Please tell us the name of the Venice restaurateur and should I ever be lucky enough to visit that fair city, I'll eat there first.
8
Spot on Mr. Cohen. My son and his wife email their dietary preferences before each visit. The list always changes, but our response does not: we point them to the kitchen.
14
When I invite friends over for a meal, I want them to enjoy each other and the food I serve. I ask in advance if they have any food allergies or dislikes, and I take that into consideration when planning the meal. Why would I want to serve food to someone who will feel sick after eating it? There are so many meal choices available that it isn't much trouble to take my friends' wishes into consideration.
I've loved nuts my whole life. About 3 years ago, I started to throw up every time I ate a nut. Tests showed that I had developed an intolerance. I certainly didn't choose to have this intolerance and I hate it. I keep hoping it will go away on its own. Sometimes I take a chance and eat something with nuts, and POW, I'm sick again. Fortunately, the people around me, unlike the author of this article, respect my inability to comfortably eat nuts. It's bad enough having eating restrictions, and equally frustrating to encounter people who view them as evidence of "narcissism".
To those of you who don't have allergies or intolerances, be glad you don't, and please respect those who do.
I've loved nuts my whole life. About 3 years ago, I started to throw up every time I ate a nut. Tests showed that I had developed an intolerance. I certainly didn't choose to have this intolerance and I hate it. I keep hoping it will go away on its own. Sometimes I take a chance and eat something with nuts, and POW, I'm sick again. Fortunately, the people around me, unlike the author of this article, respect my inability to comfortably eat nuts. It's bad enough having eating restrictions, and equally frustrating to encounter people who view them as evidence of "narcissism".
To those of you who don't have allergies or intolerances, be glad you don't, and please respect those who do.
21
My take on gluten- fat- and sugar-free is that the producers of cardboard "food" don't charge you for these alleged contaminants. They gouge you for all the other ingredients instead.
As someone who carried his toddler son into the emergency room as he was in full blown anaphylaxis that was on its way to being fatal -- all because of one accidental sip of milk at this day care -- I suggest you get off your high horse and stop proclaiming that food allergies and "intolerances" are all in the head. Our son in his late teens did grow out of his life-threatening allergy to milk proteins, but it was a rough 18 years of living in constant fear that some well-meaning adult would think he just had "a little intolerance" to milk and force him to eat a cookie or drink a glass of milk.
27
At least the gluten free crowd isn't really harming others, like the anti-vaxxers. Still, they're almost as annoying.
I'm also a medical researcher who has studied the immune system for years. I've also had Crohn's since age 2. Because it started so early, it eventually metastasized to other organs (lung, eye, joints, spinal cord), which is rare. I manage my health through diet/medication and live a normal life most of the time. I seldom mention Crohn's because of self-appointed experts who invariably want to lecture me. Overwhelmingly, these persons are gluten intolerant, anti-vaxxers or both.
Recently, I attended my 1st block party where a woman regaled several of us with stories of how hard her life is being gluten intolerant, while prescribing what we should each be doing to correct our health. I asked if she had celiac disease (which I respect as a serious disease) and received a frosty "no" and was told that I needed to take digestive enzymes. I smiled, thanked her for her concern, and stated that her *cure* actually makes me ill because I have Crohn's, and, oh, by the way, I'm a medical researcher. At that point, I became the proverbial skunk at the picnic because I'd trumped her gluten/lactose intolerant self with a real disease and real knowledge. This isn't the first martyr/narcissist of her type that I've encountered and I know better than to actually discuss scientific research with them as this makes me a threat to the reality they've convinced themselves of.
I'm also a medical researcher who has studied the immune system for years. I've also had Crohn's since age 2. Because it started so early, it eventually metastasized to other organs (lung, eye, joints, spinal cord), which is rare. I manage my health through diet/medication and live a normal life most of the time. I seldom mention Crohn's because of self-appointed experts who invariably want to lecture me. Overwhelmingly, these persons are gluten intolerant, anti-vaxxers or both.
Recently, I attended my 1st block party where a woman regaled several of us with stories of how hard her life is being gluten intolerant, while prescribing what we should each be doing to correct our health. I asked if she had celiac disease (which I respect as a serious disease) and received a frosty "no" and was told that I needed to take digestive enzymes. I smiled, thanked her for her concern, and stated that her *cure* actually makes me ill because I have Crohn's, and, oh, by the way, I'm a medical researcher. At that point, I became the proverbial skunk at the picnic because I'd trumped her gluten/lactose intolerant self with a real disease and real knowledge. This isn't the first martyr/narcissist of her type that I've encountered and I know better than to actually discuss scientific research with them as this makes me a threat to the reality they've convinced themselves of.
