Gwyneth Paltrow – suck it!
Honestly, I don’t really give two hoots about what Gwyneth Paltrow has to say about starting the gluten free trend. I think she is dumb and her web site Goop is dumb. I tried ranting about how she is harmful to those of us with Celiac but I just don’t care. She’s dumb and doesn’t affect my life.
If she wants to believe she started the gluten free craze, she can have it. We all know it isn’t true. As celiac sufferers, we all would be gluten free without her telling us we needed to be gluten free. Celiac existed long before Gwynnie went gluten free.
With books like Wheat Belly and a wide range of gluten free cookbooks, I think this is simply an extension of the low carb craze. If carbs are bad, then the biggest carb out there, wheat, must be really bad. Makes sense to me.
Why am I grateful to the gluten free trend?
I’m grateful I can say I have celiac because people then say but the wheat is so genetically modified you should eat ancient grains. Nope, it still has gluten. I can’t eat it either. Then there is the glycophosphate argument about why wheat is bad. When I tell people I have celiac, they say, “Oh, you can go to Europe and eat wheat because there’s no glycophosphate used.” I have to explain, nope, I can’t eat gluten there either. For me, it isn’t about the glycophosphate, it’s about my immune system.
I am grateful that food labels have improved. They are amazingly better since the FDA changed the labeling requirements. There is still room for improvement, but at least we are not guessing as much any more. Food manufacturers can’t hide the allergens they put in food anymore by using confusing language. That is good.
I am grateful that restaurants have upped their game in labeling items that are gluten free or that can be made gluten free. At least we now have a starting point at a restaurant knowing that they can do gluten free items. The risk for cross-contamination is still high, but we have a place to start.
Side note – Shortly after I was diagnosed, I went to a very fancy steak house. It was probably 2014, so before Gwyneth invented gluten free. I told them I have Celiac disease and the waiter said, “Oh, is that a celery allergy.” I laughed and explained that I needed something gluten free. He then understood and we had a lovely gluten free lunch. So, at least now, when I say I have celiac disease, I don’t have to explain it quite as much.
I’m grateful I have a complete diagnosis. I got a biopsy and positive blood work to prove I have celiac. The doctors I saw for diagnosis were knowledgeable about celiac and the diagnostic procedures to ensure I received the best care. They listen to my questions and are even willing to try a lot of things to get me to a healthy place.
So, this has been a rambling post starting with Gwyneth Paltrow saying she started the gluten free trend. She didn’t. The gluten free trend has affected our lives a lot, and especially mine. There are many more products on the shelves for us, but we still have to be vigilant. Restaurants want to feed us safely, but may still need to be educated on cross contamination risks. Doctors still need some education on what is celiac and what is not.