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"But You Can Eat Whole Wheat, Right?"

earthtoneNJ

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earthtoneNJ Rookie
earthtoneNJ
Posted

What are you favorite clueless quotes from gluten-eaters?

Here was my day:

Relative: "What can't you eat in the lasagna?"

Me: "The cheese, and the pasta."

Relative: "Oh... But I made it with whole wheat pasta, I thought maybe you could eat that."

I wish I could say that was the first person who thought whole wheat was okay after I explain "I can't eat even the slightest trace of wheat." I don't get people!! Oh, I'm patient with them, and I resist the urge to scream and/or bust out laughing before explaining that whole wheat is wheat. Who'da thunkit? ;)

Oh, and then there's "Huh. This gluten-free stuff you made isn't actually that bad." Lol, thanks for the high praise of my culinary skill! Nevermind that it was basically beans & veg sauteed with garlic, which shouldn't have gluten in the first place... Call it gluten-free and it must be disgusting. Ah, if only they knew how well I eat :D

After a nutty afternoon with the family, I needed to vent among people who know better!!

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Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Waitress: "You can't have the bread but you can have the penne pasta."

Me: "Really? What is the pasta made of?"

Waitress: "Flour."

Me: "And what is the flour made of?"

Waitress: "... oh. I guess you can't have that."

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K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

OOOH I feel your pain! Here's one of my "punch the idiot" moments:

wife at spouse social: "Here, I'll just make you some toast and you can eat that. That's what I eat when I have an upset stomach"

me: "I don't have an upset stomach, and I won't have one as long as I don't eat anything with flour. Like bread."

her: "but...it's bread. There's NOTHING that can hurt you in that! It's bread!"

Me: "...made out of flour..."

her: "but the bread is white bread, wheat is brown"

Me: "It's bleached to be white. Still made out of flour which is made out of wheat."

her: "Oh, I thought it was rice or something because it's white. Well what about pie, can you eat that?"

Me: *eyeroll* "Do you have any wine?"

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kaki-clam Enthusiast
kaki-clam
Posted

These made me giggle :) Especially the one about pie!

Dear Pie:

I wish you loved me as much as I loved you!

Love,

Cathy

my favorite conversation that occurs at least once a week....

co-worker: wow, you always have the best lunches. I thought you couldn't eat wheat.

me: there is no wheat in here, I made all this myself

co-worker: wow, you have to cook all your own food, I could never do that, your life really sucks!

seriously? Are Celiac's or other people with food allergies the ONLY people that cook????

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kitgordon Explorer
kitgordon
Posted

Too funny! I am constantly amazed at how ignorant people are about what is in their food, and how many people don't cook. I ALWAYS cooked my own food and knew what was in it, even before I realized I had celiac.

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jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

One of the first times I tried to eat at a restaurant, when I mentioned gluten, the waiter gave it one of those deer in the headlights looks and said--glucose?

Then, after I further explained, he said that the grill was very hot and would kill off anything that was left on it.

<sigh>

Then there's my mom, who thinks if she says that something is "all natural", that it's automatically safe to eat.....<head thunk on table>

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conniebky Collaborator
conniebky
Posted

My big brother:

If people with celiac have stomach troubles, they should eat whole wheat and whole grain, everyone knows that is what keeps the digestive tract healthy.

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gary'sgirl Explorer
gary'sgirl
Posted

Haha... This is making me giggle :lol:

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

New acquaintence "There is no such thing as food allergies, no one has them"

Me "I don't have food allergies I have celiac which is autoimmune and there really are lots of folks that have actual allergies" (The only full sentence I actually got out.)

N A " Those folks are just eating the wrong foods :o and your nasty attitude is why you have stomach problems" <_<

Me "Uh okay, goodbye"

This person had only known me five minutes. His entire tirade lasted for 4 of them. If anyone has 'stomach problems' because of a nasty attitude I guess it would be this guy. :D

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cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

LOLOLOL :lol:

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conniebky Collaborator
conniebky
Posted

New acquaintence "There is no such thing as food allergies, no one has them"

Me "I don't have food allergies I have celiac which is autoimmune and there really are lots of folks that have actual allergies" (The only full sentence I actually got out.)

