Gluten free fad.

Harry Palmr

Less than 1% of the population suffer from diagnosed gluten intolerance, and are largely Coeliac. So you'd imagine the market for gluten free products was pretty niche yet cynical food companies and their marketing departments are now flogging any number of products on the promise of being gluten free and in a way that seems designed to scare people who know little about such intolerances into believing they might be sensitive to the family of foodstuffs that are in the gluten family - high-gluten wheat flour, European spelt, barley, rolled rye flakes, pizza and bagels and so on and thus with a premium price bolster their bottom line.

CONCLUSIONS:

All the commercially available products labelled gluten-free were significantly more expensive than comparable products. This information will be useful to dietitians who counsel individuals and families with celiac disease, and to celiac advocacy groups for lobbying the government about financial compensation.

and http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/gluten-free-products-cost-up-to-four-times-as-much-in-supermarkets-coeliac-uk-finds-a6893396.html

So have you fallen for this wallet emptying guff and if you are a diagnosed Celiac how do you view this "health" fad.

Mr. Incognito

More Dominios for me.

Its middle class makey uppey

Poor people eat bread fine

daveyeh

It's nonsense, it actually started as a publicity stunt by Steve Glutenbergs agent.

Peregrine

Never ever buy pizza with a gluten-free base. Even if you're sharing with someone who's actually intolerant, don't ****ing do it. I can still taste the horrible thing in my mouth. Yuck.

daveyeh

Caffe Nero wrote: »

It's not nonsense, pretty much everyone suffers harmful affects from wheat products.

Beer?

A lot of it seems to be driven by people who want the drama of a "condition" when they are really dieting. Know a couple of GPs who concede that hearing 20 somethings with their "I'm not allergic...but I'm intolerant" makes them roll their eyes. Particularly when they are not relying on the findings of consultants who have done proper tests, but on those food allergy tests outside health shops in shopping centres.

Turtle_

There's a fad element to it, but there's the other side of it too.

Someone can go years being told they have IBS, only to cut out gluten and find they're okay. Why waste money on a test to tell them what they already know?

Then there's the benefit for people who do have a genuine intolerance- more variety and better quality food products.

The only actual downside - and I'm not including your sensibilies being offended when someone says they're gluten intolerant and doesn't present you with medical proof of same - is that people have taken an attitude of "oh sure people are only making g that up". Fine, until someone doesn't properly prevent cross contamination and the genuinely gluten intolerant person ends up sick. Which happens, btw.

Pedro K

I don't think its driven by the food companies' marketing departments as much as it is quacks and nonsense nutritionists.

They convince people that gluten is the devil (like Rosana Davison and her gluten causes arthritis nonsense a while back).

They create the market. The food companies would be crazy not to sell to it.

Turtle_

Turtle_ wrote: »

The only actual downside - and I'm not including your sensibilies being offended when someone says they're gluten intolerant and doesn't present you with medical proof of same - is that people have taken an attitude of "oh sure people are only making g that up". Fine, until someone doesn't properly prevent cross contamination and the genuinely gluten intolerant person ends up sick. Which happens, btw.

Not in the least bit offended. The fad is laughable, not offensive.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

I was of the opinion that people who weren't coeliac and didn't eat gluten were knobs. Mocking is catching though. I'm tested consistently for coeliac disease, my GP seems pretty convinced it'll come back positive one of these times. It was suggested I come off gluten myself for a few weeks. About 4 days in I felt so much better. I couldn't believe eating my lunch didn't make me feel tired bloated or vomitty. About ten days in I cheated and ate pizza. Dear Jesus it was horrific. Cramps, bum explosions, actual physical pain. Never in my life have I felt anything like it. It was terrible. Anyway, I went back eating gluten anyway and on occasion I'd get a dodge tummy or whatever but it was much worse taking a break and going back on it than it was having it constantly.

There's definitely something to the "not coeliac but intolerant" thing, loathe as I am to admit it

(Edit: I'm not coeliac, did it as a knob for two weeks)

PARlance

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I was of the opinion that people who weren't coeliac and didn't eat gluten were knobs. Mocking is catching though. I'm tested consistently for coeliac disease, my GP seems pretty convinced it'll come back positive one of these times. It was suggested I come off gluten myself for a few weeks. About 4 days in I felt so much better. I couldn't believe eating my lunch didn't make me feel tired bloated or vomitty. About ten days in I cheated and ate pizza. Dear Jesus it was horrific. Cramps, bum explosions, actual physical pain. Never in my life have I felt anything like it. It was terrible. Anyway, I went back eating gluten anyway and on occasion I'd get a dodge tummy or whatever but it was much worse taking a break and going back on it than it was having it constantly.

There's definitely something to the "not coeliac but intolerant" thing, loathe as I am to admit it

(Edit: I'm not coeliac, did it as a knob for two weeks)

Have you tried a yeast free diet?

Harry Palmr

Pedro K wrote: »

I don't think its driven by the food companies' marketing departments as much as it is quacks and nonsense nutritionists.

They convince people that gluten is the devil (like Rosana Davison and her gluten causes arthritis nonsense a while back).

They create the market. The food companies would be crazy not to sell to it.

Blogging lifestyle "queens" are certainly part of this, it's not something I've looked into deeply (obviously!) but I imagine bloggers and companies work hand in hand when beneficial for them.

