I was diagnosed with celiac disease on Halloween, 2013. My doctor called me and told me that I would no longer be able to eat gluten; gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The reason I couldn’t eat gluten anymore was that my body had developed the auto-immune disorder celiac disease, and that every time I ate gluten I was causing myself long-lasting intestinal damage, along with other short term symptoms. I am sick for 1-2 weeks post-gluten, and have the abdominal issues coupled with marked mood symptoms for up to 2 weeks.
There is also something called gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance. This type of bodily response to gluten is generally less severe than that of a celiac patient, however it causes enough discomfort that these individuals also avoid gluten similar to the celiac patient. A gluten sensitive/intolerant person may not need to be as strict with cross contamination as a celiac, but still avoid gluten at all times. Science has also found that people with certain types of diabetes benefit from a gluten free diet as well.
People also choose to go on a gluten free diet for other personal, non-medical reasons. I am here, as a celiac patient, to explain why I find that ridiculous. Take it from me, I’m gluten free, and eating gluten free is not a fad.
For those of us with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, there is no pharmaceutical treatment for our illness. The treatment is literally following a hyper-strict diet plan in which NO gluten can exist. It sounds easy when you think about it generally, just avoid wheat in food right? Wrong! Firstly, we must read every package of foods’ ingredients list from top to bottom; while wheat is one of the FDA’s 8 most common allergens and must be labeled accordingly, barley and rye are not and hide in plain sight in ingredients such as maltodextrin, malt flavoring, Triticale, etc. Aside from food, we must check all beverages that have more than one ingredient (milk, fruit juices, and teas are usually ok, but soda and other drinks can have hidden gluten). Alcohol too; if you like whiskey you had better hope you never develop either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity!
The transition into a completely gluten free life is somewhat difficult and constantly a battle. I was professionally trained in american cooking over summers in high school, and you wouldn’t believe how much of food’s texture is attributed to gluten. You basically have to learn how to cook from square one, and you also have a whole new set of ingredients you need to know about. You also are gonna try some really gross foods because you wanted a new kind of cookies or something. You’re also gonna make a mistake and get sick once in a while (a glutening will affect me for 1-2 weeks after the fact!). If you’re like me, you’re going to cry over a few things that you can’t have anymore, like Slim Jims, but ultimately you just have to suck it up and stay vigilant about your new life.
People who follow a strict gluten free diet suffer from a standard set of nutrient deficiencies. Gluten free grain products are not enriched with the same nutrients that standard grain products are, consequently people on a medical gluten free diet must go to other lengths to ensure proper nutrition. If someone with celiac disease does get exposed to gluten, the villi in the intestine are damaged, causing further nutrient absorption.
People also choose to go on a gluten free diet for other personal, non-medical reasons. I am here, as a celiac patient, to explain why I find that ridiculous. Take it from me, I’m gluten free, and eating gluten free is not a fad.
For those of us with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, there is no pharmaceutical treatment for our illness. The treatment is literally following a hyper-strict diet plan in which NO gluten can exist. It sounds easy when you think about it generally, just avoid wheat in food right? Wrong! Firstly, we must read every package of foods’ ingredients list from top to bottom; while wheat is one of the FDA’s 8 most common allergens and must be labeled accordingly, barley and rye are not and hide in plain sight in ingredients such as maltodextrin, malt flavoring, Triticale, etc. Aside from food, we must check all beverages that have more than one ingredient (milk, fruit juices, and teas are usually ok, but soda and other drinks can have hidden gluten). Alcohol too; if you like whiskey you had better hope you never develop either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity!
The transition into a completely gluten free life is somewhat difficult and constantly a battle. I was professionally trained in american cooking over summers in high school, and you wouldn’t believe how much of food’s texture is attributed to gluten. You basically have to learn how to cook from square one, and you also have a whole new set of ingredients you need to know about. You also are gonna try some really gross foods because you wanted a new kind of cookies or something. You’re also gonna make a mistake and get sick once in a while (a glutening will affect me for 1-2 weeks after the fact!). If you’re like me, you’re going to cry over a few things that you can’t have anymore, like Slim Jims, but ultimately you just have to suck it up and stay vigilant about your new life.
People who follow a strict gluten free diet suffer from a standard set of nutrient deficiencies. Gluten free grain products are not enriched with the same nutrients that standard grain products are, consequently people on a medical gluten free diet must go to other lengths to ensure proper nutrition. If someone with celiac disease does get exposed to gluten, the villi in the intestine are damaged, causing further nutrient absorption.
The gluten free fad is both a blessing and curse for people like me. We have more options available, but because people who are on the gluten free diet to lose weight or simply because it is the new “it” thing (you know they exist), our medical needs are not met by these newly available options. In the grocery store, it means that we have more delicious and more plentiful options for goodies like cake and bread, but because they are in such skewed fad demand they cost an outrageous amount of money. I have paid $5.99 for a loaf of bread that weighs half as much as regular bread, had a third as many slices, and tasted like toasted shoes. Granted you can find deals at places like Sprouts and Whole Foods during a sale, but ultimately gluten free packaged foods are about 242% more expensive than their regular counterparts.
