That Girl
I am going to vent, it's my blog, so I can do whatever I want - right?
I am glad that the world is becoming more aware of Celiac Disease but the idea of the GF Fad Diet is so counterproductive.
What happened? Did someone see some underweight person just after they were diagnosed with Celiac Disease (I lost 15 lbs) and ask them what they ate.
"I have to avoid anything with gluten," would have been the reply, sadly of any newly diagnosed Celiac.
They then had some great idea that eating Gluten Free meant they could lose weight.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for those that want to go GF for health reasons. Avoiding processed foods, cooking raw vegetables and eating good protein is definitely a healthy choice.
But the GF fad diet makes it difficult to eat out. How many times have you been asked, "Oh, you're that sensitive?"
I figure there are three groups
1. Us, those with Celiac Disease
2. Those that are gluten sensitive, do not have Celiac Disease, but may have an upset stomach, neurologic, dermatologic or other symptoms by consuming gluten
3. Those that can eat anything they want but choose to go GF for health reasons or because its fashionable.
So when I heard about Cecilia Bonaduces' youtube video I had to check it out. This girl made a video about her and her Celiac Disease and how she felt. This was a project for her class at UC Berkley. I would give it an A+. This verbalizes exactly how I feel and she does it in an incredible way. You can see it here.
It is true what she says. I used to eat everything and anything. I was initially reserved and found it difficult to ask so many questions when I went out to eat. Now I question everything. I ask what ingredients are in everything, where it's prepared, if they've cleaned their hands, the knife and the work surface.
Hopefully we will see more GF restaurants or more awareness. I read somewhere that a restaurant in Denver had both a GF menu and a Celiac Disease menu. I am not sure what the difference was but it was nice to hear. I do feel sorry for those Celiac patients diagnosed 10 or more years ago. We definitely have more choices now and I look forward to more options in the future.
Ahhhhhh, I feel better now,
The Un-Gluten Guy
I am glad that the world is becoming more aware of Celiac Disease but the idea of the GF Fad Diet is so counterproductive.
What happened? Did someone see some underweight person just after they were diagnosed with Celiac Disease (I lost 15 lbs) and ask them what they ate.
"I have to avoid anything with gluten," would have been the reply, sadly of any newly diagnosed Celiac.
They then had some great idea that eating Gluten Free meant they could lose weight.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for those that want to go GF for health reasons. Avoiding processed foods, cooking raw vegetables and eating good protein is definitely a healthy choice.
But the GF fad diet makes it difficult to eat out. How many times have you been asked, "Oh, you're that sensitive?"
I figure there are three groups
1. Us, those with Celiac Disease
2. Those that are gluten sensitive, do not have Celiac Disease, but may have an upset stomach, neurologic, dermatologic or other symptoms by consuming gluten
3. Those that can eat anything they want but choose to go GF for health reasons or because its fashionable.
So when I heard about Cecilia Bonaduces' youtube video I had to check it out. This girl made a video about her and her Celiac Disease and how she felt. This was a project for her class at UC Berkley. I would give it an A+. This verbalizes exactly how I feel and she does it in an incredible way. You can see it here.
It is true what she says. I used to eat everything and anything. I was initially reserved and found it difficult to ask so many questions when I went out to eat. Now I question everything. I ask what ingredients are in everything, where it's prepared, if they've cleaned their hands, the knife and the work surface.
Hopefully we will see more GF restaurants or more awareness. I read somewhere that a restaurant in Denver had both a GF menu and a Celiac Disease menu. I am not sure what the difference was but it was nice to hear. I do feel sorry for those Celiac patients diagnosed 10 or more years ago. We definitely have more choices now and I look forward to more options in the future.
Ahhhhhh, I feel better now,
The Un-Gluten Guy
I'd like to point out that those of us who are gluten intolerant don't necessarily "just" get an upset stomach. (I don't get one at all, at least not from gluten.) On me gluten acts like a neurotoxin, among a long, long list of medical problems. Touch gluten and then touch my food, and within 2 hours I go down like I've been shot with a tranquilizer dart and sleep for 3 days.
ReplyDeleteAmong my medical problems solved by strictly avoiding all gluten and cross-contamination are:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Severe memory problems
- Reactive Hypoglycemia (my blood sugar hit 42 during testing)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Asthma
- Easy bruising
- Gum disease
My dentist called the sudden disappearance of my gum disease "nothing short of miraculous". And the last time I got cross-contaminated for a long period of time (it took me 7 weeks to figure it out), my hair was falling out in wads. My hair stopped falling out 3 days after I figured out how I was getting cross-contaminated.
It took me 8 months and 9 doctors to figure out why my health was spiraling down the tubes. Believe me when I tell you that avoiding gluten is not some kind of a fad diet for me, either.
I remember reading a study that showed that Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerant people were far more likely than Celiacs to have neurological symptoms. Wish I could remember where I saw that one.
So true. I added a few of the symptoms in the post for those people with non-Celiac Gluten sensitivity. Gingivitis is one as well as tooth enamel defects that is seen in children. The NFCA (www.celiaccentral.org) has a great continuing medical education course that is great for physicians. When doctors seen uneducated in gluten sensitivity / Celiac Disease it is a great place to send them to learn more about the disease and its symptoms.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are feeling better.
First time reading this blog thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete