I just noticed 'gluten free' as one of the top 10 google searches currently trending now. Apparently, ABC news has written an article on it calling it the latest 'fad' diet. http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11659153 The article is accompanied by a bunch of irritated comments by celiac sufferers complaining that the article trivializes their condition and that the statistics in the article are not accurate. The article even claims that one quarter of American adults are currently trying to cut back on gluten. Really!?! That is a much higher percentage than I see around me currently. My question: Is this kind of publicity going to be good or bad for getting the truth out? Will it hurt or harm in the long run? What will happen if this anti gluten thing really takes off?
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I think the "gluten-free" label may be the new "No Fat" fad. You could slap both of them on a carrot but it doesn't mean anything! To me, both are saying, "Hey, here's this stuff you really like but the normal version is bad for you so we took something out and - presto - it's good for you!" These labels shout "candy cigarettes" to me. That said, I am aiming for gluten-free eating but that's by eating things that just don't have gluten in them - naturally! I am not against having the label - provided it is truthfully and meaningfully applied - so that people with Celiacs Disease can find stuff to eat. It could also end up leading more people to paleo/primal ways of eating which is a good thing. |
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This is both good and bad. Reducing or eliminating gluten consumption will benefit the vast majority of people to some extent. But, unfortunately, the gluten-free movement was commercialized and bastardized from the start. Gluten-free cookies, gluten-free pasta, etc. are all still Frankenfoods that substitute polysyllabic ingredients for gluten. The whole gluten-free movement has become an exercise in fulfilling the letter of the law, rather than actually figuring out what foods contribute to human health or disease. Many gluten-free products make liberal use of soy, corn, vegetable oils, and mystery ingredients I can't pronounce. For those with severe gluten sensitivities, this is better than nothing. For those with less severe sensitivities, gluten-free Frankenfoods simply allow them to think that they are eating something healthy. Until people learn that there is no substitute for eating real food, and avoiding food products, gluten-free products will remain a joke. They are a mixed blessing for celiacs, and perhaps harmful in the long run to the Real Food movement. |
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I've had similar thoughts, Eva. This could be good and it could be bad. Just calling it a "fad" diet is frustrating. We, as a culture, need to stop thinking of our fueling as quick and easy (fad) and as a way of living. I certainly am seeing more awareness among my friends that the standard USDA diet is not healthy. We need to just keep spreading the word! :) |
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It will probably result in soy beans (or corn?) being genetically modified to produce a more sticky protein, so that people can still get their pasta and "bread". |
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Unfortunately, as Jae implied, this growing gluten-free so-called "fad" will probably cause folks to hyperfocus on eliminating gluten - but they'll eat "gluten-free!" labeled goods and continue to eat rice, barley, oats, etc. without conviction. |
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If it's a fad, it's going to be a short one.Most people do not have the willpower to get through the withdrawal,which is worse than caffeine, nicotine,speed,sugar..anything else I've experienced.Then top that off with social isolation of not being able to participate in a lot of "normal" activities(birthday cakes,late night pizza and beer, Christmas cookies).If I wasn't celiac and facing an early grave had I not stopped,not sure I would have made it. |
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