Outlaw Pete

Gluten is just a vague term used to categorize things that are bad.

Senna

In the hotel I used to work in:
G. Is there gluten in that.
ME. yes there is
G. Can you make it gluten free
ME. OK
G. I'll have the cheesecake for desert
ME. But that's not gluten free
G. Oh, it'll be OK

But there is the genuine 1% and they can have serious reactions, my niece would be in the most severe category of the 1%. If her gluten free bread was cooked in a toaster that had normal bread in it earlier, she'd be severely sick within minutes.

Prime Irish Beef

Peregrine wrote: »

. I can still taste the horrible thing in my mouth. Yuck.

That's what she said.

Cervantes2

It's become a total fad. People associate gluten free with healthier food .
When often the opposite is true.

odyssey06

Nobody is coming on here defending the 'cheesecake' food fad follower, but, I'm open to the possibility that there's 1% - 10% of the population with an intolerance \ sensitivity to gluten, without full blown coeliac disease.

It should also be borne in mind that a lot of food companies replaced animal fat based ingredients with wheat based ingredients so that they could market their products as vegetarian friendly. The BSE scare may have played a part in that.
So I would not be surprised if some people who were using the same product for years suddenly started having reactions, of varying degrees.

I'm not gluten intolerant, looking at what they are replacing gluten with in a lot of products... I don't think under normal circumstances you could make any great health claims for it.

Boom_Bap

I buy and eat gluten free stuff from time to time. It's not as nice as gluten rich foods, but it easier on the digestion if I'm going through a phase of lots of running or cycling. It's also more filling and stops me snacking between meals.
Pancakes made from spelt flour are awesome though.

Cee-Jay-Cee

My 4yr old daughter was diagnosed as coeliac 2 years ago (blood and scope test proved positive) I'm so thankful to this 'fad' as we are able to feed her with pretty much all the regular foods that everyone else eats.

Long live the gluten free fad.

byhookorbycrook

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

My 4yr old daughter was diagnosed as coeliac 2 years ago (blood and scope test proved positive) I'm so thankful to this 'fad' as we are able to feed her with pretty much all the regular foods that everyone else eats.

Long live the gluten free fad.

Until you find that the fad people push prices up..

murpho999

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

My 4yr old daughter was diagnosed as coeliac 2 years ago (blood and scope test proved positive) I'm so thankful to this 'fad' as we are able to feed her with pretty much all the regular foods that everyone else eats.

Long live the gluten free fad.

There is no issue at all in your daughter's case which is a chronic medical condition that needs to be managed for life.

However there are a lot of people out there that think gluten is unhealthy and should be avoided which is blatantly wrong and doing more harm than good.

murpho999

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Until you find that the fad people push prices up..

In fact the fad is helping prices as more demand should equal more supply. It's when something is niche that they become more expensive.

coffee_cake

murpho999 wrote: »

In fact the fad is helping prices as more demand should equal more supply. It's when something is niche that they become more expensive.

It sure beats the days when you had to mount an expedition to that one shop that might do specialty food and even looking at it cost 20 quid

Mr.Wemmick

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

My 4yr old daughter was diagnosed as coeliac 2 years ago (blood and scope test proved positive) I'm so thankful to this 'fad' as we are able to feed her with pretty much all the regular foods that everyone else eats.

Long live the gluten free fad.

When you are coeliac and can not eat gluten at all, it is bloody painful to listen to the disbelief and watch the rolled eyes. It's also dangerous in that the disregard can spread and affect people working in cafes/restaurants, and when they flippantly tell you: yep, no worries, it's gluten free when in fact it isn't, and you find out a few hours later when you feel so sick you can't move.

The GF food fad doesn't bother me, but the people who constantly moan and disregard the GF food fad do.

Capt'n Midnight

British Medical Journal are now warning against a gluten free diet unless you suffer from celiac disease.

http://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1892

Conclusion Long term dietary intake of gluten was not associated with risk of coronary heart disease. However, the avoidance of gluten may result in reduced consumption of beneficial whole grains, which may affect cardiovascular risk. The promotion of gluten-free diets among people without celiac disease should not be encouraged.

Junkyard Tom

I've just about every disease, condition, and affliction, that you could think of except hypochondria thankfully.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

endacl

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Gluten is just a vague term used to categorize things that are bad.

No no no. You're thinking of 'toxins'.

Mr.Wemmick

endacl wrote: »

No no no. You're thinking of 'toxins'.

He's got a vocab intolerance.. and he has it real bad.

Vojera

Ah, Junkyard Tom, ya beat me to it. Love that video.

I'm friends with a few coeliacs and while they're both glad they can get food most places now, they have also said that they nearly feel like they need some sort of cert to show in restaurants and cafés to prove that they really need a gluten free meal and aren't just ordering for the sake of it as they feel many places don't take it seriously (due to people like the cheesecake example above).

Mr.Wemmick

Cervantes2 wrote: »

It's become a total fad. People associate gluten free with healthier food .
When often the opposite is true.

Agreed. Some GF cakes etc are just pure sugar, rather disgusting.. no taste other than sugar. Not good for you at all.. some breads/products are quite artificial and again no taste. There are quite a few products on the market which are very good but it takes time to find them.

After years, I have finally found great Pitta breads and some decent fresh bread.

Jobs OXO

My sex stick works better when I am on the gluten