Why Is The Main Stream Media, Tennis Stars And Others Trying To Destroy The Gluen Free Diet

[browngovt]

Hi guys, I have Celiac Disease as recently diagnosed and I am new to this forum.  As I begin my journey I can't help but read news articles which use to praise the Gluten Free Diet now basically put it down as just as fad that will die out in 2 or 3 years and tell people they are crazy to think this will help them at all.

 

Please read these links:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

It is many times the main stream press that is putting down the Gluten Free Diet.

 

Even a Tennis star is laughing at it and wants less Gluten Free on the market and hopes it is gone in 3 to 4 years from now:

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

Notice it is the main stream press.  Now if more people think the Gluten Free diet is bad then that means less products on the store shelves and less stuff for Celiac Sufferers to EAT.

 

Really Celiac.com should confront this issue.  I don't know if it is the Monsanto GMO lobbying groups that want to get rid of Gluen Free considering much of the GMO's are in wheat and Barley and Gluten Free is interfering with there profits for the shareholders.  It makes me very scared.  Even though I am glad the FDA will now regulate Gluten Free there is a little bit of me that wonders why it took so long and will it produce less Gluten Free items on are shelves.  The FDA is very slick today and more of an arm of the lobbyist groups then an organization out to help people today.

 

Again I am giving an opinion because now that I have been diagnosed as Celiac I am very scared that with the main stream media teeling people they get FAT on Gluten Free diets, sports tennis stars attacking GLUTEN FREE when not understanding a Celiac diagnosed person needs gluten free to live and the FDA after all this time FINALLY regulating Gluten Free, I am sorry, SOMETHING SMELLS FISHY.

 

I will leave it at that and welcome your comments.  Thank you for letting me join this forum.

[kareng]

Most of these seem to say that a gluten-free diet is for Celiacs and not necessary for everyone else. It's a bit of a fad right now and not a necessary way for most people to eat. I don't think they are putting it down for people with a medical need. They are saying that these people who think its the newest diet fad are stupid ( ok my word, not theirs).

We have had many discussions on here about the fad dieters and how it can help and hinder gluten free food.

[foam]

Nadal is a Spanard and the chances of having a problem with Gluten are next to nothing so for him it's just an annoyance. For the Northeners it's another story and 30%? of us carry the genes. 30% is a big problem, it wont be going away anytime soon. 

[Adalaide]

Explain to me how it helps me to be gluten free and safe to have a bunch of hipster morons eating sort of, kinda, but not really gluten free. Because that is how they do it you know. They don't take it seriously, they don't take CC seriously, and they endanger the rest of us with their half-assed approach every time they do something stupid. They go to restaurants and pick the croutons off their gluten free salad and tell their server it isn't a big deal. They eat fries with their gluten free meal even though they're from a shared fryer. When their burger comes out on a bun and the server suddenly remembers and apologizes they say it is fine and just pick it off the bun.

 

Then when we go out to eat and require this by medical necessity the server remembers halfway through getting our salad and just picks the croutons off, and we get sick. The server rolls their eyes every time one of us points out we can't eat the fries from the shared fryer. They realize the cooks mistake and just pick the burger off the bun in the back, that way we don't have to get upset about it. These morons are endangering our health and I wish they would just stop. And I'm not just b%$@#ing about random idiots either.... my own freaking MOTHER WAS A BANDWAGON BETRAYER!!!! The sooner they all knock off the crap, the sooner we can focus keeping ourselves healthy instead of fighting against the fad.

 

And guess what? A lot of what is in the tons of similar articles is completely true. Gluten free foods are full of sugars and fats that are not in the same exact gluten filled foods. A fair number of people here can actually point out that upon going gluten free, if they replaced gluten foods with gluten free foods they DID gain weight. The only time people lose weight is when they stop eating crap, at which point they are losing weight not because they are gluten free but because they stopped eating Twinkies. Not exactly rocket science. This will fade like the South Beach and Atkins and whatever else there was and that can't come soon enough for me.

[Celtic Queen]

Yeah, this is a frustration for me too.  I've had two personal issues with this.  We have a weekly dinner at church.  The few times I go to it, I bring my own food.  One person asked me why one night and I explained that I was eating gluten free.  Another lady overheard and said, "I'm so sick of hearing people talk about eating gluten free.  It's such a trendy diet."  I looked at her and said, "I eat gluten free because I have Celiac Disease and gluten makes me sick."  That shut her up pretty quickly.  The sad thing is that this lady is a nurse, so she should have a clue what Celiac Disease is.

