Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[frmikeminn]

A friend saw some of my pictures from a previous Camino and is interested in attempting the trip. She is allergic to wheat. Any thoughts on how challenging it would be for someone with a wheat allergy to walk or bike the camino?

[Jorygen]

Hi Michael

Diagnosed as a coeliac in 1998, I had been on a completely wheat-free diet until last year when I completed my first Camino.

Coeliac disease is a condition of being intolerant to gluten (and therefore to wheat) rather than being allergic to it. An important difference, I don't get an immediate reaction to wheat other than a bit of stomach upset - its the long-term effects that are serious.

On the camino (Roncesvalles to Santiago) I found it too hard to remain wheat-free, in fact I gave up and reveled in the hither-to forbidden joys of bread and beer.

There were three reasons for this:
- I know very little Spanish, so I just didn't have the skills to find out what I was eating;
- bocadillos (sandwiches) were often the only readily -available food along the way, especially early in the day;
- I really wanted to experience Spanish life and food, tapas and menu del dia are rarely wheat-free but I could have tried harder.

The result? I was fine for five weeks during the camino but became very sick immediately afterwards. I could barely eat for three weeks and lost about 13.5 kg (just under 30 pounds). Three months later and back on a strict diet, I had fully recovered (although there may be some long-term damage).

So I paid a price for a fantastic experience.

I strongly believe that a determined person with sufficient language skills could complete the camino without breaking their diet. Fruit and vegetables are available in many places but some effort and planning would be required.

The experience hasn't deterred me, my wife and I start our second camino (SJPP to Santiago) in five weeks time. I intend to break my diet again and am fully prepared to pay the price. But I will be a bit more careful and will seek out fruit etc wherever possible. It is generally possible to buy suitable foods for the next days breakfast and lunch, it just takes a bit of time.

Please don't let this deter your friend. I'm sure that she can stay wheat-free if she is prepared to try. The best tool to help her is a good knowledge of Spanish. We found so many wonderful people along the way who were happy and willing to help - just needed to know how to ask.

Buen Camino
John

[Mouse]

I also don't eat wheat (no bread, biscuits, cakes!! ) but have decided that when we do our walk I want to enjoy all the food in Spain and try all the tapas etc.

So I'm just going to carry extra tablets and accept that I will have pain but hope that overall the experience is worth it.

[sillydoll]

I am an asthmatic and, as a child, was allergic to some pollens, dust mites etc. but grew out of these or just learned to tolerate most of them.
When you walk in a different country, with different seed spores, pollens, dusts, all your allergies can resurface. I recommend to pilgrims that, if they have ever had any allergies, they take antihistamins with them - daytime (so that they don't get drowsy whilst you are walking) and night time.
When I walked the Via Francigena my friend Kathy suffered terribly with swollen eyes, breaking out in hives, sneezing, coughing... until we found a good antihistamin medication and cream for the welts on her arms and legs.
There are more farmacias in Spain than bars (sorry Arn!) so you won't have a problem getting the correct medication.

[fiona]

I hadn't intended to post on this subject until after my return, but here goes!

I too am coeliac (as is my mother) - I have travelled very successfully in Latin America and she has travelled in Northern Spain, again without problems. She recommends living on tortillas - as she speaks no spanish. I have taught myself menu Spanish. I also use "restaurant cards" - see this site: http://www.celiactravel.com/restaurant-cards.html I print out a couple of sheets of A4 and cut them up into little handouts and actually give one to waiters in restaurants so that they can take them into the kitchen. Used together with a smile and a heartfelt "muchas gracias" they have got me through Chile, Argentina, and Mexico with some absolutely delicious local food, and my enduring gratitude to a bunch of lovely strangers who helped me.

I think it would be perfectly possible to be a (well fed) tourist on the Way, but I'm not convinced that one can be a pilgrim - a tourist demands, a pilgrim is grateful. Just how will I cope with communal meals, a big bowl of pasta, cooked with love, in an Albergue? Add to the mix the hunger (and the desperate need for carbs) that results from a 25 km hike, in a tiny village with no shops, and all the personal "baggage" around the fear of food (which should nurture) being toxic. I think I may learn a lot about myself on this trip.

From my research so far - tortillas are good, safe and widely available (thanks mum!). Skimmed chocolate milk performed better than sports performance drinks for athletes' recovery in a recent research project - so that's breakfast most mornings. Buy it the night before and sip it on the road. (300 calories of protein and carbs). Also, my plan is to do my walking up to about 2pm, have a good lunch as my main meal, either picnic from a shop (plenty of protein from cheese and sausage, carbs from tomatoes and fruit including bananas) or a meal in a cafe with the help of my cards. Also, I can snack on dried fruit and nuts, drink UHT milk if I get hungry and keep a sachet of instant potato in my rucksack for emergency fuel. In this way I hope that even if I can only pick at the salad and drink the vino, I can join in the community of a communal meal or set pilgrim meal in the evenings.

I have also discovered that the paradors pride themselves on having a coeliac menu. Expensive, but perhaps a way to persuade oneself to eat another week of instant potato with the promise of a good meal once a week.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Fiona.

[Deirdre]

Hello All,
I mentioned in another posting that I broke my front tooth (off!) at the beginning of my Camino last summer. It was an adventure to eat as I was not only self conscious but acutely careful of both the broken tooth and those around it. I lived on the Spanish "ensalada mixta". I was very slow to eat and found that while my companions ate a full meal I could only eat the (huge) salad portion in the same amount of time. So I even gave up ordering the "pilgrim menu" and just got the salad portion - or gave my main course to one of the guys who could always eat more! The salads were spectacular - including tomato, hard boiled egg, tuna, carrot, cucumber, etc. They were on a huge dinner sized plate and always SO fresh - no matter how small the town! I would suggest that you can do very well with the salads and fruit - I bought a small paring knive and cut up fruit for breakfasts and snacks along the way (grapes are good and plentiful as well!) Although I give you all a great deal of credit! I love my "breads" and pastries and can't imagine having to do without...but I found I couldn't bite into any kind of a bocadillo... so you get creative! But I didn't go hungry!