16
Mr. Cohen seems to be ill-informed about food allergies and intolerances and about current scientific thinking about the reasons for the dramatic increases in the prevalences of such allergies and intolerances over recent decades. While it is true that a large percentage of people who eat gluten-free food at least some of the time and that some percentage of those who avoid specific foods do so for non-medical reasons, or for reasons that would not hold up under close, logical scrutiny, it is equally true that a much larger percentage of the population suffers from celiac disease and from food allergies and intolerances today than has ever before in history, and that this change has nothing or very little to do with psychology. Mr. Cohen seems to attribute the development of all such problems to living in "the most aggressive, competitive, unequal, individualistic, anxiety-ridden and narcissistic societies," to "compulsive anxiety about [food] that can give rise to imagined intolerances and allergies." However, there is a large body of evidence that people who have food allergies or intolerances have developed these problems as a consequence of growing up with modern standards of cleanliness in urban settings - which Mr. Cohen's octogenerians did not experience. Many allergies start at a very young age, as well. Mr. Cohen's argument falls apart as the specious, ignorant irritation of a person who does not suffer from any problems eating food himself.
17
I didn't believe that gluten was causing me problems. I have never eaten much wheat but I decided to stop altogether as a test. After a few weeks I started eating delicious turkey burgers and salmon burgers at a local restaurant that serves them on big thick rolls. I immediately noticed that I started having low back pain soon after eating the burgers. Wheat is an inflammatory substance, unfortunately for those who are sensitive to it. I would prefer not to have low back pain, and will forgo the rolls.
4
Where can I buy gluten free bottled water?
10
As a licensed naturopathic physician who has studied and worked with nutritional issues and related illness for more than a decade, from my perspective, there is a very real problem with the US food supply that is causing these issues. Genetically modified foods - particularly grains - do NOT have the same glutens that we humans have evolved to digest. Pasteurized milk is another common substance that we are not genetically designed to digest. Add to that the explosion of chemicals and sugar in our food that we are also designed to digest well only in small quantities and you have a perfect storm for debilitated digestive tracts that have more and more trouble eating. In Europe, much of the wheat is "organic" (original grains and chemical free), so it doesn't cause problems. People in their 80s and 90s grew up with solid food and built strong systems so they often have higher tolerance for junk in the food than our young people, whose systems have been under heavy burdens from massive toxic intake since birth. This is a very real problem. The US needs to adopt European standards for its food supply and go back to providing real food for people instead of the chemical soup and genetically modified and heavily poisoined food-like-substances that we now have.
12
"Riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on" YES! Is it only because of "individualistic, anxiety-ridden and narcissistic societies, where enlightenment about food has been offset by the sort of compulsive anxiety about it that can give rise to imagined intolerances and allergies?" NO!
Scientific evidence suggests that there is definitely something unhealthy going on given the rise of food allergies and other issues involving environmental toxicity. Unfortunately, during your unsympathetic diatribe you slough off any characterization that our food becoming more unhealthy due to the overuse of pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, genetic engineering, petrochemicals, et al. Nice Job.
Scientific evidence suggests that there is definitely something unhealthy going on given the rise of food allergies and other issues involving environmental toxicity. Unfortunately, during your unsympathetic diatribe you slough off any characterization that our food becoming more unhealthy due to the overuse of pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, genetic engineering, petrochemicals, et al. Nice Job.
5
Another generation of wimpy "hotbox kids". I grew up on a farm; working with Dad and smelling cow dung and shoveling it, breathing dust, and living in a family farm environment. I'm perfectly healthy (except some army physical disabilities) and eat what I want with no allergies of any type.
2
I was the same as you for 49 years. Then, overnight, I became unable to eat wheat, rye or barley.
Don't think that just because you can eat anything today that it won't happen to you tomorrow. Celiac disease can strike at any age and at any time.
I know this because it happened to me.
Don't think that just because you can eat anything today that it won't happen to you tomorrow. Celiac disease can strike at any age and at any time.
I know this because it happened to me.
