2. hatever your best story is
about gluten-free eating in
unusual circumstances, B.
Donald Andrasik can prob-
ably top it.
Take this one, for example.
Andrasik, a captain in the
Army National Guard, had been deployed in 2011 to Kan-
dahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Nearby, in a small makeshift
restaurant run by a Dutch chef, Andrasik and several other
gluten-free soldiers gathered.
They each had a gluten-free pizza crust, which hours
before Andrasik had to rescue from the clutches of a higher-
ranking officer who had just purposely thrown away all the
other gluten-free food Andrasik was storing in a common
refrigerator. Suffice it to say some fists were thrown.
But the crusts, which Andrasik's mother had sent from
halfway around the world, got to the restaurant just fine.
The chef had supplied sauce, toppings and miniature pizza
cookers for the group.
And the soldiers had what was probably the first ever
gluten-free pizza party in Afghanistan.
"Luckily, the first gluten-free pizza mission turned out to
be a success," Andrasik says. He estimates each 8-inch pizza
cost about $30, a small price to pay for the meal his scrappy
gluten-free group had identified as the one they missed
most stationed so far from home.
IN THE BOOK
Andrasik, now working for the National Guard in Balti-
more, came away from his year of deployment with other
amazing gluten-free food tales. Some are stories of funny
coincidence, others of ingenuity and hard work, more of
deprivation and hardship.
They've been put together in Andrasik's book, Gluten-
Free in Afghanistan, which was released last year. But the
30-year-old captain has a larger purpose than recounting
his food war stories. The book is intended to raise aware-
ness of celiac disease in general. Perhaps more important is
Andrasiks goal of getting the militaryto recognize the need
for a gluten-free diet among soldiers and to provide them
with more food choices.
Currently, the official Department of Defense policy is
that people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity are not
eligible for militaryservice. (See story page 41.)
But Andrasik is proof that there are service men and
women with these conditions who are in the armed forces.
Andrasik says he never attempted to hide his celiacdisease,
which was diagnosed when he was in high school.
"I certainly reported it when Ijoined the military, when I first
enlisted, when 1 was commissioned as an officer, and I even
reported it on the wayto Afghanistan,"he says. "I've been very
vocal about it my entirecareer and it's in my medical record."
When Andrasik joined the National Guard he was asked if
he knew what he could and could not eat. When he said "yes,"
the conclusion wasthat as long as he followed the diet he did
not have the malabsorption issue that disallows someone from
being in the military. He says he suspects that a recruitwho an-
swers the question differently and indicates that the gluten-free
diet would be a challenge might not be allowed tojoin.
BLENDING IN
Many gluten-freesoldiers keep their celiac disease or gluten
intolerance a secret. "Having a weakness where strength is
required and demanded poses a conflict," Andrasik writes in
his book. "Sowe blend in."
The first clue there might be others who were gluten free
in Kandahar came in the form of a package of gluten-free
brownie mix left behind by another soldier.
"When I realized there might be others, I wanted to start
a gluten-free group," Andrasik says. He made signs adver-
tising a group meeting and a gluten-freewebsite he had
started, but they were quickly taken down and thrown out.
The signs violated a NATO policy that prohibits advertising
a website. After a bit of international negotiating, Andrasik
was allowed to post some signs, and within two weeks a
dozen people had responded.
The first group meeting was held in a wooden shed in a
motor pool in Kandahar. Only four of the 12were able to at-
tend, three of whom had been diagnosed with celiac disease.
They told Andrasik they managed well enough but were
willing to get sick if they had to when they could not find
safe food.
"No one had told their chain of command or the Army
(about having celiac disease)," he writes in his book. "That
approach in many ways stems from a virtue of Army culture
which fosters strength and obedience."
The soldiers' reluctance to reveal their medical condition
also stemmed from fear that it would lead to their being
sent home or released by the military. Since this is what they
most want to avoid, they are "willing to lay low and just
kind of get by quietly with whatever options they have avail-
able," Andrasik explains.
He served with one soldier in Afghanistan who was fol-
lowing a gluten-free, corn-free diet and largely living on rice
crackers and a few fruits. The soldier met with a sergeant
major who was in charge and mentioned that he could eat
very few foods. The major responded by telling him "either
you make do or we are going to send you home.'"
