You might be thinking that having this fad is great. More foods are becoming available, maybe costs will go down, etc.. Sure, that is technically true on the surface. The problem is, there isn't currently a standardized level of 'acceptable' gluten in gluten free foods so companies can label how they want to. Gluten free isn't actually gluten free in many many cases. The label may say gluten free and have some hidden ingredient that contains gluten. 'Natural flavors' may contain gluten, as gluten is a naturally occurring thing. I have to look at every ingredient on most of the foods I purchase to make sure it's OK for me to eat. That means I have to know the unsafe list of items by heart, or have the internets handy (or waste paper and print it out, whatever works). The only foods that are legitimately 100% g-free are very expensive to buy, generally 2, 3, or even 4 times the cost of the food most people eat. Ouch!
Another fairly huge problem is that there are some companies targeting major products for g-free people that aren't actually gluten free. Companies like Dominoes Pizza, for instance, recently came out with a gluten free pizza. They are at least smart enough to warn you to not order if you have a severe intolerance or Celiacs. Having worked at Dominoes for three plus years, I can tell you it's not a good idea to order their pizza if your gluten reactions are strong. Flour gets everywhere in that place. They would have to constantly change gloves and aprons and seal themselves in a small flour free room to be truly gluten free. For people like me, it sucks knowing I can't have that. C'est la vie, eh? Trust me, I'll live.
'So why don't you make your own food from scratch?' you might be asking. Do you know how much time that requires? A crap ton, that's how much. I don't have that kind of time. Especially if someone happens to hate cooking and isn't particularly skilled at it, like me. Having an infant doesn't help, either. But, enough about my personal excuses.
One of the reasons g-free foods are expensive is the cost of supplies. Another is likely the cost of keeping it separate from gluteny goodness foods. Factories aren't cheap! One of my all time favorite candies (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) happens to be g-free but it's made in a factory where the conveyor belts might have flour or a floury concoction to keep the candies from sticking. This is called cross contamination and cross contamination is the bane of my existence. Curse you cross contamination! I am so sensitive to this evil substance, I get sick from minor cross contamination like that mentioned just above. I also have to be aware of shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions, anything that can somehow make it to my mouth. Pots, pans, plastics, etc. had to be replaced as well due to 'cooked in' stuffs.
One of the reasons g-free foods are expensive is the cost of supplies. Another is likely the cost of keeping it separate from gluteny goodness foods. Factories aren't cheap! One of my all time favorite candies (Reese's Peanut Butter Cups) happens to be g-free but it's made in a factory where the conveyor belts might have flour or a floury concoction to keep the candies from sticking. This is called cross contamination and cross contamination is the bane of my existence. Curse you cross contamination! I am so sensitive to this evil substance, I get sick from minor cross contamination like that mentioned just above. I also have to be aware of shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotions, anything that can somehow make it to my mouth. Pots, pans, plastics, etc. had to be replaced as well due to 'cooked in' stuffs.
If I am that freaking sensitive imagine going to a restaurant. Not all cooks know about gluten, and waiters most certainly don't, in more than half the instances. Plus, the kitchens generally have contamination everywhere. Ask for special items (even from a g-free menu) you might get irritation, frustration or apathy from the server. This isn't always the case though, there are a lot of places that are kind to me and my ilk. I could avoid all this and just not go out to eat. Sure. It sucks and that's basically what I've decided to do for the most part but I have family, friends, events, birthdays, you name it. I can't always bow out. Well, that's not true... I could actually, but then I would be a hermit and people would hate me. That's just not cool, people. And, I can pretty much guarantee the trouble of finding a place I can eat with others frustrates us all.
Additionally, I've asked about the inclusion of gluten at many places, I've been to, and I get the OK for a food I was unsure about. Then within 20 minutes of eating I find out someone doesn't know what they are talking about. The rest of my day, or night is ruined. WARNING: The following details may be too personal or unpleasant. Do not continue if you are easily squeamish.
I'll spare you the gory details but one person on a gluten free forum, comically described it as a V and D party in the bathroom. If you don't know what that means, I wouldn't bother looking into it further. Suffice it to say, it's a super painful experience, everything hurts for a while. Then, because the body can't actually process the gluten, the body slows down and a fast, extreme and full exhaustion overwhelms you. Then you bloat. All over. Noticeably. Grumpiness follows. And dehydration. Someone might gain weight (as is the case for me) for a few days/weeks and the icing on the cake, you break out like a teenager about to go to prom.
It's a vicious cycle. Once gluten has been ingested, and the ill effects have taken hold, the exhaustion means getting home, taking care of my kiddo and generally falling asleep in my chair with no time, or energy for anything else. Plus, I have the added bonus of other medical things on top of this. My spoons run out really fast some days. If you have zero clue what I'm on about with spoons, I recommend reading the Spoon Theory. It's amazing.
This disease kills the little hairs in the intestines or damages them. This means there is generally a problem absorbing important things from foods, such as vitamins and minerals. This also requires taking a lot of supplements to be 'normal'. If this stuff isn't caught properly a person could actually die from malnutrition. Granted, that would likely take a while to happen and you would think someone would catch it long before that occurred, but it took a number of years to figure out I had it, so you never know.
So, when I saw that Disney of all companies was poking fun at gluten I got mad. I happen to LOVE Disney, but this is not funny, it's not goofy and it's not a joke. I would say this especially in regard to kids who have to live with it. It's hard enough to deal with as an adult, kids do not need the added bonus of Disney making it OK to make fun of people with this issue. I can laugh at myself (and I very much do) but that's recent and it's mostly born from a discomfort of being such a pain to go out to eat with, or even eating at home in general. Don't make fun of something that is actually pretty serious.
My plea to the corporations out there either targeting gluten free people for the wrong reasons or with the wrong idea, or those who think it's cool to make fun of this serious issue, stop. Like I said, I can laugh at myself, and it's definitely funny to see caricatures of things, but leave the kids out of it at least and be less jerk-y about what you choose to embellish.
My plea to the corporations out there either targeting gluten free people for the wrong reasons or with the wrong idea, or those who think it's cool to make fun of this serious issue, stop. Like I said, I can laugh at myself, and it's definitely funny to see caricatures of things, but leave the kids out of it at least and be less jerk-y about what you choose to embellish.
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