 

Another friend is a server for a high-end French restaurant - one that should have experience in dealing with food allergies and intolerances.  He was complaining because a lady came in saying she couldn't eat gluten.  She wanted one thing on the menu and he checked with the chef and was told it wasn't gluten free.  So then he had to run back and forth about 5 times between her table and the kitchen checking the ingredients on other dishes.  In the end, she ended up ordering the first dish even though it had gluten in it.  I explained to him that she likely wasn't a true Celiac, but just one of those people following the gluten-free trendy diet.  I said if she truly had Celiac Disease she never would have ordered something knowing it had gluten because it would have made her sick.  She also would have had a good idea which dishes on the menu were more likely to be safe and which were off limits.

 

I guess he took my conversation to heart.  Last week he told me that he had another person come in asking about gluten free and he pointed to which things on the menu were safe.  And he double checked with the kitchen.  He said the person was so grateful for his understanding.  I said that person was more likely a true Celiac.  I felt a little better that my discussions with him may have made things a little easier for the next Celiac who visits his restaurant.  He was even telling me about a flourless chocolate cake that I could have for dessert if I came to visit him

 

My husband is always hearing me rant about the people who follow the "Lady Gaga/Kim Kardashian" gluten-free diet because it's trendy.  I just hope the trendy part of gluten-free will die down and that there will be more awareness of Celiac Disease and NCGI so that people who truly need the diet will get diagnosed.

[nvsmom]

I agree with the article that gluten-free eating isn't really a healthy way of eating. gluten-free substitute foods ARE higher in sugars and fats.... I think that's why gluten-free brownies are so good!   I'm all for increased gluten awareness because i don't have to explain what gluten often now.  Eating gluten-light is probably good for most people, similar to how eating soy-light is a good thing for most. Gluten isn't something that anyone needs in their diet; gluten-free substitutes aren't needed either but they make my life easier to pack a snack for my kids when we are out and about.

 

I sort of hope the gluten-free fad doesn't end too soon because I think it has made my life easier. That's just my experience though. 

[ImaMiriam]

I'm new to gluten-free eating myself --- we started at the end of April when my daughter was diagnosed. I agree that living gluten-free is NOT healthier. Just look at the bread choices! I understand that today it's much easier to eat gluten-free than it was 10-20 years ago; however, much of the food (I'd say at least 1/2 of it) that I find in the gluten-free aisle is nutritionally inferior to the gluten foods that are being copied.

 

I was excited to find a pancake mix enriched with B-vitamins. That's one of the problems with gluten-free living -- it's more difficult to get good nutrition from the "staple" grains -- rice, tapioca.....

 

I do believe that the more we eat fresh produce and simple meats, then we are eating healthier. It's more time-consuming in the kitchen, that's for sure! Today I prepared a pad thai recipe (no noodles, only vegetables). It took me 30 minutes. I've always cooked and baked a lot, and I can't believe how much more time I'm now spending in the kitchen! It seems worth it, but I feel like I rarely leave the kitchen....

 

My family seems to love this Pad Thai, which has zucchini "noodles" in it! You can find the Pad Thai recipe here: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/07/01/rad-rainbow-raw-pad-thai/%C2'>

 

[mbrookes]

I, also ,make Pad Thai. I use rice noodles, which is what the original recipe calls for. A quick soak in hot water and they are ready. No problem. A Taste of Thai makes a Pad Thai kit that is marked gluten free and contains the noodles. It is quite good and quick and easy. 

[bartfull]

"I was excited to find a pancake mix enriched with B-vitamins."

 

Tell us the brand! I have often wondered why ALL of the gluten-free substitutes aren't enriched with vitamins. If my Udi's had more vitamins instead of just empty calories I know I would eat a lot more of it.

[ImaMiriam]

Hi, Bartfull, All,

 

The pancake mix is from Open Original Shared Link. They are buckwheat pancakes, and at first, I wasn't interested in this brand because it was more expensive than the rice flour pancakes, and my daughter seemed to like the rice flour ones. Also, I felt maybe the salt content was a bit high.

 

However, we recently tried these and, as my daughter says, "they taste like gluten pancakes," meaning they are more like what we used to eat before we went gluten-free. I haven't tried anything else from this company except the biscuits -- maybe those were what had a lot of salt? (I can't remember right now.)

 

Tonight on our gluten-free pasta, we had a fresh sauce (I sautéed fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, and ground beef). On top of that, we added a "pretend cheese" topping which a friend suggested. I can't remember how I made it -- must look it up! I do know at least 2 of the ingredients -- ground nuts and nutritional yeast. (I think that it might only be those 2 ingredients!) At any rate, I mention it here b/c if you're looking for more B-vitamins, I think nutritional yeast, if you can tolerate the taste, is a good way to go.