"The soldier sees going home as nothing but failure. He
thinks, 'I'm not going home, not going back to my fam-
ily and saying I couldn't cut it,"' Andrasik explains. "So he
thinks, Til just suck it up and live off these rice crackers'"
TAKING A RISK
In fact, many in the military cautioned Andrasik about
drawing too much attention to issues related to having celiac
disease or gluten intolerance. "Everyone I have met in the
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CAPT. 13. DONALD ANURASIK
gluten-free military communitygreatly em-
phasizes that 1should not be bringing it up
or making a big deal of it, much less writing a
story about it and publishing it,"he says.
That's how Andrasiksees himself asbeing
the most different from others managing the
gluten-free diet in the military.He says silence
leads to a lack of recognition of the gluten-free
diet and contrasts it with the way the armed
services handle vegetarian and kosher meals.
"The long-term effect is that the military
does not see a problem. If no one is com-
plaining, there's no issue and why should
they try to fix it?" he asks. On the other hand,
vegetarians pushed for accommodation and
are provided with a wide range of options.
Andrasik says he often relied on the fruits
and vegetables in the dining hall in Kandahar,
but found nothing specifically designed for
the gluten-free diet. "I think the long-term
effect of laying low is that you are costing
yourself the opportunity to improve society."
And it does not seem the official policy
prohibiting gluten-free soldiers is preventing
them from serving. "The gluten-free soldiers
are going to be there regardless of whether
you have a rule to prohibit it. It'snaive of
the military to say we'll outlaw it and the
problem goes away," Andrasik says. "All that
really does is transfer the liability to the
individual. Catering to the diet would really
benefit soldiers who are struggling."
SIMPLE STEPS
A few simple steps would make a big differ-
ence for gluten-free soldiers, in Andrasik's
view. The first would be to label thegluten-free
foods the dining halls are already serving and
to label allergens contained in all foods. The
next would be to make a few inexpensive spe-
cialty gluten-free products available. Ultimately,
Andrasik would love to see the military's Meals
Ready to Eat (MRE) available in a gluten-free
version. He says service members can already
request vegetarian or kosher MREs.
Currently some components of these
portable, freeze-dtied, mix-with-water meals
served in the field are gluten free, including
peanut butter, fruits and vegetables. But none
are completely gluten free, which means
soldiers with celiac disease can't eat some of
the limited amount of food provided.
"I'm not even picky. If you gave me an
MRE that was truly gluten free, I don't care
what's inside. I don't even care if it tastes
good. I would just be happy the option was
there," Andrasik says.
Any steps the military would take would
be worth the effort, according toAndrasik,
who sees himself and other gluten-free sol-
diers as evidence that being on a gluten-free
diet does not mean you can't serve effectively.
"The diet is an additional hardship in an
environment that is already hard, but it's not
impossible," he says, adding that at least 20
others with celiac disease have emailed him
to say they have served without a problem.
CHILLING TALES
Still, some of his tales from Kandahar are
chilling. He lost nearly 40 pounds in the
year he was deployed, about 20 percent of
his 178-pound starting weight.
His efforts to stick with the gluten-free diet
were tripped up by events from the small and
mundane to the sweeping and global.
He had trouble with gluten-free oatmeal
that he thinks reallywasn't and hot choco-
late that had enough cross-contamination
to make him ill. Once, rockets were fired as
Andrasik was battling some of the stomach
issues common to celiac disease. Although
required to be in a bunker or laying flat on
the ground, he instead dashed for the port-a-
john, calculating that it was a necessary risk.
Then international terrorism came into
play when Andrasik saw the limited natu-
rally gluten-freeoptions available in Kan-
dahar dwindle after Osama bin Laden was
killed by U.S. Navy seals. Pakistan closed
its borders and supply trucks couldn't get
through. "With fewer and fewer options, my
diet became 'find and eat anything gluten
free'," he writes. He continued to lose weight
and struggled to get enough food.