N A " Those folks are just eating the wrong foods :o and your nasty attitude is why you have stomach problems" <_<

Me "Uh okay, goodbye"

This person had only known me five minutes. His entire tirade lasted for 4 of them. If anyone has 'stomach problems' because of a nasty attitude I guess it would be this guy. :D

Jerk. Good thing my hillbilly butt wasn't there when he said that to you.

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butterfl8 Rookie
butterfl8
Posted

I liked when I went into starbucks right by me and explained that I couldn't have gluten, and I wanted a carmel apple cider. Could they help me look at the ingredients and determine if it was safe? She picks up the bottle of carmel sauce and reads off the ingredients, and pauses after "natural and artificial flavors." "Well, natural flavors are at least ok!" she offers brightly. "Wheat is very natural." I respond back just as brightly (and slightly sarcasticly). I settled for a cup of tea.

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jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

I didn't attend a picnic with my husband this past week and so many people asked why I wasn't there. He said that I can't eat pizza or broasted chicken and since these are foods I love that it is too hard for me to watch others eat them. This was a catered picnic and there were a few other things served but it didn't souond like they were safe either. He said others there understood why I didn't want to attend.

Later, hubby was visiting with a neighbor when I got home and I asked him if he enjoyed the picnic. He said others asked and in front of the neighbor my husband said he told them the reason why I wasn't there. The neighbor said I could have just taken the skin off the chicken and eaten the meat. That is exactly what I thought when my doctor told me to not eat gluten but didn't say to watch out for cc. I ate the top of pizza and the meat of broasted chicken.

It wasn't until I found this forum and started reading books on Celiac that I found out I was going about it all wrong and getting sicker and sicker as the days went on. I did educate my doctor so hope this doesn't happen to any of his other patients. Note: he is neither a GI or Celiac specialist.

However, people not knowing that "normal" white bread and pasta are made of wheat are pretty ignorant. Same goes for those saying eating whole wheat can't make you sick. I don't wish gluten intolerance on anybody but I do wish those ignorant individuals could suffer just a day or two to find out what it is like. Then, while they are suffering they are forced to eat whole wheat bread and pasta.

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Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

Talking to a neighbor after my daughter was diagnosed (three years ago) . . .

Me: "She can't have wheat bread, pasta, cookies . . . blah, blah, blah"

Neighbor: "Well, she can have Wonder bread."

I've come acrossed it many times . . . people don't understand that "flour" is made from wheat.

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Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

OOOH I feel your pain! Here's one of my "punch the idiot" moments:

wife at spouse social: "Here, I'll just make you some toast and you can eat that. That's what I eat when I have an upset stomach"

me: "I don't have an upset stomach, and I won't have one as long as I don't eat anything with flour. Like bread."

her: "but...it's bread. There's NOTHING that can hurt you in that! It's bread!"

Me: "...made out of flour..."

her: "but the bread is white bread, wheat is brown"

Me: "It's bleached to be white. Still made out of flour which is made out of wheat."

her: "Oh, I thought it was rice or something because it's white. Well what about pie, can you eat that?"

Me: *eyeroll* "Do you have any wine?"

Rofl! Yes, please pass the wine. B)

My husband once told me that I could eat some quiche because "it was mostly eggs anyway". I said yes it is, but what's the rest of it made of. He said "well, crust, but not much of it." --- And my mother has been thinking that she might try the gluten-free diet since she has stomach troubles. She said to me "I suppose it could be gluten since you tell me it can be inherited... but, I don't eat much wheat." Me: "um mom, you have at least six slices of bread every day!" Mom: "oh that's just white bread, not whole wheat." Me: "Let's talk when I come visit next week." <_<

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Rude or not, I do not hesitate to give people who make statements like this a "are you really that stupid" look, and am a bit sarcastic in my response.