9
i think there's a case to be made for some that do fare better health wise when gluten is restricted in their diets. i love rice noodles but i also love regular pasta as well and luckily can eat everything! i am 65. i believe much of our food intolerance comes from our change in the diets and chemicals we use in our food sources. Meats are now mostly grain fed animals and their bacterial systems, especially cows, was based on grass feed mostly. Our bacterial systems are being altered as well and i think that is the key to so many allergies. My rule of thumb is "Don't throw the chicken out with the broth water!" We need to stop "extreming" and find a balance!
5
Reading the column and though some of the comments, I am confused by all the animosity. It seems to me everybody actually agrees: there are some people with real, life-threatening food allergies (peanuts, Celiac, etc.); there is certainly a fad about going gluten-free and other food preferences in the rest of the population (the resulting confusion between food allergy and food preference actually does a disservice to people with real allergies); a lot of people doing this, though, may be trying to alleviate genuine health issues that they believe (rightly or wrongly) are due to food; Big Food is certainly exploiting all of this to some extent.
Overall, I feel sorry for those for whom food is a problem rather than a source of pleasure.
One more thing: I don't believe wheat GMOs are commercially grown anywhere (most GMOs are corn, soybean and cotton I think).
Overall, I feel sorry for those for whom food is a problem rather than a source of pleasure.
One more thing: I don't believe wheat GMOs are commercially grown anywhere (most GMOs are corn, soybean and cotton I think).
7
People are just too sensitive. And susceptible.
I am waiting for the gluten-free warriors to begin protesting establishments that are still in the dark ages.
I am waiting for the gluten-free warriors to begin protesting establishments that are still in the dark ages.
1
If you got the 'bad genes' from your folks, then you can't tolerate gluten or milk, &ct. However, if you are a 'normal' modern human, no problem. Also, I LOVE PEANUTS!
1
I ate gluten for 49 years and never had a problem with it. Then, overnight, it made me sick. One day I could eat it and the next I could not.
Some people think they'll NEVER get celiac disease. They think it could NEVER happen to them because they've NEVER had a problem with food allergies or intolerances.
Guess what? It could happen to YOU tomorrow.
Enjoy your peanuts and your gluten while you can.
Some people think they'll NEVER get celiac disease. They think it could NEVER happen to them because they've NEVER had a problem with food allergies or intolerances.
Guess what? It could happen to YOU tomorrow.
Enjoy your peanuts and your gluten while you can.
12
Well, it is a good thing that this is an "opinion" of one person - the author. People actually die from food allergies or suffer tremendously from food-related illnesses.
So any serious reportage about food allergies SHOULD be backed up with facts. That's not always the case either, but from a so-called reputable media outlet, readers should be confident that the report is objective and based on fact. Deep knowledge of agricultural practices and the pharmaceutical industry should be the first requirement. So opinions count...for the hearsay and gossip factor. Throw in a few stories about selfish people...but is this actually "newsworthy?" No. It's an opinion.
So any serious reportage about food allergies SHOULD be backed up with facts. That's not always the case either, but from a so-called reputable media outlet, readers should be confident that the report is objective and based on fact. Deep knowledge of agricultural practices and the pharmaceutical industry should be the first requirement. So opinions count...for the hearsay and gossip factor. Throw in a few stories about selfish people...but is this actually "newsworthy?" No. It's an opinion.
5
The vast majority of young people, and it is always young people, who have decided the reason they are overweight is because of their gluten intolerance, state that they know about this because they lost weight when they cut out all gluten.
Basically, they were eating bread 3x a times, sandwiches, muffins, croissants, crackers and the like and when they stopped eating those things, they lost weight.
It has nothing to do with gluten. It has to do with the fact that bread makes people fat, which has been known for at least 70 years.
As to the food demands of guests? My home is not a restaurant. If you have a special diet, let me know in advance and you can bring your own dish. I did not allow my children to treat me like their personal chef (my cooking or make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but this was before no other person on the planet was allowed to eat peanuts), why would I allow my guests?
Extreme narcissism and sense of entitlement are very unattractive qualities in a human being.
Basically, they were eating bread 3x a times, sandwiches, muffins, croissants, crackers and the like and when they stopped eating those things, they lost weight.
It has nothing to do with gluten. It has to do with the fact that bread makes people fat, which has been known for at least 70 years.
As to the food demands of guests? My home is not a restaurant. If you have a special diet, let me know in advance and you can bring your own dish. I did not allow my children to treat me like their personal chef (my cooking or make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but this was before no other person on the planet was allowed to eat peanuts), why would I allow my guests?
Extreme narcissism and sense of entitlement are very unattractive qualities in a human being.
