How to Eat at Sporting Events With Celiac Disease
Take me out to the gluten-free ball game.
I remember the first few sporting events I went to after being diagnosed with celiac disease. In the summer of 2021, my partner and I road-tripped from New York City to Indianapolis to watch the Indy 500—and we made a few stops along the way in Pennsylvania and Ohio to check out some baseball stadiums.
Before heading to one baseball stadium, I looked on MLB’s website to see if there were any gluten-free options. There was, apparently, a dedicated gluten-free stand, so I didn’t eat anything before walking over to the game from my hotel—and I didn’t think of bringing any snacks with me.
As soon as I got inside, I made my way to where the gluten-free stand was supposed to be—but it was empty. I found an employee and asked if there was any gluten-free food—but he explained to me that due to low demand caused by the pandemic, the stadium decided not to order gluten-free buns that season. I spent the entire game hungry—and frantically scrolling through Find Me Gluten-Free to find a place where I could eat afterward.
Things have thankfully gotten easier for me since then. Over the past three years, I’ve actually been to some stadiums that have pretty good gluten-free options (Citi Field in my hometown of Queens, New York, is a standout)—and I also now know how to prepare in advance in case there isn’t any celiac-safe food available.
With the baseball season still going strong—and plenty of other professional sports starting up this fall and winter—I’m sharing my best tips to help you navigate sporting events when you have celiac disease.
How to navigate sporting events with celiac disease
Getting ready for game day? Here are some strategies that can help make things easier if you’re gluten-free.
1. Do your research in advance
My first piece of advice is to do your research. Start by looking up the venue and seeing if they have any dedicated gluten-free stands. Using baseball as an example, each stadium has a page on mlb.com where you can view the concessions. (As I noted earlier, Citi Field has excellent gluten-free food at its dedicated stand.)
Just keep in mind that even if an arena has gluten-free options listed online, they may not always be available when you get there (as I’ve learned from experience)—so consider contacting the venue ahead of time to double-check what’ll be open on game day. You’ll also want to review the venue’s policy for bringing in outside food because not all arenas allow you to take food in with you.
2. Get there early
Sporting events can be crowded—and the lines for concessions are often endless. If I know there’s a dedicated gluten-free stand at the game I’m attending, I like to get to the venue early and buy my food as soon as I arrive. That way, I can avoid long lines and the potential for any gluten-free items selling out.
3. Be mindful of cross-contact
Some arenas don’t have dedicated gluten-free stands but still may offer gluten-free options (such as gluten-free hot dog and hamburger buns) at regular food stands.
In this case, the risk of cross-contact with gluten is high. For example, there’s likely going to be a shared fryer for fries and chicken fingers—plus, stadium staff may not be trained in how to safely serve someone with celiac disease or food allergies.
I like to stick to dedicated gluten-free stands for this reason—but if you’re going to order from a non-dedicated stand, then do your due diligence. Ask questions about how the food is prepared and tell the staff what they need to do to serve you safely (such as wash hands and change gloves before touching a gluten-free bun).
4. Pack your own food
As I mentioned, not every venue allows you to bring your own food, so always thoroughly review the policies first. If you can bring food in with you, my go-to is a cold-cut sandwich on a gluten-free baguette, along with plenty of snacks. This holds me over for a few hours—and as a bonus, it saves me money too since food at sporting events can be quite pricey!
5. Eat at a restaurant before or after the game
What if there’s no dedicated gluten-free stand—and outside food isn’t allowed? In this situation, one thing I like to do is look for a restaurant near the venue where I can eat safely before or after a game. Having a good meal to look forward to keeps me from being disappointed about the lack of gluten-free options available at a sporting event. Make a reservation if possible as many local restaurants could be busy with crowds on game on day.
6. Know your rights
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, celiac disease is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). What this means: Due to your medical condition, you should be allowed to bring food into a venue where no safe options will be available.
I recommend contacting the venue at least a couple of weeks in advance to tell them you have celiac disease and ask what the process is for bringing in your own food so you have ample time to prepare. You can look for contact information on the venue’s website or even DM them on social media.
In some cases, simply telling staff when you arrive that you have celiac disease or food allergies that require you to bring your own food could be enough to get you into the venue without any issues. But in other cases, you may need to bring a doctor’s note with you that explains the situation.
What’s your favorite sports venue for gluten-free eats? How do you handle eating during a sporting event? Drop a comment and let me know!
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Up here in Canada, you won’t be finding many gluten-free only stands. At any events. It’s also been my experience that you can’t bring any food in to almost everything except high school sports. Then it becomes a game of hide-the-snack in my wife’s purse.
Another option is becoming an intermittent-faster so you can go hours without food and run on fat stores. This is what I do, I can make an entire day if need be and there’s nothing acceptable handy. Pair that with eating beforehand and planning a safe meal afterward, and there’s no issue! Except in missing out on those evilly tempting mini-doughnuts….
Great article, as ever! In the UK there are more vendors popping up that provide GF offerings but I tend to always take some snacks or sandwiches with me just in case. I tend to worry about the vendors who work with both GF and normal and how safe their offerings are in terms of cross contamination. I tend to steer clear of those.