When we eat out, we face the problem of food establishments not taking our dietary needs as seriously as they should. I don’t mean to be a bitch, but if you are a server and someone tells you they have a serious food condition, you should take it seriously. If you don’t? You are kind of an asshole, because you took it upon yourself to decide whether or not we were serious, and may have caused us to get very sick. As for those of you eating gluten free as a preference, make sure you state that it is a preference, and not an allergy. It is important that we make this distinction, because people with celiac disease are getting extremely sick when we go out to eat because of restaurant staff being undereducated about our needs and the difference between a food allergy and a preference. Aside from the fear of getting sick when eating out, medically gluten free people face judgement from others who do not understand the repercussions of a slip in our diet. We are seen as whiny or attention-seeking customers or friends because we have to be so adamant about our requests.
Rhoda Kane, FDA dietician and consumer safety officer, states that “There are not nutritional advantages for a person not sensitive to gluten to be on a gluten free diet.” Gluten free does not mean low fat, low sugar, or low sodium. In fact, if you look closely, gluten free foods actually contain more sugar and sodium and sometimes more fat than regular foods! Add that added bad stuff with the nutritional deficiencies, and you can see why buying gluten free if you don’t need it is a waste of your money and time.
I would also like to point out that people with medically necessary gluten free diets HATE seeing someone talk about being gluten free then eat gluten. We cannot take that risk, and when you label yourself gluten free and do not adhere to the proper standard, you cheapen our struggle. You choose not to eat gluten but eat a little bread here and have a little beer there? You are not gluten free, and we ask that you differentiate yourself accordingly to protect us.
If you meet someone who is gluten free, please don’t say the death words, “Gluten free isn’t real.” I have actually left dates over that, and Gluten Free Delight Magazine agrees.
When we eat out, we face the problem of food establishments not taking our dietary needs as seriously as they should. I don’t mean to be a bitch, but if you are a server and someone tells you they have a serious food condition, you should take it seriously. If you don’t? You are kind of an asshole, because you took it upon yourself to decide whether or not we were serious, and may have caused us to get very sick. As for those of you eating gluten free as a preference, make sure you state that it is a preference, and not an allergy. It is important that we make this distinction, because people with celiac disease are getting extremely sick when we go out to eat because of restaurant staff being undereducated about our needs and the difference between a food allergy and a preference. Aside from the fear of getting sick when eating out, medically gluten free people face judgement from others who do not understand the repercussions of a slip in our diet. We are seen as whiny or attention-seeking customers or friends because we have to be so adamant about our requests.
Rhoda Kane, FDA dietician and consumer safety officer, states that “There are not nutritional advantages for a person not sensitive to gluten to be on a gluten free diet.” Gluten free does not mean low fat, low sugar, or low sodium. In fact, if you look closely, gluten free foods actually contain more sugar and sodium and sometimes more fat than regular foods! Add that added bad stuff with the nutritional deficiencies, and you can see why buying gluten free if you don’t need it is a waste of your money and time.
I would also like to point out that people with medically necessary gluten free diets HATE seeing someone talk about being gluten free then eat gluten. We cannot take that risk, and when you label yourself gluten free and do not adhere to the proper standard, you cheapen our struggle. You choose not to eat gluten but eat a little bread here and have a little beer there? You are not gluten free, and we ask that you differentiate yourself accordingly to protect us.
If you meet someone who is gluten free, please don’t say the death words, “Gluten free isn’t real.” I have actually left dates over that, and Gluten Free Delight Magazine agrees.
We think: Gluten Free is a Fad are #FiveWordsToRuinADate
— Delight Gluten-Free (@delightgfmag) January 15, 2015
While you may not understand what gluten free means or why its all of a sudden so prevalent (that’s another post), it is extremely rude of you to assume it is not a real medical issue. Please be respectful and ask if that person is gluten free for preference or medical reasons; trust me, we are MORE than happy to tell you which camp we belong to! (Guys, side note: Gluten free girls cook KILLER meats!)
While I think it’s awesome that we live in a world where people are ready and willing to try something new if they think it will make them healthier, we need to be very careful how we treat medical issues that spill over into the food world. Just like someone allergic to peanuts could have to be rushed to the hospital if peanut oil is used but not disclosed, celiac disease patients must be taken just as seriously.
While I think it’s awesome that we live in a world where people are ready and willing to try something new if they think it will make them healthier, we need to be very careful how we treat medical issues that spill over into the food world. Just like someone allergic to peanuts could have to be rushed to the hospital if peanut oil is used but not disclosed, celiac disease patients must be taken just as seriously.