6
This is as much ignorant as it is arrogant. Simple logic should tell the author that people over 80 have grown up in a very different environment than younger people. Would I love to eat everything? Oh yes! Do I get migraines from dairy? yes! Do I get awful joint pain from gluten? yes!
Maybe you want to thank the blessings of Monsanto and co for taking over our food chain and poison us all. We are now exclusively eating local and organic.
Maybe you want to thank the blessings of Monsanto and co for taking over our food chain and poison us all. We are now exclusively eating local and organic.
8
I have to say I understand completely the sentiment this article is expressing. I am in my early thirties and recently spent a weekend with 5 other friends in their early thirties. For breakfast I wanted to go out to eat because I knew how difficult it would be to make a breakfast that everyone would like, but I was overruled. I woke up early and went to purchase the items needed to make strawberry pancakes, veggie omelettes, and toast. Sure enough, when everyone heard the menu, the requests/complaints came pouring in. One person said they'd have dinner leftovers for breakfast, another wouldn't have pancakes, another would not have strawberries in their pancakes, no eggs for the fourth, etc... All these requests made it so difficult to cook. And, of course, as the food was being made, everyone decided they would in fact eat the strawberry pancakes, veggie omelettes, and toast. And why? Because, of course, this was perfectly good food.
But I was angered and dismayed by the rudeness, self-centeredness, and, as Roger Cohen said, narcissism, of these people who are normally considerate. Instead of showing courtesy and realizing that with a larger group of people it was not going to be possible for everyone to have their favorite breakfast, they acted like little children, demanding that their whims be met. Even though the breakfast was a hit, this kind of behavior in my peers is exactly why I will always suggest eating out rather than in.
But I was angered and dismayed by the rudeness, self-centeredness, and, as Roger Cohen said, narcissism, of these people who are normally considerate. Instead of showing courtesy and realizing that with a larger group of people it was not going to be possible for everyone to have their favorite breakfast, they acted like little children, demanding that their whims be met. Even though the breakfast was a hit, this kind of behavior in my peers is exactly why I will always suggest eating out rather than in.
10
Gluten is very harmful to infant coeliac sufferers, but the very real ones usually outgrow it early.
Barring those few, the rest of us can get a life.
Barring those few, the rest of us can get a life.
2
People do not "outgrow" celiac. This is a common misunderstanding. Some of the classic symptoms may subside, but they may be replaced by others (joint pain, rashes, infertility, less obvious GI problems, fatigue, vitamin deficiencies). Or the celiac disease may become "silent".
But make no mistake--even truly "silent" celiac disease is a problem. Untreated celiacs, even those with no obvious symptoms, experience increased risk for lymphoma and dramatically higher rates of small intestine cancers.
Anyone who was diagnosed with celiac disease as a young child who is currently eating gluten believes they have "outgrown" the celiac should follow up with a gastroenterologist. As long as they are still eating gluten, a simple blood test and possibly an intestinal biopsy can tell whether they really have celiac, or were just misdiagnosed as children.
But make no mistake--even truly "silent" celiac disease is a problem. Untreated celiacs, even those with no obvious symptoms, experience increased risk for lymphoma and dramatically higher rates of small intestine cancers.
Anyone who was diagnosed with celiac disease as a young child who is currently eating gluten believes they have "outgrown" the celiac should follow up with a gastroenterologist. As long as they are still eating gluten, a simple blood test and possibly an intestinal biopsy can tell whether they really have celiac, or were just misdiagnosed as children.
6
There is no cure for celiac disease. Nobody outgrows it. If you develop the disease you'll have it for life. The only "cure" is the gluten free diet, which controls it.
8
Children do not outgrow celiac disease. Pediatricians believed this decades ago, but today it is recognized as untrue. It is also not a rare disease.
From the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center:
"Celiac disease is a lifelong disease. This is another way that celiac disease differs from food allergies. Children can often outgrow food allergies, but they can’t outgrow celiac disease."
"Celiac disease affects about 1 of every 100 people of all ages in the United States. That’s about 3 million American children and adults. Celiac disease is the most common inherited autoimmune disorder and is far more common than many diseases you may be more familiar with, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, type 1 diabetes, and cystic fibrosis."
From the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center:
"Celiac disease is a lifelong disease. This is another way that celiac disease differs from food allergies. Children can often outgrow food allergies, but they can’t outgrow celiac disease."
"Celiac disease affects about 1 of every 100 people of all ages in the United States. That’s about 3 million American children and adults. Celiac disease is the most common inherited autoimmune disorder and is far more common than many diseases you may be more familiar with, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, type 1 diabetes, and cystic fibrosis."
