Looking for gluten free MREs

[THRAWN]

DoD Instruction 6130.03 Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services
Establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

Section 13(c)(3) - Current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes (579.9), including but not limited to celiac sprue,...

Mike

Teacher's pet...

[Garibaldi]

DoD Instruction 6130.03 Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services
Establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

Section 13(c)(3) - Current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes (579.9), including but not limited to celiac sprue,...

Mike

Wow, I should have been disqual'ed myself. I can see how they wouldn't want to mess around with that for a variety of reasons, from not being able to get off the pot, change in dietary requirements, constantly running to the latrine...disrupting training. Plus, imagine being out in the woods on ambush, when all of a sudden...

I'm not trying to make light of these diseases. I have something that they can't diagnose that fits all the symptoms of Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and so on.

[THRAWN]

DoD Instruction 6130.03 Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services
Establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

Section 13(c)(3) - Current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes (579.9), including but not limited to celiac sprue,...

Mike

Wow, I should have been disqual'ed myself. I can see how they wouldn't want to mess around with that for a variety of reasons, from not being able to get off the pot, change in dietary requirements, constantly running to the latrine...disrupting training. Plus, imagine being out in the woods on ambush, when all of a sudden...

I'm not trying to make light of these diseases. I have something that they can't diagnose that fits all the symptoms of Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and so on.

I pinged my brother on this. He was a used car salesman...er....recruiter not too long ago, and apparently, in the Navy, the logic is just that. Special diets, inability to consistently perform basic duty, nondeployable. If you have it when you try to enlist, it's a PDQ. If it develops while you're in, you most likely are looking at a med discharge. Hopefully, some of those folks would consider CAP or the CGAUX or the SDFs so they can serve.

[A.Member]

DoD Instruction 6130.03 Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services
Establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

Section 13(c)(3) - Current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes (579.9), including but not limited to celiac sprue,...

Mike

Wow, I should have been disqual'ed myself. I can see how they wouldn't want to mess around with that for a variety of reasons, from not being able to get off the pot, change in dietary requirements, constantly running to the latrine...disrupting training. Plus, imagine being out in the woods on ambush, when all of a sudden...

I'm not trying to make light of these diseases. I have something that they can't diagnose that fits all the symptoms of Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and so on.

Celiac Disease is an auto-immune disease, so it's impact is much greater than a simply having something you ate disagree with you.  Consuming gluten results in damage to the small intestine and nutrients cannot be absorbed.  This can ultimately lead to a number of other serious longer term complications.  Since there is no cure, the only option is to control via diet.

So, moreso than just running to the latrine, consider going through weeks of Basic and other training scenarios without proper nutrition and calorie intake along with long term medical implications.  Not good. 

[coudano]

Well that's the reason I asked because...

A) The actual diagnostic /criteria/ for celiac are pretty stringent.  A lot of people are walking around (rightly) calling themselves celiac who have not, for example, had an intestine biopsy.

B) A good number of people who are disposed to celiac don't necessarily become symptomatic until later in life for whatever reason.

C) A lot of people are walking around, feeling generally like crud, but have no idea why.  They are celiac, but have never been diagnosed with it, or have been misdiagnosed with something else instead.

D) Not all celiacs symptoms include the intestinal distress commonly associated.  For example, some people get skin rashes instead.  They are still malabsorbing but not necessarily having gut wrenching ab pain, mopp level 4 gas, or explosive diarrhea.

E) I personally know more than a couple of people in military service who have come to be in the military under one of the above auspices, and get by just fine by managing their own diets (to an average passer by, they just look like a picky eater).  Including basic/field training, and deployments.  If you aren't /diagnosed/ or don't report symptoms at inprocessing (even if you have them)(or don't understand that you are symptomatic)(or don't understand the vocabulary to explain your symptoms) ; or if you are not symptomatic at the time you enter the military...   then the gate is open.  That's a pretty wide gate, yeah?   Even if you become symptomatic after you have served for six years...  see above, all the reasons why you might never be diagnosed and restricted or removed from the military after the fact.



I can sympathize that it might be difficult to provide gluten free options to military members in some (pretty limited) situations.  And by pretty limited, i'm considering things like SOF or LRP, submarines, and probably people stationed at a FOB.  However, anyone at a main large base, large ship, or any number of the thousands of people that do their jobs worldwide without ever leaving the states (i.e. any flavor of administrative types, RPA operators, cyber, space) there is no real sense, in my opinion, from restricting people from the military in those roles.   A celiac should even be able to eat gluten free in basic training, by picking from the available foods, although there is of course a risk of cross contamination.  I have seen the military bend of backwards for religious accommodations with regards to food, it doesn't seem like that big of a deal to fix, to me.

Celiacs in particular, who maintain a gluten free diet, are just as healthy and strong and intestinally stable (not to mention smart, agile, etc) as their gluten eating counterparts.  Infact, celiacs might have a chance of being generally healthier, since a lot of convenience/junk foods that are terrible for people are off limits to celiacs.

[A.Member]

whole post

Don't disagree but I also don't make the rules.

Also, not reporting Celiac during MEPS is asking for a world of hate to come down on you later.

[Garibaldi]

whole post

Don't disagree but I also don't make the rules.

Also, not reporting Celiac during MEPS is asking for a world of hate to come down on you later.

Not self-reporting anything that is a detriment to completing your contract is asking for a world of hurt. Traffic tickets, that time you experimented with a mind-altering substance at your high school graduation a week ago, etc.

[coudano]

I'm not suggesting that you don't report a known, documented, and diagnosed medical condition at MEPS.

However, there is often a pretty far leap between "i believe that I feel less cruddy when i don't eat bread, and I read the word gluten in an internet site one time" and full up /diagnosed/ celiac disease.

[rpayne88]

Celiac Disease is a disqualifier for military service

Is it?

Do you have source?

Yes, I tried to join the Air Force and got DQ'ed.

[rpayne88]

DoD Instruction 6130.03 Medical Standards for Appointment, Enlistment, or Induction in the Military Services
Establishes medical standards, which, if not met, are grounds for rejection for military service. Other standards may be prescribed for a mobilization for a national emergency.

Section 13(c)(3) - Current or history of intestinal malabsorption syndromes (579.9), including but not limited to celiac sprue,...

Mike

Wow, I should have been disqual'ed myself. I can see how they wouldn't want to mess around with that for a variety of reasons, from not being able to get off the pot, change in dietary requirements, constantly running to the latrine...disrupting training. Plus, imagine being out in the woods on ambush, when all of a sudden...

I'm not trying to make light of these diseases. I have something that they can't diagnose that fits all the symptoms of Crohn's, celiac disease, IBS, and so on.

Did they take biopsies yet?  That is the ONLY definitive way to diagnose Celiac.