Buena suerte y buen Camino!

[frmikeminn]

Dear Friends: Thank you for the replies to this post. I stand corrected on the allergy/coeliac issue. My friend is indeed a Coeliac and your answers will certainly help her to discern whether she should walk or bike the Camino. I will be seeing her tonight and plan to share your words. She will be grateful.

I am also 5 weeks away from my second Camino and looking forward to the trip with anticipation. Spring is just starting in the part of the world I normally walk and it is good to out again and enjoying the weather. I will be walking a few full days next week so I should get a better feel for how fit and ready I am for the experience. A blessed Camino to all who are walking soon.

[JohnnieWalker]

Igualmente Michael - and also to you!

Buan Camino

[Javier Martin]

I know an spanish coeliac pilgrim who use to walk frequently without any problem.

I'll ask him about any advices for you.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[Javier Martin]

The opinion that I've received about is the next:

Your best option is to provide yourself in the stores diet, with a based salads and vegetables menu.

Salad, roast lamb, rioja wine, peaches in red wine for dessert or curd.

It is best to take with a certain amount of millet, which is done in 20 minutes soup (with leek, celery and onion), which always draws a hurry and fill our stomachs for dinner. It's good for its mineral against muscle fatigue

I hope it helps you,

Buen Camino!!

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.

[sillydoll]

Spanish Bishop Opts for Almost Gluten-Free Host

HUESCA, Spain, MARCH 19, 2008: A Spanish bishop joined his voice to that of others in the Church who have clarified how to pastorally care for those who cannot consume wheat products, but still want to receive the Eucharist.

Read the article here http://www.Zenit.org

[Javier Martin]

Spanish Bishop Opts for Almost Gluten-Free Host

HUESCA, Spain, MARCH 19, 2008: A Spanish bishop joined his voice to that of others in the Church who have clarified how to pastorally care for those who cannot consume wheat products, but still want to receive the Eucharist.

Read the article here http://www.Zenit.org

As something important for coeliac people, the EROSKI supermarkets are often found in the Camino:

http://www.eroski.es/images/home_eng.htm

These are the gluten-free products available in Eroski supermarkets.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain

[fiona]

An update from the road - on the stretch from Pamplona to Burgos I have found no difficulties at all. eg Bar Basseri in Pamplona advertises a gluten free menu in its window. Breakfast - drinking yogurt, chocolate milk, the ever available tortilla in a bar. Lunch, picnic from a shop, or another tortilla. Dinner- usually the pilgrim menu. safe options include beans (alubias) lentils (lentejas) judias verde (green beans) and for the second course fish or meat "asado" or "a la plancha". Postre - frutas or yogurt.

In albergues with kitchens, i cook risotto for the evening, flavoured with a tin of something - squid in salsa americaine, or en su tinta is good, as is the tinned lentil or bean stew with chunks of meat or chorizo ( but read the labels on those tins as some contain gluten). As rice is heavy, I put enough rice for a single portion in a plastic bag and carry that with me. in albergues where there is a rice mountain - eg 6 bags in one place, I use that instead. When I have needed to buy it, I leave the rest behind. If starting out again, I would bring a couple of bags, no more, of quinoa as it cooks so quickly and for a treat when I can't face rice again.

I also carry a tin of sardines in tomato sauce as an emergency snack, and try to carry a couple of pieces of fruit.

The real challenge is getting enough carbohydratge to fuel the walking- lots of sugar in the morning coffee, bananas, other fruit, choosing paella or beans on a menu whenever available, are all working out just fine. In one place I cooked rice pudding with milk and sugar in the morning - but I had the half hour to do it and that isnt always the case.

Everyone has been very helpful when I've needed it. The celiac condition is known and understood in Spain. In my bad fractured spanish, I point to myself and say "celiaca"; "una cena sin gluten, sin pan, sin harina, sin pasta, sin trigo...por favor" has always worked just fine. In the one albergue where there was a set dinner offered and no restaurant in the village, the hospitalero cooked me an omelette for the main course while everyone else had meatballs in sauce.

Finally - some places with special menus - allegedly all the paradores have a gluten free menu available for all meals. Bar Basseri, in Pamplona. The albergue in Najera has a list of restaurants at the desk and one states that it has a gluten free menu. El Corte Ingles department store - the cafeteria in Bilbao has a gluten free menu of pizza, croquettas, chocolate tart, and gluten free beer. The food shop also sells the standard European range of GF products - cakes, biscuits breads etc.

[sillydoll]

Church denies gluten-free communion wafer option to coeliac sufferer

By: thinkSPAIN

The parents of a young coeliac sufferer are appealing against church leaders in Huesca for not allowing their son to celebrate his first communion with a gluten-free wafer using a type of maize corn approved by the Coeliac Association.
In their defence, the parish priest of Santiago Church and the deacon of the Diocesis of Huesca refer to a text written in 1995 by Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, who decreed that communion wafers without gluten are "invalid for the sacrament."
The boy's parents also requested that their son be allowed to drink grape juice instead of communion wine on the premise that minors are not allowed to drink alcohol, only to be told that it had to be wine.
Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease of the small bowel that is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat. Symptoms include chronic diarrhoea and fatigue and the only effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.