Even though there are a lot of people who are gluten-free, there still seem to be a lot of misunderstanding about it. Just for the record here are a few things not to say:
So you don’t eats nuts? I’m not sure where this came from but someone did say that to me. For the record gluten is a protein compound found in wheat and some grains, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough and helps it rise, keep it’s shape and can give bread a chewy texture. It can also be used in cosmetics and other beauty products.- Oh, you’re on one of those celebrity fad diets. No. I actually have a gluten intolerance. My body has a negative reaction to it. Gluten affects my thyroid, among other things. There is a broad spectrum of reactions from Celiac Disease to gluten sensitivity.
- If you don’t have gluten sensitivity and you avoid gluten it’s bad for you. This is not the case. Dr. Tom O’Bryan specializes in Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease. (His website is www.thedr.com.) In an interview with nutritionist Cynthia Pasquella (www.cynthiapasquella.com) he said that no human can digest gluten. It’s just a matter of each person’s threshold.
- Oh my gosh, how can you live without bread? We do not have to eat bread to live. There is obviously an adjustment when you cut gluten from your diet but it can be done. Lots of people do it. And here’s another shocker…there is gluten in a lot of things other then baked goods, like some lunch meats, sausage, beer and vodka, though are gluten-free choices in all of these.
Can’t you just have a couple of cookies? If you’re body reacts to gluten, it will react to even a little gluten. Ask someone who is allergic to nuts if they want just a couple of Peanut M&M’s.- This is just a fad and in a few years it’ll be something else that’s bad for you. Sure, probably in just a couple of years all the research that shows gluten linked to things like autoimmune diseases, autism, ADHD, and diabetes will change. Science is like that.
- I couldn’t afford those expensive gluten-free foods. There are a lot of gluten-free choices now. But personally don’t eat too many gluten-free products. The idea is also to eat a healthier diet and many of those products though free of gluten are high in other things, like sugar in gluten-free cookies. Even so, in my view the cost of them is less than feeling sick or paying medical bills.
- You’ll get tired of this and eat normal again. After 2 1/2 years of eating gluten-free, this is “normal” to me. (See #7 above)
- I can’t believe you are eating a salad in a pizza place. Unless they are offering gluten-free pizza I will make another choice…very likely a salad.
- Wait, you don’t get a birthday cake? Nope.