 

I'm definitely gonna search for that yeast recipe, 'cause we ate it all up and there's now none left! :-)

[joelmw]

There are fads and ignorance associated with most things everything: not just diet, but lifestyle, spirituality, other cultural and, um, human phenomena. That's just the way it is, people. I can appreciate the catharsis in ranting (I indulge every now and then myself, mostly about politics and horrid drivers, occasionally about food manufacturers and restaurants), but there's no point in taking it personally. You're not the only one they're ignoring, lying about, endangering and exploiting. And the media, unfortunately, tend to reflect the broad and deep idiocy of the people they speak to and about.

 

As others have noted, people's stupid responses create excellent "teachable moments." And the reality is that unless and until someone has that watershed moment--even if they have a close family member who has, or indeed they themselves have, celiac disease--they're gonna think "sorta kinda" is good enough, if they think even that is necessary. Who's to say that for them it isn't? And who are we to say that there's anything wrong in their dabbling in "gluten free" (dabbling which for us would be deadly)?

 

On gluten-free foods being unhealthy, I appreciate the clarification regarding "gluten-free" substitutes, but I think it's misleading to say that eating gluten-free is unhealthy. Since going gluten-free, I mostly avoid breads, pastas and other substitute foods and I eat proportionally far more fresh vegetables and lean meats. Most of the substitutes still taste like crap (in addition to being that nutritionally) and, honestly, after my celiac diagnosis I quickly realized that I never really enjoyed all of the bread, pasta and beer anyway (they were just what I was expected to eat). Note I said "all," not "any."  It's a little like saying giving up gin was a bad thing because it made you drink so much more vodka. 

 

It's true that I still eat some junk that I shouldn't, but generally speaking, going gluten-free has helped me--in multiple ways--to eat healthier. Thinking "gluten free" means something is necessarily healthy is a lot like thinking the same thing about "sugar free" and "fat free" and "organic" and "locally sourced." But saying that it's less healthy because gluten-free substitute foods are unhealthy assumes that we need and/or will continue to consume those substitutes and, IMO, is no more logical or intelligent.

 

There's a hot debate (which, yes, you can find lots of uninformed opinions about online and in the other media) about whether we need to or should be eating grains at all.Should everyone on the paleo diet ("the" is a misnomer, because there are so many versions and variations of it; lotsa versions--there's some food for thought    ) just return to eating a typical, over-processed, grainy diet until they're sure they fully understand it? The thing is: there's a lot that none of us fully understand. I think I benefit from eating "mostly" paleo--just like others might think they do better eating "mostly" gluten-free. So I ask again, is "kinda sorta" necessarily bad? And what about sugar? Might a diabetic think your attitude toward controlling your sugar consumption--if you don't have to take it to the extreme that he does--cavalier? And is it wrong for folks to limit their sugar intake if they don't take it to the "right" extreme?

 

Frankly, I've always hated dealing with those folks who insist that I have to eat one way or another, or who say that if I'm not doing it the way they do it, it's somehow not "real." God help me not to be one of them. 

[IrishHeart]

Eating gluten free can be healthy as long as the focus is on whole foods, not packaged white-rice flour and sugar- filled packaged crap.

 

My husband is G F (of his own accord after my DX) and he is as healthy as it gets.No medications, works out several times a week and can walk over 3 miles without breaking a sweat.

 

He gets plenty of fiber and B vitamins because I feed us both brown rice, quinoa and other alternative grains and seeds, nuts and lots of green leafy veggies.

 

B vitamins are found in foods like dairy,chicken, pork, eggs, beans and nuts, too .

 

Food does not need to be "fortified" with vitamins to be good for you.

 

People who say "you will not be healthy because you stop eating wheat grains" do not have a fundamental understanding of nutritional values

of all the food groups.

 

Personally, I do not need celebrities claiming to be gluten-free one minute and stuffing their faces with bagels the next one “championing” my cause. If you want to change your diet, go ahead, but keep silent about it.
And I certainly do not “need” more “possibly gluten free” products on the market. I just need to be taken seriously if I venture out to eat.

People who merely “dabble” in being gluten-free are not taken seriously by anyone, especially waitstaff.

The “gluten free craze” causes more harm than good for a variety of reasons. I have had waiters tell me honestly–flat out —they think it’s all “bulls$#&”.(then I tell them why it isn’t–in my case–and they seem to understand it better)

People label us picky and trendy and annoying because they see these dabblers as “fad dieters”.

This leaves me, a celiac who truly needs to have her concerns about cross contamination taken seriously, vulnerable to the waiter (or chef )who is tired and has had his fill of what he deems “the picky people” who take up too much of his time. His goal is to serve food fast and make tips..

You think he’s going to watch carefully how he handles my food order just because I smile and ask politely,” I have Celiac and I need to be gluten free, so please be extra careful okay?”….. Nope.

He only heard the buzz words “gluten-free” and stopped listening right then and there.