7
A summary of the comments:
People with an autoimmune disease, or who know someone with an autoimmune disease: Understanding of food intolerance.
People without any of the aforementioned: Angry and judgmental about people with food intolerance.
People with an autoimmune disease, or who know someone with an autoimmune disease: Understanding of food intolerance.
People without any of the aforementioned: Angry and judgmental about people with food intolerance.
8
People with no allergies who are sympathetic to those with IBS and celiac disease but who think that manufacturers are using this "No gluten" fad to take advantage of high income narcissists. Also, we're tired of hearing about it.
8
Our Juanita's brand corn chips conspicuously declare that they are "Gluten Free". Given that corn never had any gluten to begin with, we always find this amusing. And more amusing if you ponder that Juanita feels the need to declare the absence of something that is only a danger to a few people, why doesn't it also say "Plutonium Free". Consuming plutonium is a health hazard to all of us.. even walking by the package could cause your death...
5
If you developed celiac disease and actually had to worry about gluten in your food, you'd be surprised by the products you find gluten in. Many corn chips today have other things in them--other grains, seeds, you name it. And yes, I've seen things that I *thought* were straight-up corn chips that turned out to have wheat in them!
This is disregarding the issue of cross-contamination, which *is* a common problem with corn chips, which are often manufactured on equipment shared with wheat.
The gluten-free label is not always reliable. Sometimes it just means no gluten ingredients used, but there can still be significant cross-contamination, which *is* an issue for celiacs. Certified gluten-free products are actually batch-tested, and can be labeled as such only when there is no detectable gluten or the gluten is below a particular, very low threshold.
This is disregarding the issue of cross-contamination, which *is* a common problem with corn chips, which are often manufactured on equipment shared with wheat.
The gluten-free label is not always reliable. Sometimes it just means no gluten ingredients used, but there can still be significant cross-contamination, which *is* an issue for celiacs. Certified gluten-free products are actually batch-tested, and can be labeled as such only when there is no detectable gluten or the gluten is below a particular, very low threshold.
8
In the past few months, since I developed a food intolerance, I have become more sympathetic to those others who have them.
Mine manifested itself after many issue-free years.
Give the folks with food issues their due respect when there is a shadow of a doubt.
Mine manifested itself after many issue-free years.
Give the folks with food issues their due respect when there is a shadow of a doubt.
9
Why is it O.K. to demean people with food disabilities? This is the same story that the CBS/NBC/ABC evening "news" providers keep pushing. How much did Monsanto pay you to write this?
Maybe Gluten is edible in Europe because they don't have our genetically modified grains.
Maybe Gluten is edible in Europe because they don't have our genetically modified grains.
9
Food disabilities? Wow, that says it all.
5
A gluten-free column? Hardly. Many of Roger's readers are sensitive to gluten and have a pronounced "allergy" to what he writes today, Whether gluten is responsible for even unlikely conditions such as autism, lupus and others, it's best to respect those with tales of gastrointestinal crises which abate when going gluten-free. Don't quibble about peanut allergies although you may be part of an older generation that seemed to survive munching Cracker-Jacks, peanuts and all. Physicians learn not to dismiss the observations of patients even if incongruent with what was learned in school. They listen (or should) and devise some measure to palliate. That's wise for everyone else. Listen with an empathic ear as likely you wish others would do for you.
6
My personal opinion is that study of Celiacs as a genetic trait (like sickle cell trait) is long overdue. The Celiac Foundation defines the disease as: "Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that can occur in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine." But many people have the genetic predisposition who aren't full blown celiacs.
Celiacs effects 3 million people in the US--most are not children. These are the people who know they have celiacs---there are many who don't know and/or who have been diagnoised with some other auto-ammunine disorder.
These people are being "faddish"---they are trying to eat food that won't make them sick. A sickness that can manifest itself as more than just a painful gut---but also a general ill feeling (as the body's immune response overheats) including joint ache, headaches, asthma, numbness in the limbs and even depression. Those countries who heavily depend on wheat, as has been shown in medical studies, also have the highest incidents of schizophrenia. We have a long way to go in understanding this genetic issue but the easy response is to eat gluten-free.
Celiacs effects 3 million people in the US--most are not children. These are the people who know they have celiacs---there are many who don't know and/or who have been diagnoised with some other auto-ammunine disorder.
