We had the good fortune of connecting with Kiley Decker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kiley, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my Kiley Decker Wellness brand to help spread awareness for Celiac Disease and show that it’s possible to lead an adventurous life while adhering to a strict gluten free diet. In 2009, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, along with my 2 siblings and Mom. With that being 15 years ago, just imagine what gluten free food was like back then. It was limited, hard to find, and crumbly… to say the least.

Celiac Disease is an auto-immune disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten (a protein in wheat, rye, and barley) is eaten. When this happens, the body can no longer absorb nutrients correctly causing a variety of health issues, both immediate and long term, if it’s not treated. There is no cure for Celiac, but a strict gluten free diet heals the body and suppresses symptoms.

Anyone diagnosed with Celiac has an immediate sense of fear about the availability and quality of food that they can find, especially when traveling and unable to make meals in the safety of their own home. But this didn’t stop my family from living our lives to the fullest.

I started my Instagram account when I was studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I had some of the best gluten free food of my life while traveling through Europe and I thought the world needed to see it. Generally speaking, eating out with Celiac Disease can be a daunting experience. It is necessary to find a restaurant that is aware of cross contact of gluten, including cooking surfaces and fryers. Being in a foreign country adds a whole new language barrier in the mix, so I wanted to share my tips and tricks on how to navigate this.

My brand nowadays is a combination of gluten free finds at local restaurants in Denver & other cities I travel to, fun new recipes I try out, blogs of my favorites, and overall lifestyle content. My goal is to inspire others who might be struggling with Celiac Disease to embrace it and get after exploring!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The goal of my content is to show people that living with Celiac can be just as fun, flavorful, and engaging as living without it. I want to be a resource for people, whether they are in Denver looking for local gluten free restaurants or just looking for new recipes and inspiration.

The most rewarding part is the people that connect with me on my platform. I have had several people reach out saying they have read my blog post and it made them feel so much more comfortable with their upcoming travels. I will always be there for people who have questions about their Celiac journey, whether it is advice on my favorite gluten free sandwich bread or a question about my safari trip in Africa and how I could eat safely there.

One of the biggest challenges about my brand is the conflicting information about Celiac Disease online. There are plenty of people online providing inaccurate advice about Celiac, such as not using dedicated pots for cooking, eating french fries in a contaminated fryer, or even saying “just one bite” won’t hurt. I try to use information that is medically based to help people as much as I can. I can’t change everyone’s point of view, but I stay true to my values and what I believe is best to manage my Celiac Disease. I will educate my audience with the knowledge I have, even if it might conflict with what others do or say.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Trip planning is one of my favorite things, along with hosting guests, so let’s have fun with this and say this person visiting is gluten free.

Day 1: We are starting out getting coffee and breakfast at my favorite, Rivers and Roads. This is a 100% gluten free bakery/coffee/lunch spot with the best vibes. Their sausage breakfast sandwich is my go to. Then, we are heading to Golden to float in tubes down Clear Creek, trust me the fear of flipping in the rapids is worth it. After walking around the town of Golden and stopping in the cute shops, we are going back to Denver for dinner at Acova. Acova is my favorite gluten free restaurant, with about 99% of their menu able to be made gluten free – safely and delicious.

Day 2: Let’s grab brunch at Root Down who has a ton of delicious gluten free options (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that I can always rely on. After brunch, we head to the mountains to do a beautiful scenic hike in Breckenridge, which is my favorite summer mountain town. On the way back to Denver, we’ll stop in Frisco at Bird Craft in Outer Range Brewing which has gluten free fried chicken sandwiches and fried chicken bowls – amazing.

Day 3: It is the final day of the trip and we are grabbing breakfast at Just BE Kitchen, which is 100% gluten free. They also have tons of vegan/vegetarian options, but my favorite is their breakfast burrito. We will take a quick walk around Washington Park or Cheesman to take in the greenery and sunshine. Of course, no Denver trip is complete without a Red Rocks show, right? But first, we are stopping in Golden to visit the Holidaily Brewery. This is by far the BEST gluten free beer I have ever had. We are wrapping up the trip with awesome music at Red Rocks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My whole family deserves a huge amount of recognition. To my Mom who has Celiac and my Dad who graciously went gluten free to help with the adjustment – thank you from the bottom of my heart. We are a clown car family of 5 that all embrace the gluten free lifestyle. They showed my siblings and I how to not let this diagnosis stop any of our passions – from navigating middle school lunches, to being a Division 1 athlete, all the way to traveling the world.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of mental health concerns with those who have Celiac Disease, especially anxiety and depression, as it can be challenging in social settings. It’s the little things that not many people think about, like not being able to eat pizza at birthday parties, or not eating at a restaurant because it’s not safe, or even not being able to drink beer in college. In our family, we always had an open conversation about how to be confident and speak up for what we need – don’t be afraid.

My parents and siblings deserve the biggest shout out for their encouragement and support. We all get a little too excited when we find a new gluten free brand or restaurant and having all of them to share this experience with means the world.

Website: https://www.kileydeckerwellness.com/

Instagram: @kileydeckerwellness

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kileydecker/

Other: Tiktok: @kileydeckerwellness

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