Four years ago, Virginia Ortiz discovered that she was celiac and felt very limited when it came to eating out, so she decided to combine her diploma in Tourism, her gastronomic knowledge and her passion for travel and international food to create Viceliac, a gastronomic consulting company for companies and individuals, thus contributing to ensuring that everyone can enjoy themselves around a table and no one is excluded for being celiac, or for having an allergy or an intolerance.
In an interview on the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet, from Radio Lanzarote, Ortiz explains what inclusive food is and what its advantages are for both consumers and companies.
- What exactly is celiac disease?
It is an autoimmune disease in genetically predisposed people. Several tests must be done to determine if you have those genes that can develop the disease at some point.
The environment and your lifestyle habits also condition it. I grew up in Argentina, where people eat bread, pizzas, pasta, flours... Probably if I had grown up in Asia, where people eat fish and rice, I would not have developed this disease.
"Eating gluten-free is a necessity for many people who suffer from autoimmune diseases, not only celiac disease. Also Hashimoto's hypothyroidism or endometriosis"
In addition, since the food industry began to grow exponentially, the same type of cereals or flours that were eaten 50 to 60 years ago are no longer eaten. Crops have been manipulated and mixed, which has degraded the raw material.
Finally, autoimmune diseases come out when you are going through a stressful moment in your life or a difficult situation. So you also have to take into account what our emotional and mental health is.
- How did the idea of creating the company Viceliac come about?
Eating gluten-free is a necessity for many people who suffer from autoimmune diseases, not only celiac disease. Also Hashimoto's hypothyroidism or endometriosis. In our case, celiacs cannot eat gluten, but neither can traces of gluten, so our diet is very strict.
When I was diagnosed with celiac disease four years ago, I felt very unable to go out to eat or buy outside the house, so I decided to combine my experience in gastronomy, my knowledge of tourism business and my travels around the world to create my personal brand, Viceliac, Vi from Virginia and celiac from celiac.
"Food inclusion is a moral duty"
- What services does Viceliac offer?
My goal is to promote inclusive food so that we can all enjoy ourselves around a table and no one is excluded for being celiac due to an allergy or an intolerance, so that they don't have to eat separately.
Then the idea of gastronomic advice came up for both the Horeca channel, that is, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, the small food industry of Lanzarote, and for gastronomic events. I also advise schools and their school canteens.
- In addition, this is a very serious matter as it is a health issue, what are the regulations?
Yes, it is European regulation 1169, which has been in force since 2016, and which should be known by every person in charge of setting up a hospitality business. But beyond what the regulations say, it is a matter of empathy towards the other. If you decide to be a hotelier it is because you like to cook and you like to feed people and convey that joy of food through your hands and your dishes.
I think that hospitality goes beyond setting up a business, hospitality is really about giving you the best I have from my land with my hands and I present it to you on a beautiful plate. So you also have to take into account that part of the population that, due to poor handling or ignorance or lack of knowledge, may have their health affected.
- Is there a lack of information about intolerances or diseases related to food?
There is a lot of ignorance about the differences between allergy, intolerance, celiac disease. I think we need to promote training, not only theoretical, but also practical and really make it possible, not say well it is that this is very difficult. Yes, it is very difficult, but unfortunately from now to within 30 years, 30% of the population will have some type of intolerance or food restriction due to a disease.
I believe in theoretical and practical training for hospitality staff, from the primary sector to the last waiter who serves you. You have to comply with the regulations, but there is also a part of complying with your own sense as a person. For me, food is a right and food inclusion is a moral duty. Doing things ethically is what differentiates you and is what makes you excellent.
- What you say sounds great, but what is the cost to the hotelier to carry out these changes so that there is no cross-contamination?
It involves minimal changes in the distribution of the kitchen and facilities. First, it involves choosing a quality product, classic example, nuts. I can buy a nut that has traces of a lot of things included, including gluten, and I can buy a nut that already comes with the seal, gluten-free.
So, let's start with the purchase, by asking our distributors to give us a safe product, which does not have to have traces of everything. Let's start by making a more conscious purchase taking into account the labeling, asking our suppliers for the technical data sheets of the products we are buying.
"In the short term, gluten causes celiacs poor digestion, muscle pain, headache, apathy, bad mood and frustration. In the long term, it endangers their life"
Once we have the right products in our kitchen, in addition to designing an inclusive menu, gluten-free, or perhaps lactose-free, or free of nuts, we would have to make a small redistribution of the kitchen floor to be able to handle those foods safely and avoid cross-contamination.
All this, of course, accompanied by good training, not only theoretical, of the kitchen and service staff, but also practical. I have been served gluten-free dishes such as fish with potatoes and suddenly the waiter brings me the dish and on top comes the bread basket for my tablemates. A celiac always returns to the place where he has eaten well and invites friends.
- What effects does gluten have on celiacs?
We have to change the mentality, stop thinking that these things are fads or nonsense of people and put ourselves in the shoes of the other person who has a disease. Allergies are also an immune reaction and because (as a celiac) you don't end up in the hospital with an adrenaline shot does not mean that it does not affect you.
Gluten causes celiacs poor digestion, muscle pain, headache, apathy, bad mood and frustration because you wanted to eat something and you got contaminated. And above all for putting your life at risk. In the short term with allergies with which people can die immediately, but also in the long term with an autoimmune disease with which the damage is seen in your body little by little. If a celiac transgresses the diet, he will damage his intestine little by little and at the end of his life, he may develop other diseases.
- Do you also advise individuals?
Yes, I do personalized support. I have developed a plan called the reconnect plan to reconnect with buying, cooking and eating. First we are going to do the shopping and we are going to prioritize kilometer zero products, local products, what is in season, what is good.
Then I help you organize your kitchen, to see what you need to discard or add. In the end, the kitchen is a workspace, one has to be comfortable to work, enjoy the time and be effective.
Also introducing new ingredients, new flavors. I do a lot of fusion. I was born in South America, but I have Italian and Spanish origins. I also love Asian food and I am an enjoyer of food in general. So I have the ability to combine ingredients to make healthy, rich and easy to make fusion recipes.
I do that kind of support, not only to people who have a disease as is my case but people who want to change their diet and do not know how to put it into practice.
- We hope to have contributed to changing some mentalities to be more inclusive, and that there are fewer and fewer people who do not want to go to eat with a celiac because "it's a pain"...
Yes, bullying happens to us and it is very sad. And I say it as an adult, I have suffered it, but think that this also happens to children, 8 or 9 years old. Children who are going to have to live with an allergy, intolerance or celiac disease as is my case, the rest of their lives. We cannot displace them like that, the basis is to educate, raise awareness and promote inclusive food in all areas of our lives.
