In the past couple of years, there has been a huge increase in the amount of people taking extreme dietary measures such as going vegan or gluten-free. People have been eating gluten forever, but only in the last couple years has a huge part of our population decided that it was a bad thing. Now everything is made gluten-free: gluten-free pasta, pizza, soup, crackers, cake, etc.
While I disagree with all dietary choices, I am going to cut the vegans some slack here. I understand the reasoning behind going vegan. You think you are saving the world. You are not harming animals by not eating them. I would never turn down a steak, but I understand why some of you might. What I really don’t understand is why someone would go gluten-free.
Do you just not love pasta or bread or cake? Food is good, food is supposed to be enjoyed.
A study showed that almost 30 percent of Americans are cutting gluten out of their diet. Sure, some of these people are celiac and can genuinely not eat gluten (I do feel very sorry for you), but most of these people are freely making the choice to cut gluten out of their diet. Only 1 percent of the population is celiac. People believe that cutting gluten out of their diet will give them more energy, and keep them healthier. This is a lie. You can not eat gluten and still have a very unhealthy diet. Many gluten-free products are higher in fat to substitute the lack of gluten. A healthy person's diet is 50 percent carbohydrates, so cutting that out will not make you healthier.
Studies have also shown that being gluten free is 24 percent more expensive. Why would you decide to spend that money on food that doesn't necessarily taste better. Think of the money you could save if you weren't gluten-free.
So you're not actually being healthier and you're spending a lot more money. Why? For a trend?
Going gluten-free is a trend, just like how in the 80s, fat-free was a trend. Many celebrities have gone gluten-free and love to talk about it. In a couple of years, there is going to be a new trend. Maybe someone will find out that salad is bad for us and people will go salad-free for a while.
To explain their choice to go gluten-free, people claim to be "gluten intolerant." This is not an actual disease. Celiac is not an allergy. It is completely subjective and self diagnosed. People are blaming gluten for many of their problems. Do you have acne, a little bit too much belly fat, a temper tantrum or are you feeling tired? Well, all of these things can be solved by cutting gluten out of your diet. False. People that go gluten-free do tend to say that it has helped them with their problem, but I believe that this is simply a placebo effect. “No matter what kind of sickness has taken hold of you, let’s blame gluten." April Peveteaux got it right in her novel, "Gluten Is My B*tch."
Going gluten free is a cultural phenomenon, not a medical one. Dietary patterns change every couple of years, but our genes do not, so this cannot be medically explained. Soon, this cultural phenomenon will be considered lame just like bell-bottom jeans, butterfly hair clips and mood rings.
