“The early decay and death of our most promising American families unquestionably are due to almost universal use of new fermented bread.”
Shirley Dare, Los Angeles Times (1894)
I don’t know about you but I’m tired of the gluten-free fad. Fad, yes I said it. Why? Well because I’m constantly hearing students, friends and co-workers talk about “going GF” so they can lose some weight and shrink their bellies. With the increasing rate of gluten food allergies, sensitivities, and Celiac’s disease (yes, there is a difference between all three) grocery stores and restaurant alike are stocking up on GF items.
Is gluten-free the new low-carb fad?
Prevalent as it is, gluten sensitivity still only affects a minority in the general population — but gluten preoccupation appears to affect many more. The potential adverse health effects of gluten in those sensitive to it have reverberated in cyberspace, creating the impression that gluten is a bona fide toxin, harmful to all. This is false; gluten is not “bad” for those tolerant of it, any more than peanuts are “bad” for people free of peanut allergy.
Also abounding are home-grown theories about health effects of gluten — including the argument that going gluten free leads to weight loss. It might, but only because avoiding gluten means avoiding a lot of foods, which in turn tends to mean reducing calorie intake. That lowering calories leads to weight loss is less than an epiphany.
Are we letting popular culture define our relationship with our bodies and how we feed ourselves? Why can’t we make these connections on our own?
Now, I know gluten intolerances are very real problems for some people. And it is important to look at what is causing these incidents to rise. What I am challenging is “gluten-free” as the new status symbol and diet dujour.
It’s NOT an epiphany that lowering calories lowers weight. Reducing or removing gluten means eating less processed carbs, less refined flours and sugars. And we could all benefit from that! But I think it’s dangerous when we move away from our own inherent wisdom and follow our favorite yoga teacher or celebrity down the yellow-brick road paved with the shiniest new health claims. What do you think?
As someone who is GF your statement that GF is "the new status symbol and diet dujour" is a bit insulting.
yes, I know that people love to jump on diet "trends" and love to follow what the latest health guru says, but for those of us who aren't able to eat a slice of pizza anymore because it makes our guts feel like they're on fire, a gluten intolerance is nothing to laugh about. And it certainly isn't a "fad."
I also have Hashimoto's, a thyroid disorder. When one has an auto-immune disease, gluten wreaks even more havoc on the body. http://www.celiac.com/articles/1135/1/Connection-…
I also question the doctor whose quote you used about gluten affecting only a minority of the population. Gluten intolerance is insidious and people have symptoms of it and don't even know it or else they attribute how they feel to something else.
As someone with a thyroid disorder, I am very aware of doctors poo-pooing how we feel and frankly, the dr. you quoted does just that, he only comes off as arrogant. I can just imagine his response if one of his patients came to him with digestive disorders that no one can figure out.
Have you also researched the effect of GMO foods on health? I was told that a GF person in North America does not have a problem eating wheat/pasta, etc. in Europe because Europe does not allow GMO foods (grain being a big part of the GMO spectrum.) Yes, there is an "increasing rate of gluten food allergies, sensitivities, and Celiac’s disease" and throwing out the statement that somehow this is a "fad" show a lack of research. Maybe this increase has to do with how food is processed now because 20, 30, 40 years ago we never heard of these things.
Lastly, "Reducing or removing gluten means eating less processed carbs, less refined flours and sugars" — No. for many of us it absolutely does NOT mean eating "less", it means eating NONE.
I think that the GF epidemic is part diet related and part true. I am someone who has suffered from stomach problems and an eating disorder for many years. In January I cut gluten out of my diet and it has made a world of difference, both mentally and physically.
The gluten content of our food supply has increased over the years, most likely due to GMO's and unnatural farming practices. Increaseing the consumption of any type of food increaases the likelihood of some type of allergic reaction such as those found in intolerences or sensativites.
In answer to your question people are turning to GF to lose weight, but also to deal with very real digestive issues. There is an abundence of gluten free products out there, both processed and in whole food form. If someone really is gluten itolerent they may find an inital weight loss due to less inflammation and stomch distention, but it will quickly even out and there will be little to no weight loss. I've actually gain a bit of weight in my process of becomign GF because my body is now able to assimilate nutrients rather than shuttling them through.
As a species we have been gluten free for 95.5% of our known existence. It is pretty widely accepted that with agriculture and an increased consumption in grain our health declined.
I agree with you, if you truly have a Gluten intolerance than of course you need to take care of yourself; but as someone who has been working and experimenting to heal from cfs/fibro I've gone down a long road of don't eat this and you'll be well, take this, it is a miracle cure only to be minus far too many dollars and sometimes sicker than I was. Now I walk the middle road with my diet eating as organic as I can. I'm not sure I understand what Gluten is will look into it.
Namaste
As a species we have been GF for over 99.5% of our existence…. we only started consuming large amounts of grain when agriculture came about. It is widely acknowledged that with agriculture and an increase in grain consumption, there is a significant increase in disease.
Thank you everyone for your feedback — this is definitely a big topic to discuss. In response to the some of the comments above, I do believe that gluten intolerances are very real and that moving towards a GF diet is extremely helpful for those affected. There is no doubt about it, as I have people in my own life who have benefited greatly, both physically and emotionally. And it is also alarming to look at the rising rates of incidents and to question why that is happening. (See next post for continued comment…)
What I am challenging, though, is going to GF as a diet. I certainly do not wish to offend anyone with this comment, but the fact of the matter is that some people are doing just that — choosing to go GF simply as a vehicle for weight loss (and I'm not necessarily agreeing that GF works as weight loss, either). I think this poses a problem for many reasons but very simply put because it is uneducated. To me, it's worth examining the motives underneath some of these trends to be able to empower people to make healthy, balanced decisions for themselves that support their body's best needs. I look forward to a continued discussion around this topic and you can bet there will be a follow up blog looking at the increase in allergies, side effects of GMOs and other pressing health issues. Peace!
I'm a litle confused as to why the GF diet, as a fad, is bad? I am GF because of health reasons – I essentially cannot function if I ingest gluten (major tummy upsets) – and I have greatly improved mentally, physically and socially since eating GF. GF still means eating plenty of carbs in the forms of rice, potato, and corn. Also, there are latent sensitivities that a person may not even know they have, but by cutting out gluten they may feel a whole lot better, without even knowing that gluten was a factor in some poor feelings. I do think the majorly processed and GMO foods, mostly wheats, in this country, do not do a body justice. So until that corrupt system is fixed, I encourage people to stop or reduce their gluten intake, and if a side effect is minor weight loss, awesome! I think we as a society eat too many carbs/wheat, and we could stand to cut some out and eat more fresh whole foods. The only thing I don't like about GF being a fad, is that it could somehow lessen the general understanding of the severity of real gluten sensitivities. Just wanted to put my two cents in. I'm looking forward to your future blog posts regarding processed foods in this culture.
I agree with Dee
Less grain consumption would also be healthier for the environment. Growing grain is so harmful to the land.