to munch on wheat pasta or anything thats made with wheat, but I don't need my food to be completely sterile.
So any advises for cealic disease-people? Should I go on the Camino at all even with my condition?
Please help, thank you!

mspath · Aug 1, 2015

For other posts regarding coeliac/ celiac problems see the link in this earlier Forum thread.

bsmorgan · Aug 1, 2015

I'm a coeliac on the camino now and am blown away by the new options available everywhere.
Breakfast is good if you can find a bar with tortilla. Supermarkets, even small tiendas have a gf section. Menu del peregrino often have options you can work through. If you're happy to carry supplies as a back up you'll be fine.
They even have GF beer everywhere!

Larxene · Aug 1, 2015

bsmorgan said:
I'm a coeliac on the camino now and am blown away by the new options available everywhere.
Breakfast is good if you can find a bar with tortilla. Supermarkets, even small tiendas have a gf section. Menu del peregrino often have options you can work through. If you're happy to carry supplies as a back up you'll be fine.
They even have GF beer everywhere!

Wow thats great. I just don't want to carry around supply for the entire MONTH. is that possible? can I carry supply enough for.. lets say the day or two?

WildPlace · Aug 1, 2015

Due to health issues (ulcerative colitis) I have to avoid all grains, lactose, sugar and starchy vegetables - this concerned me but I walked the Frances in 2013 over 6 weeks and found plenty of excellent food that I could eat along the way - From Pamplona onwards always had hard cheese, tinned fish, pate, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts and pork scratchings (aka pork rinds, chicharrones in Spanish and an excellent energy food!) in my pack to snack on, and the salads in Spain are fabulous - I just left the inevitable bread and used my (very bad) Spanish to explain "soy alergica de harina, leche y azucar"

Even eating out it was very easy to stick to plain grilled meat or fish with salad and vegetables. A lot of the menu del dia had a main course of grilled fish or meat with vegetables or salad.

In fact I went home feeling healthier than I had in the previous 12 months!

Larxene · Aug 1, 2015

WildPlace said:
Due to health issues (ulcerative colitis) I have to avoid all grains, lactose, sugar and starchy vegetables - this concerned me but I walked the Frances in 2013 over 6 weeks and found plenty of excellent food that I could eat along the way - From Pamplona onwards always had hard cheese, tinned fish, pate, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts and pork scratchings (aka pork rinds, chicharrones in Spanish and an excellent energy food!) in my pack to snack on, and the salads in Spain are fabulous - I just left the inevitable bread and used my (very bad) Spanish to explain "soy alergica de harina, leche y azucar"

Even eating out it was very easy to stick to plain grilled meat or fish with salad and vegetables. A lot of the menu del dia had a main course of grilled fish or meat with vegetables or salad.

In fact I went home feeling healthier than I had in the previous 12 months!

Wow! Thats one harsh diet. Way to go keeping healthy during your trip. Must be so difficult.

WildPlace · Aug 1, 2015

Larxene said:
Wow! Thats one harsh diet. Way to go keeping healthy during your trip. Must be so difficult.

Haha

believe me it's way better than the alternative - active uc is pure misery!

BeatriceKarjalainen · Aug 1, 2015

On CF 2013 it wasn't so hard but on CP I have a hard time to get food. Soup comes in with pasta or they think that there is gluten I'm potatoes, corn, beans, rice etc and tells me they can't serv me. And I carry a card in Portugues that says what I can't eat and what kind of products that includes that. From Lisbon to Porto I haven't seen any GF products in the shops more than a package of Maria sweet today.

Donna Sch · Aug 2, 2015

There are lots of people with coelic disease in Spain so the market for "sin gluten" is huge. They do eat lots of bread on the side so just tell people early so they can give an alternative.

gerardcarey · Aug 2, 2015

Hi Larxene
Consider getting a card or sheet of paper printed with Wildplace's phrase,
"Soy alergica de harina, leche y azucar", or something similar.
Get it laminated and present it to waiters and shopkeepers when making a purchase.
Buen Camino
Gerard

Larxene · Aug 2, 2015

Thank you all very much

CEBowne · Aug 2, 2015

Larxene said:
Hi there! I do realise that there are a number of threads regarding the GF food issue but I would like to hear opinions from people that did the Camino not too long ago - maybe some people with the cealic disease.
I'm planning to start the camino next month and I'm really scared about the food.
I know that I can bring bread and snacks from home but carrying more weight than I can seems scary aswell.
My cealic isnt that bad, which means that I can tolerate food that might have gluten in its seasoning. I'm not going to munch on wheat pasta or anything thats made with wheat, but I don't need my food to be completely sterile.
So any advises for cealic disease-people? Should I go on the Camino at all even with my condition?
Please help, thank you!

Last fall, my husband and I walked the Camino Frances from Ponferrado to Santiago to Finisterre. I had no difficulty avoiding gluten.... and being well nourished. We only ate "out" for evening meals, which were delicious, well seasoned and simple. Potatoes were a staple. I carried rice crackers, and that provided the base of lunches with cheese & sometimes a meat. Breakfast was usually yogurt. I think the beauty of the diet we encountered is that meals were simple, not a lot of sauces, and not highly processed... food was not adulterated. Fruits and vegetables were readily available...

We are going again!

Buen Camino!

Nanumea · Dec 29, 2015

Rice and corn cakes are a good alternative to bread. They are widely available in local supermarkets and easy to carry, since they won't go bad and they weigh almost nothing. Be careful with the soups, because they often have bread crumbled in them!