 

Fortunately, I have an ingratiating smile and can usually win them over and I am safe.

 

There’s a big difference between “over- exposure” and “awareness” IMHO and sometimes, we are getting bashed about needing to be G F because of the co-existing G F dieting craze.

[ImaMiriam]

I'm very new to the gluten-free world, and because my Celiac daughter has been and continues to suffer, I'm pedaling as fast as I can to get "literate" in this world. Last night she somehow figured out that the cinnamon we use is likely CC. She takes probiotics every night, mixed into applesauce. She gets a stomach ache after she takes the probiotic! Because it tastes kinda yucky, we've been adding cinnamon to mask the flavor. We're going to buy a different brand of cinnamon and see if it helps!

 

Personally, I hate trends in dieting. I think it's sort of hilarious that so many people are going carbohydrate free now and saying it's a new diet. This was around in the 1970s! I remember my mother's friends doing a low carb diet!!! People always used to talk to me about how to be thin (I guess because I've always been really thin.)

 

My family doesn't like quinoa, although I've tried to cook it a few ways. I'm not giving up, and I'm trying other grains for us. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this: I think that the "average American" doesn't know much about whole grains, and it's only a minority of Americans (Celiac or whatever) who would understand and prepare meals that are using grains such as quinoa, millet, brown rice, amaranth, etc. What do you think?

 

We love the Breads from Anna bread and muffin mixes and I find myself baking them more than once a week. We tend to be bread and pasta eaters, and maybe that'll change over time now that we have to be gluten-free. I'm going to keep trying to find yummy recipes using different grains.

 

When I see some of the processed food products that are labeled gluten-free, I don't see them as good choices for a healthy diet. One of the biggest struggles for me is finding time to learn new recipes and finding time to cook from scratch. That's why I keep looking at the new products....even though I know they aren't as wholesome.

 

As for restaurants, right now we are not going to any of them, unless they have a dedicated gluten-free menu (PF Chang seems safe).

 

Any suggestions on cooking? If there's a thread somewhere in this Forum with good grain recipes, please send me over to it! 

 

Thank you!

[IrishHeart]

ImaMariam

Just a thought, but the stomach ache after taking the probiotics is less likely to be the cinnamon (plain spices are not usually CCed, unless you bought it from an open bulk bin?) than her reaction to the probiotic itself.

 

They can cause a bit of turbulence sometimes.Stir the probiotics into something else (juice, yogurt, pudding?) and see if she has the same response.

We have to experiment a lot around here. LOL

 

There are many recipes on the site. Just use "Search the forum" in the upper right hand section of this page or go directly to the cooking and recipes section .

best wishes to you and your daughter!

[ImaMiriam]

Ok, I'm still not sure. She was taking the probiotics in yogurt (almond yogurt as we're trying to avoid dairy right now). That also gives her a stomach ache. The GI said to use "body temperature" yogurt/apple sauce, so I always warm it up first. We trying cutting back the amount of probiotic, and that didn't help.

 

I think I'll try cutting back the probiotic and also cutting out the cinnamon, and see what happens. I think it'll taste yucky in juice.....

 

About the cinnamon, it's from Frontier Herbs, and at their website it says that if it doesn't say "certified gluten-free" on the label, then there's a chance of CC. Do you think that they are just covering themselves that way? I was going to buy McCormick since people here said it's safe. I'd prefer the Frontier because it's organic and so on.....

 

Thanks for your suggestions.

[IrishHeart]

Maybe try asking the question in the Parents of celiac Kids section?...those Moms (and Dads) have some great ideas!

I use McCormick spices w/out issues, if that helps.

[Adalaide]

FWIW my most serious and only real concern about CC in spices and herbs was from myself having them before diagnosis. I baked a lot and simply replaced all of them because I would simply use the same spoons without washing or getting clean ones and would double dip from one spice to the next, or from flour to spices. A lot of my spices are McCormick, I also buy spices at Costco and a few other brands when McCormick doesn't have what I want which isn't often.

[joelmw]

Good point on the CC. We unloaded stuff for similar reasons--questionable containers, double-dipping, etc.

 

Crazy business this celiac.

[Micheles13]

I find it interesting that Nadal would mock Novak Djokovic’s gluten-free diet as nothing more than a 3-4 year fad. While it is undeniable that the amount of people following a gluten-free diet has increased drastically during the last couple of years, it does not mean that everyone out there is following this “fad”.  Anyone with Celiac disease, or anyone that knows someone with Celiac disease, knows what it truly means to be gluten intolerant. A simple day’s outing can become a stressful situation come lunch-time; always having to worry about whether or not the food you just ordered will make you sick. 

     Good luck to everyone and let’s hope that this nonsense about the gluten-free diet being nothing more than a silly fad decreases as awareness increases.