Two celebrities talked about being gluten-free. One I don’t mind. The other…
Matt Damon recently said he feels better eating gluten-free.
Maybe he has undiagnosed celiac disease. Maybe he has another reason for avoiding gluten. Maybe his personal chef simply makes excellent gluten-free food.
I don’t know.
But he talked about his own diet and his own experience. He did not tell people with celiac disease that wheat was safe. He did not sell a magical explanation. He did not turn his experience into medical advice.
No real harm there.
Then there is Spanx founder Sara Blakely.
She posted about traveling through Italy with her “celiac friend,” eating all the gluten-filled food they wanted without a problem, and bringing suitcases of Italian flour home.
That is not harmless celebrity chatter.
That reinforces one of the most persistent and dangerous myths in the celiac community:
People with celiac disease can safely eat wheat in Europe because the flour is different.
They cannot.
The comments showed exactly how quickly this misinformation spreads.
Some people said Italian wheat is made from ancient grains.
Others said small American mills sell flour that is practically identical.
Some wanted to create businesses importing this magical flour.
Others blamed American additives, pesticides or glyphosate.
And scattered among them were people with celiac disease saying:
This is not safe. Please stop telling people that it is.
Perhaps the most troubling part was that Blakely’s unnamed “celiac friend” appeared fully involved in the gluten-eating and flour-importing celebration.
I cannot know whether that friend has a confirmed celiac diagnosis, misunderstood the diagnosis, chose to disregard medical advice or simply did not understand the risk.
But I do know this:
Gluten is gluten.
Whether the wheat is grown in Atlanta, Johannesburg, Singapore, Rome or Moscow, the gluten proteins in wheat are still harmful to someone with celiac disease.
The wheat may taste different.
The bread may be prepared differently.
A person may experience fewer symptoms.
None of that makes ordinary wheat flour safe for celiac disease.
An underwear mogul may not understand that distinction.
But when she broadcasts the myth to millions of people, those of us who do understand it need to say so.
Leave a Reply