Ashleigh Buhai, a professional golfer from South Africa, has been on the LPGA Tour since 2008. At 34 years old, Buhai secured her second victory on the tour when she won the 2023 LPGA ShopRite Classic in early June. Buhai’s golf is on the upswing and so is her nutrition. Buhai was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2016 and has since followed a strict gluten-free diet that helps fuel her golf and her health.

Following a gluten-free diet isn’t just a choice for those with Celiac disease – it is a health necessity. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which eating gluten causes damage to the lining of the small intestine. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. When someone with Celiac disease consumes gluten, their body treats it as a threat and responds by attacking its own small intestine. This leads to intestinal damage that interferes with the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Lack of absorption can lead to nutrient deficiencies and other health issues.

After feeling sick on and off for several years and not knowing why, Buhai finally sought medical advice after the 2016 Rio Olympics where she tied for 50th place. Symptoms associated with Celiac disease had become detrimental to her performance. After her diagnosis and eliminating gluten from her diet, Buhai said, “I felt so much better right away. Once you eliminate gluten, it is amazing what it does for someone with Celiac disease.”

Buhai’s biggest challenge eating gluten-free on tour comes on travel days.

“Travel days in airports are the hardest. I can’t just pick up a sandwich. I keep a [gluten-free] bar in my bag or I go hungry. Although sometimes I do pack a sandwich,” Buhai said. (As the LPGA Nutrition Consultant, I promptly advised her to pack more food in the future, so she maintains her energy levels and doesn’t go hungry.) Some cuisines aren’t as conducive to those with Celiac disease.

Buhai added that “Asia is so hard. Everything is in soy sauce, so I just eat plain rice a lot while I am over there.” (Soy sauce is made from fermented wheat and soy). “When I am traveling somewhere and I don’t know what’s in the food, I take another suitcase full of food. I pack gluten-free bread, peanut butter, bars, shakes, muesli bars, and other gluten-free snacks. If I accidently eat gluten, it takes me three days to recover and feel better.”

Before she goes out on the course, Buhai enjoys a ham and mushroom omelet and gluten-free bread. “I sometimes struggle to eat before I go out because I don’t like being too full. If I have an afternoon tee time, I’ll eat a bigger, later breakfast and stretch out snacks throughout the round.”

On the course, she likes to eat a variety of gluten-free foods such as rice cakes and peanut butter, corn cakes, squeezy fruit pouches, muesli bar, nuts, raisins, cranberries, and sometimes a banana. When she is home and has time to cook, her favorite dinner to prepare is chicken parmesan with gluten-free breadcrumbs cooked in an air fryer and some gluten-free pasta.

When asked what advice she would give to someone who has been recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, Buhai said, “The hardest part is not having information when you are diagnosed. Ask a lot of questions. Always read food labels. At first [the Celiac diagnosis] is a downer, but it is so much easier to live with now with all the options we have.”

The LPGA is working to accommodate the array of players’ dietary needs. Tournament menus are now reviewed by me with an eye toward the athletes’ performance as well as their food allergies, sensitivities, and dietary preferences. For example, when Buhai was first diagnosed with Celiac, she used to bring her own gluten-free bread to every tournament. Tournament venues now provide not only gluten-free bread, but also gluten-free entrees, on-course snacks, and dishes that are being labeled for all the major allergens.