Ep 227 Christine Nesbitt Skating in Circles with Celiac Disease

Let’s start the blog with the show notes for this Episode – Ever since I sat in on a virtual presentation from the Canadian Celiac Association featuring Christine Nesbitt, I’ve been anxious to have a longer conversation with her.  Christine was an elite speed skater who won numerous medals for Canada over a very distinguished career.  After many years of suffering unexplained digestive issues, Christine was diagnosed with celiac disease.  She explains how her diagnosis effected her skating, her travelling and being a part of a very competitive team.  Christine’s story is rich with reminders that celiac disease can be controlled and shouldn’t stop us from accomplishing anything we’re willing to put our best effort towards.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I’m not an athlete, never have been, unless you include two seasons on the high school badminton team.  I do, however, admire anyone with the dedication to put in the hard work it takes to be competitive in any sport.  Christine chose a very challenging sport and excelled in it.  It’s understandable that switching to a gluten free diet while training and performing at such a high level would have its difficulties.

I thought Christine’s look back as to how she could have handled the situation better was very insightful.  In her case, getting more of the team organizers in step with her situation, and doing more research on gluten free in the locations of competition events were the things she was able to identify.

We all know the diet is hard, but if, now knowing more about how to cope gluten free, what would each of us have done differently at the beginning?

I gave it some thought, and I realized I didn’t take the diet seriously enough at the beginning.  In one instance, I vividly remember taking my daughters to a swimming lesson, I had a granola bar because oats don’t have gluten in them.  I’m sure most of us can see where this story is going.  I got glutened because the granola bar was not gluten free, but I didn’t know any better.  The ride home after swimming lessons was slow and painful.  I couldn’t understand how I could feel so bad so quickly and struggled to make it back home safely.

My lightbulb moment came when my daughter was diagnosed a couple of months later.  There was no messing around with the diet, we were all in.  As a Mom, I was the authority on the diet, and knew I had to look after myself, in order to be able to feed her properly to keep her healthy. 

I suspect many of us, whether it be from a lack of knowledge, or indifference, take some time at the beginning to get it right.  In Christine’s case she was expected to race, at an elite level while she was still figuring the gluten free diet out.  That is a monumental task.  As I said earlier, I admire the dedication of athletes, but in Christine’s case, it took grit, stamina and change of lifestyle to continue training and competing in a sport she loved after her diagnosis – something to be truly admired!