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For someone who is celiac, I find the referring to a gluten-free diet as a fad is highly ignorant, uninformed and offensive to those of this who have this condition. Calling the gluten-free diet a fad puts those of us with this disease at risk because it may cause others who may be preparing our food to not take it seriously and cross-contaminate it, making a person with celiac very ill.
I guess I'm sensitive this because I live with family who aren't supportive of my diet and have basically accused me of being a liar and not really having my condition.
The bottom line is, if you don't have celiac disease or aren't otherwise gluten-sensitive, there's no added health benefit to a gluten-free diet. There's simply no point or purpose of eating gluten-free if you don't have to. It's simply not the same as say, going vegetarian.
Based on the comments here, those who claim this "gluten thing" is a "myth" obviously don't suffer from celiac disease. Those of us who have this condition can't eat it--period. Not even in small quantities. I can't speak for others who have it, but for me when it eat anything with gluten, even if it's one cookie or a biscuit, I have bad knee and shoulder pain. And if I continue to eat it, it gets to the point that I can't lift my arms at all and I can't walk. This only happens to me when I eat food with gluten in it. As long as I avoid gluten I am fine. I have been tested for other allergies and I have none outside of being allergic to bananas.
It's a choice as to whether or not one who is gluten sensitive wants to buy the more expensive gluten-free products as opposed to making things at home themselves. Either way, gluten-free items are very expensive, especially the flours. People can not buy the products but then their food choices are extremely limited to only fruits, veggies, meats and rice. Who wants to eat like this every single day?
Calling gluten sensitivity a myth is like calling allergies a myth. While gluten sensitivity doesn't cause immediate, life-threatening symptoms like a wheat or peanut allergy, it deteriorates the body over time, leading to issues such as arthritis, colon cancer and lymphoma.
I had a friend whose daughter chose to become vegetarian and later told her mom that she wanted to start eating gluten-free. I explained to my friend that taking on a gluten-free diet when you don't have the sensitivity is pointless and has no added health benefit.
I personally haven't heard of the GF diet being promoted or pushed as the best diet for all people, but rather only for those who have the intolerance to gluten. The bandwagon dieters are the issue, not the people who suffer from gluten sensitivity and the companies who make products we can eat. But gluten-free products are costly.
If you or someone in your family doesn't have to eat gluten-free, I don't see why anyone on here is making such a big deal about it. You will never understand unless you are gluten intolerant yourself.
I don't see why people get so worked up about this. I don't have celiac's disease, but I've had digestive problems all my life. I feel better without gluten. So, I really limit how much I have of it. If someone feels better without eating gluten and a gluten free diet works for them to feel healthy and maintain their weight, then who cares?
My wife is celiac. My kids haven't been diagnosed, but one of them seems to have problems with any wheat in the diet.
I've never had any problems whatsoever.
If you eliminate any gluten from your diet and something about your body changes positively, then it's probably a healthier way to live. If you have no problems with wheat or gluten whatsoever and eliminating same from your diet has no impact, then I seriously doubt that a gluten free diet could be considered "healthier" in any meaningful way.
My wife is celiac. My kids haven't been diagnosed, but one of them seems to have problems with any wheat in the diet.
I've never had any problems whatsoever.
If you eliminate any gluten from your diet and something about your body changes positively, then it's probably a healthier way to live. If you have no problems with wheat or gluten whatsoever and eliminating same from your diet has no impact, then I seriously doubt that a gluten free diet could be considered "healthier" in any meaningful way.
This sums it up perfectly. It's like when people say "Higher protein diets are bad for people with kidney problems, so they must be bad for people with a normal body!"
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