8A THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
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THE RED & BLACK
No bread, no beer, let’s eat Those with late-onset disease get creative at meal times BY MEGAN INGALLS The Red & Black For most of her life, Julie Lemen was able to eat whatever she wanted. Things now off the menu: bread, cake, noodles, salad dressing and most restaurant sauces. It was just two years ago, after suddenly becoming very ill, that doctors diagnosed Lemen, a senior exercise and sports science major from Marietta, with celiac
disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where people are unable to eat anything containing gluten, a substance found in wheat, barley, oat, rye and many processed foods. Symptoms include digestive problems, pain and, in extreme cases, death. Lemen said she recovered fully after switching to a gluten-free diet but would have been forced to withdraw from school had she not been properly diagnosed. “I couldn’t even walk to class because I had no energy,” she said. Students in their twenties struggle especially because many staples are suddenly declared toxic. Molly Bond, a junior Spanish and history major from Marietta who was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was 3 years old, said it usually takes a while to be diagnosed because of the wide range of symptoms. “Symptoms of celiac disease manifest themselves differently in different people,” Bond said. “Some people are super obvious with their symptoms, while others are asymptomatic. They can have issues ranging from migraines to irritable bowel syndrome to stunted growth.” Bond said she feels that people have started to become more informed about the disease and what a gluten-free diet entails. “Dealing with celiac is definitely inconvenient at times,” Bond said. “It’s gotten easier as people have become more gluten-free-aware.” Becca Brewster, a senior biological science major from Brentwood, Tenn., said she is still adjusting to her new diet after being diagnosed in February. “It’s not just ‘don’t eat pastas’ or ‘don’t eat breads,’” she said. “I can’t have a lot of salad dressings or anything with marinara. So I would think eating in a dining hall would be very tricky.” Students with dietary restrictions often don’t know what options are available to them in the dining halls, since every food item doesn’t come with a complete list of ingredients. Some students on specialty diets, especially those living in dorms, still want to be on the meal plan for social reasons and convenience. Katherine Ingerson, the registered dietician for the University’s Food Services, said she can provide students with the information they need to successfully eat on the meal plan. “I find out their medical history and what diet they’ve been prescribed by a physician, and then I teach them how to do it on the meal plan,” Ingerson said. “Typically I will make our menu guidebooks and personalize them based on whatever medical condition they have.” Gluten-free options include specialty bread and cereal available in every dining hall, as well as the gluten-free pizza recently added to the menu at Snelling. Bond said although she chose to stay on the meal plan for two years, she felt there was a lack of variety in what she could eat. “Katherine Ingerson was super helpful in keeping me informed of the gluten-free dining hall options,” Bond said. “That said, though there are gluten-free options, staying on the meal plan for two years was definitely pushing it for me.” For students not on the meal plan, there is a registered dietitian available through the University’s Health Center who can help them figure out gluten-free options for a fee.
Julie Lemen was diagnosed with celiac disease just two years ago. Now when she cooks at home she avoids products containing gluten. MICHAEL BARONE/Staff Students with celiac can easily cook at home because of the variety of options available in stores such as Earth Fare and Trader Joe's—but going out can be more difficult because many places don’t carry glutenfree substitutes. Finding drinks downtown doesn’t pose a problem for students on a gluten-free diet. Distilling liquor denatures the gluten protein, so students with celiac can drink rye- or barley-based liquors without being affected. Beer, however, is off-limits. Lemen said she does miss being able to try new beers but that there are also gluten-free varieties available. “That I know of, there are like five or six different gluten-free beers,” she said. “Five Points Bottle Shop has three different types and I’ve tried them all. I do wish I had gotten to try different Terrapins and to try the fancy stuff.” Lemen said despite the growing gluten-free menu in chain restaurants like Chick-fil-A and Jason’s Deli, eating at smaller restaurants can still be challenging. “A lot of the places downtown aren’t as easy to eat at, though I’ve noticed over two years that the education about celiac disease has increased tenfold,” Lemen said. Your Pie and Mellow Mushroom both serve glutenfree pizza dough. Other local restaurants which have gluten-free options include: DePalma’s, The Grit, Mama’s Boy, Last Resort and Casa Mia. Bond said many places have been willing to work with her, even if gluten-free foods aren’t specifically listed on the menu. “Athens restaurants in general have been super accommodating and knowledgeable,” she said.