I accidentally ate gluten today. For most people, that wouldn't be a huge deal. Most people love bread, especially bread of the garlic variety, but for me, life is a bit different.
When I eat gluten, I immediately feel fatigued. My stomach swells so badly that I can feel my skin stretching. My stomach pain is so severe that I double over. I have digestive problems for days. I get feverish, and sometimes I just sleep. I sleep until I can't possibly sleep anymore; then I lay in bed until I finally feel well enough to get up.
The amount of times I've been asked, "Is it an allergy?" at restaurants is staggering. What's even more staggering is the amount of times I've had a reaction when eating off of the "gluten free" menu.
Stores like Whole Foods, while great for me, have contributed to this 'gluten free' trend. It's all over Pinterest, Tumblr, and even Facebook (although Facebook seems to lag behind in trends, it's caught up with this one).
It's offensive to say you're 'gluten free' when you don't have to be. You're taking an actual disease and trivializing it. While it's now easier for us to procure the food that we need, it's almost impossible for us to eat out. Why? Because in a fad diet, cross contamination isn't a concern.
For the one in 100 Americans living with Celiac disease (and even more living with the start of gluten intolerance), cross contamination is a very real threat. I can't even use shampoos with gluten in them, let alone eat food that's touched gluten. It's like every other allergy. I wouldn't put almonds on my stove and then cook for someone who was allergic to them, so why would restaurants cook gluten free items on the same stove as products containing gluten? Because they see it as a fad.
Not only that, but when people pretend to have cancer, we tend to think of them as kind of a jerk. It's insulting and trivializes the people who actually have cancer. The same would go for diabetes, heart defects, physical disabilities, as well as mental illness. So why is this fad diet OK?
Fad diets are great, but not when they're coming at the cost of other's health. Plus, studies show that eating gluten free when you don't have any need to can actually increase risk of diabetes and other diseases, even cancer.
Before you decide to hop on the latest dieting trend, think twice about people like me.
