Celiac.com 03/23/2016 - Often when people hear that someone is "going gluten-free," they think that just means people are not eating wheat. This kind of thinking focuses on the obvious—since gluten is in foods it means watching what is eaten. They may associate this change in diet with some biological process or disease issue. In the world of the general public, they're not really sure what "gluten" is and they're not totally convinced that eliminating it will improve health. But for those of us who make a commitment to going gluten-free, it is far more than just eliminating certain food products. It is a personal transformation of self. What people don't often talk about is it being a psychological and social change as well.
In many ways, making a commitment to seriously go gluten-f...

Celiac.com 06/25/2021 - Chapters of Gluten-Centric Culture – The Commensality Conundrum are being published quarterly in the Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. Dr. Duane will be holding small discussion workshops starting July, 2021 for those interested in diving into the material in the book (please see below for details). Ideologies as explained in chapter one can be summarized as taken for granted truths. These "truths" govern how we interact with each other. Dr. Duane conducted a nation-wide study of over 600 people who live with food sensitivities while earning her PhD. This work is the result of that study. Throughout the document, study participants are quoted. Names have been changed to protect the identity of study participants.
Ideologies evolve and change depending on cultural n...

Celiac.com 09/29/2022 - The book Gluten-Centric Culture is the result of a nation-wide study of gluten-sensitive adults living with other adults. Previous gluten-related studies primarily examine children. This is one of few that focuses entirely on adult social experiences. As we have seen in earlier chapters, cultural practices make life difficult for those avoiding gluten at any age. The chapters have detailed how cultural constraints such as exclusionary etiquette rules make it challenging to both be polite and dodge gluten at the dinner table. Other cultural constraints such as able-bodied biases are illustrated when only gluten-containing foods are offered, and when special needs are not considered. We’ve seen how “gluten” is the butt of jokes, causing our requests to be mocked and o...