These people are being "faddish"---they are trying to eat food that won't make them sick. A sickness that can manifest itself as more than just a painful gut---but also a general ill feeling (as the body's immune response overheats) including joint ache, headaches, asthma, numbness in the limbs and even depression. Those countries who heavily depend on wheat, as has been shown in medical studies, also have the highest incidents of schizophrenia. We have a long way to go in understanding this genetic issue but the easy response is to eat gluten-free.
6
Thank you. The medical community is absolutely ignorant as to how many symptoms can be attributed to gluten intolerance. I say this because I suffered increasingly for decades until one fateful week back in 2010. I didn't eat wheat, or any foods containing wheat, and it was like a miracle. It was by tacit choice as my roommate was a g-f eater. We ran out of wheat bread that week, so I was eating sandwiches made with her g-f bread. She was also cooking that week, and her entrees had no wheat/gluten. This after years of physically debilitating arthritis, mood-swings, depression, indigestion, skin rashes. The list seemed endless, all now bitter memories because of that one week. I decided to put it to the test after the "ah ha!" moment. Ate a sandwich with wheat bread. The arthritis -which had abated by say, 80%- came roaring back, as well as indigestion. That was it for me. I called my medical doctors & chiropractors & told them of my "discovery".
It's infuriating to be told I'm imagining it by someone who is as ignorant as a tree stump.
It's infuriating to be told I'm imagining it by someone who is as ignorant as a tree stump.
2
What a foolish column. He cites the increase in celiac, a life-threatening illness, which clearly points to endemic changes having to do with all sorts of factors, and is well-documented, then says it's all being made up. This man clearly has limited medical knowledge and understanding. He should come with me to the emergency room every time my request for shellfish free food is ignored by some knowing waiter or chef. He should ask the ER doctor as I'm pumped full of epinephrine if my choking and blue face is a narcissistic ploy. Mr. Cohen's glib condescension is beginning to get old.
8
"If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on — and it’s going on most conspicuously in the most aggressive, competitive, unequal, individualistic, anxiety-ridden and narcissistic societies, where enlightenment about food has been offset by the sort of compulsive anxiety about it that can give rise to imagined intolerances and allergies."
Your opening statements are equally as ignorant. Imagined? I'll remember that the next time I accidentally ingest wheat/rye/barley & spend the next day & a half hunched over the porcelain throne.
Here's the thing: our grain sources have been adulterated to a great degree by GMOs. Is this the reason for serious food intolerances/allergies? Who can say -because WE are not being told what the possible long-term effects could be to our guts/bodies. We're eating yet not sure why we're being diagnosed with diabetes, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux & other diseases of the digestive/immune systems which can lead to metabolic disorders, which can lead to cancers, IN RECORD NUMBERS.
So pardon me if for some of us, the answer is to change what we eat. God forbid we should interfere with YOUR desire to endure endless bouts of indigestion without questioning WHY. Or progressively worse inflammatory diseases & simply accept taking pharmaceutical drugs you're told will "cure" you but usually make you worse. You're free to live a life degraded by ignorance.
Your opening statements are equally as ignorant. Imagined? I'll remember that the next time I accidentally ingest wheat/rye/barley & spend the next day & a half hunched over the porcelain throne.
Here's the thing: our grain sources have been adulterated to a great degree by GMOs. Is this the reason for serious food intolerances/allergies? Who can say -because WE are not being told what the possible long-term effects could be to our guts/bodies. We're eating yet not sure why we're being diagnosed with diabetes, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux & other diseases of the digestive/immune systems which can lead to metabolic disorders, which can lead to cancers, IN RECORD NUMBERS.
So pardon me if for some of us, the answer is to change what we eat. God forbid we should interfere with YOUR desire to endure endless bouts of indigestion without questioning WHY. Or progressively worse inflammatory diseases & simply accept taking pharmaceutical drugs you're told will "cure" you but usually make you worse. You're free to live a life degraded by ignorance.
6
It amuses me to think about when I was a kid in the 70s, and seitan, aka wheat gluten, was a popular health food in hippie circles. Fads come and go, and people are free to eat (or not eat) what they choose; it's the loud self-righteousness of many in the voluntarily gluten-free crowd that drives the rest of us crazy. People with real celiac disease are in a different category and should, obviously, be fully supported.
5
I'm pretty sure you've given up being loudly self-righteous, like many of us who are either celiac or gluten-intolerant, and just keep a watchful eye on what we put in our mouths. But all the same, we of the lesser will still support you. Thanks for the quid pro quo.
