Gluten-Free Article in The New York Times

This weekend there was an article in The New York Times that really got my adrenaline flowing. A link to the article can be found by clicking here: 

Should-We-All-Go-Gluten-Free?

Gluten-free diets are the topic du jour. What really struck me about this particular article was the General Mills element. 

Companies that are making mass produced, processed foods are on the gf bandwagon in a big way. I'm not as grateful as you might think. In fact, I published the following comment on the Times site last night: 

As someone who nearly died before being diagnosed with celiac disease 40 years ago - I am MORTIFIED by two elements that were highlighted in this article:

1) Gluten-free has most certainly become a 'fad' - and puts some of us at considerable risk when operating in the world at large. 10 years ago it was safer for me to order in a restaurant than it is today - because almost everyone assumes that they know what gf means, and most see it as a diet trend. 

2) WHY are we so hell bent on eating commercial foods - (made by General Mills no less) - as if we've learned nothing from the fact that our bodies don't want to eat processed crap.

I'm hardly a crunch granola type - but companies like General Mills already have way too much power over our food supply. They are worried about losing market share... and we are worried about not eating "what everyone else is eating". Monsanto has nothing to worry about. We are lemmings.

I concede that I was being a bit heavy, but I am really struck by how we are not learning anything from the rise in food intolerance. 

Instead of seeing this as a sign that something has gone wrong... and that perhaps we need to take better care of ourselves - we are greedily looking to make our lives look like they used to. We romanticize about foods, and forget how lousy we felt when we ate them (and not just because they had gluten in them!).

We don't seem to mind that our food is modified beyond recognition to behave the way we want it to (and survive on a shelf for a very long time). I'm not above eating gluten-free cake mix... but I have to say that I'm feeling worried about the direction this is taking.

I wonder what "food" will look like in another 25 years.

gluten free weight loss

Are you kidding me? 

Gluten-free has been touted as a great way to lose weight... but let's be clear, you can't eat gluten-free substitutes of "regular" baked goods and lose weight. 

To make them tasty, gf goods are typically chock full of extra fat and sugar - which also helps to bind them together.

I'm seeing gluten free blogs created by trainers and triathletes. People going gluten-free in preparation for a marathon. Some people, who are only reading the headlines, may believe that a gluten-free diet is the wonder drug for losing pounds. I agree that it is good for you... and that many people likely feel better without gluten. I've been to the celiac conventions. There are some skinny folks there - but most of us? We struggle with our weight just like the rest of society.  

If one more person tells me how "lucky" I am to be celiac because I'm not tempted by the pastries on the kitchen counter at work - I might just scream. I have to curb my enthusiasm for lots of great tasting goodies (and junk food!) just like everyone else.

This recent interest on the part of "regular" people going gluten free, appears to be an offshoot of two other famous diet trends: the Atkins diet (which spiked in popularity and then like most diets.. crashed) & the Paleo (or caveman) diet. In a nutshell: zero carbs. This is not just gluten-free... for the most part, this is carb-free.

While I'm all for cutting back on the carbohydrates and building meals around protein and lots of vegetables, I'm concerned that this is not always an educated niche market. People selling gluten-free goods are NOT always going to regard gluten-free as a zero tolerance situation. 

If the baker at the market thinks - gf products are selling like hot cakes... I'll make a cake with rice flour (but dust my pans with pastry flour)... We are going to have a problem. If the waiter thinks you are watching your waist he may not take your questions about whether the risotto is prepared with pasta water very seriously either. (I don't mean to feed your paranoia. I'll save that topic for a future post.)

The more prevalent the gluten-free market becomes, the more I urge you to ask questions before taking the words gluten-free for granted. If you have celiac disease, I encourage you to let people know that for us, this diet is not a trend, but a prescription of living (ideally you can share this news without coming off as too much of a drama queen!). 

The word "diet" is a bit of a misnomer. If we want to lose weight on the gluten-free diet... we are going to have to cut back on the Pamela's peanut butter cookies, as well as the chocolate bars, ice cream, french fries and wine, too. Bummer.

gluten-free fad... a rant.

Today the celebrities are clambering for gluten-free. Perhaps they are desperate for a new publicity angle. It seems to be the latest craze since Madonna "discovered" Kabbalah.

Some might think that the new "trendy" gluten-free diet is good news for celiacs. Me? I'm not convinced. 

When I tell the waitstaff that I need to make sure that my burger patty is gluten-free I want to be taken very seriously. I can only hope that they aren't rolling their eyes and mocking me in the kitchen.

I feel compelled to tell them that I have celiac disease (emphasis on the "d-word") to ensure that they know I'm not living on something akin to the Atkins Diet. I don't like having to add a lot of drama around being a celiac. I've always had a little paranoia in restaurants, but I've never felt like I've had to defend myself as much as I do these days.

Don't get me wrong... I am a big believer in the gluten-free diet and think it's great that more people are embracing it as a healthy life choice.  

The market is soaring... in part fueled by the growing number of celiacs being diagnosed and in part by the natural medicine movement. Naturopaths will often have patients eliminate wheat and dairy as a first step to ruling out whether they are responsible for a host of symptoms.

All of this gluten-free attention is fueling more options on menus and on grocery store shelves. This is good news for those of us that otherwise wouldn't find a freezer full of options in the local grocery store. 

More people looking for food without gluten could lead to manufacturers seriously thinking twice before using it as unnecessary filler. 

I get it. 

However, when I saw the billboard advertising dog food as "free from glutens" I thought CRAP. Nobody is going to take this as seriously as I need them to. I am not trying to lose weight - or run my next marathon faster. I eat this way to stay alive. 

On the other hand, I guess it is kind of neat to have all of these celebrities wanting to live like I do :)