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Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

There's no point in getting sarcastic. Yes, they really are that ignorant. My second cousin farms, and he got some new city-slicker neighbors down the road. They were him asking about vegetables because they couldn't figure out why their potato plants didn't have any fruit. They had no idea they had to dig them up! :lol:

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conniebky Collaborator
conniebky
Posted

There's no point in getting sarcastic. Yes, they really are that ignorant. My second cousin farms, and he got some new city-slicker neighbors down the road. They were him asking about vegetables because they couldn't figure out why their potato plants didn't have any fruit. They had no idea they had to dig them up! :lol:

:o oh for the love of pete! :o

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

:o oh for the love of pete! :o

Leave me out of it. ;)

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tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

There's no point in getting sarcastic. Yes, they really are that ignorant. My second cousin farms, and he got some new city-slicker neighbors down the road. They were him asking about vegetables because they couldn't figure out why their potato plants didn't have any fruit. They had no idea they had to dig them up! :lol:

that's why I say rude or not - I'm perfectly happy letting them know that I think they're morons for not knowing basics about food. (rude? arrogant? whichever. :P) certainly I won't advocate everyone does it, because I have annoyed people by doing it, but people not thinking about things that they would know if they thought for just a moment is kind of a pet peeve of mine. (and I realize that it's subjective. and it makes it all the more humorous when I get caught being a moron. :) )

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K8ling Enthusiast
K8ling
Posted

My big brother:

If people with celiac have stomach troubles, they should eat whole wheat and whole grain, everyone knows that is what keeps the digestive tract healthy.

OMG someone tweeted me today and said "Fiber is good for you, you need to eat more wheat!"

NO I DON'T!!

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danaf617 Explorer
danaf617
Posted

I'm keeping tally on how many times my MIL is going to ask me if I can have Panko breadcrumbs. :rolleyes: Like "Panko" is a new type of crop or something that isn't wheat. :lol:

Also, I decided this week to give up dairy in addition to gluten. When I told her, her response was "My goodness, Dana! What ARE you going to eat?"

Me: "Um... Meat. Vegetables. Fruit. You know - food?"

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

The one that really got me upset was the woman who insisted she was feeding her toddler a gluten free diet while her toddler ate mostly cheerios for snacks.

Me: Cheerios have wheat in them.

Her: No they don't, they are oats.

Me: They have wheat starch listed in the ingredients and besides some celiacs react to oats.

Her: Well a little bit shouldn't hurt him. Afterall, the main ingredient is oats, not wheat. Besides cheerios are heart healthy, see it says so right on the box...blah, blah, blah...

Me: *Bangs head against wall and gives up.*

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GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

Also, I decided this week to give up dairy in addition to gluten. When I told her, her response was "My goodness, Dana! What ARE you going to eat?"

Me: "Um... Meat. Vegetables. Fruit. You know - food?"

I have this same conversation repeatedly. Often it comes up when people ask why I can't go out to eat someplace. I usually only get halfway through my list of food I can't eat when they stop me and ask, "What CAN you eat? No seriously, what do you ate everyday?" When I tell them chicken, beef vegetables, fruit. It is inevitability followed by them saying how much they would rather die than have to eat like I do. :o

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ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

The one that really got me upset was the woman who insisted she was feeding her toddler a gluten free diet while her toddler ate mostly cheerios for snacks.

Me: Cheerios have wheat in them.

Her: No they don't, they are oats.

Me: They have wheat starch listed in the ingredients and besides some celiacs react to oats.

Her: Well a little bit shouldn't hurt him. Afterall, the main ingredient is oats, not wheat. Besides cheerios are heart healthy, see it says so right on the box...blah, blah, blah...

Me: *Bangs head against wall and gives up.*

Poor kid. Hog tie her to a chair in front of a computer and make her read some info. Seriously though I would get her a few good articles on gluten and sit and read them with her.

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