My adult son is severely lactose intolerant and has been that way since adolescence. His beautiful wife has a serious reaction to gluten -- one step removed from a celiac disease diagnosis -- since childhood. Their IBS and gastro-esophageal issues are real. Often dairy and flour items are used to enrich sauces and soups. They are used as breading on meat, fish and vegetables. In other words, they may be invisiible but integral parts of a recipe. People with food allergies aren't "fussy eaters," and they inquire about food preparation and meal options for health and NOT narcissistic considerations. In planning parties, I always make sure that gluten-free choices are available within a meal. It isn't a hardship; as a matter of fact, there always exist easy and delicious alternatives. Yes, I agree that gluten-free is over-used and a marketing ploy for many. But for folks who can't tolerate various foods, let's try for a little more tolerance.
5
Thank you. I never insist at parties. I review, and once a couple of years ago looked lovingly at hot dogs. I have nightmares now about making this mistake. My thought when I saw the hot dogs was "Oh, g-f hotdogs, yummy!" No, they weren't. Hard lesson to learn, but experience is a great teacher! Now my friends know that when I bring dishes to parties, they are most definitely g-f. Most restaurants serve salads, so I'm pretty safe there. signed, a conspicuously aggressive, competitive, unequal, individualistic, anxiety-ridden and narcissistic gluten-intolerant eater. (>;})
1
the luxury of a daily column is complete ahistoricity. Any reading of well known ancient Chinese medicine texts would lead you to the 'four worms'. Human doubts over eating grains go back before newspaper columns. And the true “affluenza” and narcissistic fussiness, is that of a writer who - tired of being wrong about about a barbaric Israeli govt, finds a subject about which he knows even less.
3
First, it is absolutely no mystery why the rise in coeliac disease, if you DON'T pay attention solely to the mainstream media. Many medical studies, and anecdotal evidence, proves that both the modern "time-saving" methods of processing glutenous grains, as well as the ever-expanding availability of Genetically Modified versions of those crops, are to blame. Add to this a modern diet of synthetic ingredients heinously labeled by the FDA as "natural," and the massive consumption of processed foods and foods harvested out of season (while not ripe) and transported great distances, you have the makings of not only coeliac, but cardio-vascular diseases, various diabetes, general immune suppression - a host of modern maladies. Add to this the blind faithful reliance on doctors and prescription medications to solve these chronic nutritive deficiencies, and we have - that's right - the makings of a healthcare crisis. And all it takes is a stoic effort to not fall victim to the mass media marketing of the food industry. The good news? It's easier than ever to do so, join groups like the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and join the protest against being a guinea pig in Big Ag's experiments.
4
My understanding is that in order for an allergy to develop, a large molecule (like a protein such as gluten) has to pass through the intestinal wall into the blood steam relatively intact where it will be recognized as foreign, and so generate an immune response. Typically human guts are impermeable to these large molecules after about three days of age. So perhaps there are intestinal malfunctions here, and that problem is not being addressed. I'd like to hear what others have to say.
Wow, another gluten bashing article. Thanks. I don't need to have some food intolerance to make me feel special and it's not in my head. I spent almost 30 years of my life with chronic digestive problems, foggy head, unexplained inflammation, skin problems, etc. until I was tested for gluten intolerance and found I was positive. It was hard to go gluten free, but I gave it a go and what a surprise when my entire life turned around. Anyone who thinks those of us who are truly gluten free want to be are jerks. I hate the fact I can't eat good bread anymore or drink good beer. It's not fun to make the choices I have to make, but my health is SO good now that I wouldn't trade it for anything. Authors like you should go write about something you actually know about instead of writing about something you obviously know absolutely NOTHING about.
7
I miss my Rolling Rock beer! I miss beer, period. Really I do. So I'm forced to drink g-f beer (not a fan), or tequila (really a fan), or wines (have developed a palate for it). Have you tried Schaar bread? You can find it in most markets where they sell g-f products, and Schaar makes white and whole grain. I prefer the whole grain myself over the white, but it's the best brand I've tried so far. Good luck!
Alergies are something that follows a threshhold pprocess. Once the balance tips then the body begins reacting to all kinds of environmental allergens. It just may not be a cultural fad or a bandwagon effect, but a reaction to a changed environment and a changed use of a series of things we have been putting into our bodies. That may also exlain why old folks have more tolerance and young folks are highly reactive. We need more science and less blather on this subject.