"I was literallystarving, and I started search-
ing for new sources of food and taking risks
when I did nor fully understand the ingredients
or was pressed for time," he recounts. One of-
ficerthought he had an eating disorder and oth-
ers wondered ifhe was war weary or depressed.
A chaplain on base noticed Andrasik's
struggle and connected him with the Family
4. MILITARY POLICY ONTHE GF DIET
Cynthia O. Smith, spokesperson for the Department of Defense says you can-
not join the military if you require agluten-free diet
"A person with celiac disease and/or a gluten intolerance or sensitivity
would not be eligible for entry into the military," she says.While each branch
of service has its own enlistment standards, they do need to follow medical
policies dictated by the Department of Defense.
According to Smith, the Department of Defense "Medical Standards for
Appointment. Enlistment or Induction in the Military Service," says "... indi-
viduals accepted [into military service] are 'qualified, effective and able-bodied
persons' capable of successfully performing military duties." Smith also says
"all military members must be available for worldwide duty 24 hours aday
without restriction or delay.This duty may be in remote areas lacking immedi-
ate and comprehensive medical support."
What Isthe problem with celiac disease?
The Department of Defence stance specifically on celiac disease under medical
standards states, "current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes includ-
ing but not limited to celiac (disease) does not meet the [medical] standard."
Are there any other optionsforme?
Smith says approximately 35 percent of people who want to be in the militai-y
have some physical condition that disqualifies them from service. However,
since the Department of Defense hasboth military and civilian members,
Smith says people who are "physically disqualified for military duty can and do
become civilian members of the team."
-Amy Leger
Readiness Group, an Army organizationthat
helps support and assist soldiers.Soon he began
receiving packages of gluten-free foods from the
group to build up his dwindlingsupply.
From the beginning Andrasik had in-
vested a lot of effort in identifying what he
could eat in the dining hall, and as new sup-
ply routes were found these foods returned.
All along Andrasik's wife, Meredith, and
other family members had been shipping
him gluten-freeitems, and these were now
getting through, too. Additionally, he had
access to the Internetand was able to order
products himself.
Midway through his deployment, Andra-
sik was also lucky enough to meet the Dutch
chef, identified in the book as Frank. 'Ihe
first time he visited the chef's restaurant, he
explained his gluten-free diet and ordered a
burger. But he was told the burger contained
flour and that he should come back the next
day so the kitchen could be cleaned.
When Andrasikreturned he was served a
lightly seasoned steak, mashed potatoes and
a vegetablemedley."Six months later as I was
leaving, Frank confided that he had to look
up gluten-free on the Internet thatnight,"
Andrasik says. He's clearlyindebted to the chef
and counts the meals he had in therestaurant
among the high points of his deployment.
BACK HOME
It's now been a little more than a year since
Andrasik returned to the U.S.He's gained
back all the weight he lost. While he's glad
to have abundant gluten-free options, he's
happier about being home with his wife and
two children. He says the separation from
them was much harder than dealing with the
gluten-free diet.
But he has not forgotten what it was like to
be gluten free in Afghanistan. He thinksoften
of soldiers who are not officers and don't have
some theadvantages that brings - Internet
access, a salary sufficient to cover the cost of
ordering gluten-free food, and deployment
spent mainly at a big post with storage space.
"I don't know what their resources are and
what kind of network they have back home.
Younger troops tend to be single,they don't
have the income, they might be out in the
field a bit more where the resources are fewer
and further between," heexplains.
His book is for them, a push to get the
military to make some important changes.
He sees the book as his shot at doing
something that could have a larger impact.
He has sent copies to people in the military
trying to get the attentionof someone with
decision-making power. So far he's still wait-
ing for that to happen. But he's hopeful.
"I'm attacking the issue by writing my story
and pushing it out there," Andrasik says. "I
want to build awareness and try to change the
culture. Youcan be on a gluten-free diet and
still successfully serve your country." GF
Gluten Free in Afghanistan is available on the
Kindle and Nook and at amazon.com. An-
drasik's website is glutenfreeafghanistan.com.
Amy Ratner is the editor o/Gluten-FreeLiv-
ing. She's written extensively about all aspects
of the gluten-free diet in the 20 years since her
daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease.
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