5
Having suffered for almost two years with lower gastrointestinal problems two days ago i cut out gluten. That's all it took and i am back to normal. I have not been a fan of the gluten free craze but there is surely something going on.
5
Good luck to you, Peter. A whole new way of eating food, of looking at food, as in front of you. So many people say to me, "I could never do that, how do you do it?" And I tell them, it's either give up gluten, or suffer. Easy choice for me!
Highly acidic foods--tomatoes, citrus, pomegranates, some other fruit--trigger a pain syndrome I have that causes serious pain and little sleep for at least a day, sometimes longer. I see no need to go into details--I just say I'm allergic, which at least some people understand. Don't be too hard on people who can't eat what you can without nasty consequences.
That said, I agree gluten-free is now mostly marketing.
That said, I agree gluten-free is now mostly marketing.
1
It is a method of eating, and we can now eat more processed foods just like anyone else who doesn't suffer from gluten intolerance or celiac. That's the only difference. In order for a product to be certified gluten-free, it must be produced in a facility where no gluten-containing ingredients are present.
I don't eat a lot of packaged foods anymore, except I do buy g-f bread instead of making it myself. The marketing you see is in direct response to requests from consumers, and the increased quality & production of packaged g-f foods. That's all.
I don't eat a lot of packaged foods anymore, except I do buy g-f bread instead of making it myself. The marketing you see is in direct response to requests from consumers, and the increased quality & production of packaged g-f foods. That's all.
Obviously more people in the developed countries like US get this epidemic issue. It must be something in the food processes or storage. FDA should spend more funds on these projects.
4
The FDA won't, and it's because of Big Agriculture and the genetics industry. The FDA no longer functions as a protector of consumers. They are protectors of profit.
I understand that there is a marketing machine at work...but for people who do suffer from gluten intolerance to a more serious situation like celiac...this piece is insulting. We have a niece who suffers from it and she is literally afraid of eating out. My husband also developed an intolerance in the past ten years...the man who could eat anything now can't. I think this piece is absolutely feeds the notion that people are just making up allergies.
8
This may sound a little cold but it seems to me if celiac disease has a genetic component, then it may be that modern therapies have allowed more of those who have these genes to multiply. It could be that up until the late 20th century the forces of nature kept the level of the gene low in the population, as those who suffered the most would either die early or be considered sickly and unsuitable as mates. How prevalent is celiac disease in Third World countries with wheat based diets?
1
Could also be, as some have speculated, that the wheat grain we eat today is not the same as what our parents ate. What we eat today has been modified, genetically hybridized for several reasons. Dr. Mark Hyman wrote about it in a HuffPo article back in 2012. Look it up. And don't tell me "correlation is not causation" because potential correlation is the start of most research. In the case of just wheat alone, how do we put the genie back in the bottle -both with a hybridized grain which differs in structure from what our parents consumed and that in America at least, it's GMO-adulterated now?
A little cold? How about outright barbaric? Why not just come out and say that people with Celiac should be allowed to die so that humans overall will be healther.
I'm in my seventh decade on this spinning blue marble and have been on a See Food Diet: I see food, I eat food, though I will say it seems as though more of my comrades-in-arms are concerned with the dreaded Gluten combined with a host of otherwise unknown in my early years dietary dangers.
Makes me scratch my head and wonder: Have we old codgers become paranoid worry warts because we have an abundance of time to contemplate such impending maladies, or has our existence been altered by the current climate of massive industrial farming that we actually have something to fear? As with many concerns about the future, for me and my aged brethren not long for this world, I am extremely grateful to have lived most of my existence in the past century. Though that's said with each passing generation waxing nostalgic, it really was the best of times, simpler, slower, more time to think before speaking, to form opinions which weren't set in stone.
I do sympathize for today's young people. In almost all aspects of my life, including a positively nasty World War II thrown in for good measure, I believe young folks have a harder and complicated row to hoe than we did, with diminished returns, fulfillment and contentment. Modern technological marvels have far exceeded our prehistoric brains ability to cope with such astronomical changes.
I wish them well. Gluten Haben to all.
DD
Manhattan
Makes me scratch my head and wonder: Have we old codgers become paranoid worry warts because we have an abundance of time to contemplate such impending maladies, or has our existence been altered by the current climate of massive industrial farming that we actually have something to fear? As with many concerns about the future, for me and my aged brethren not long for this world, I am extremely grateful to have lived most of my existence in the past century. Though that's said with each passing generation waxing nostalgic, it really was the best of times, simpler, slower, more time to think before speaking, to form opinions which weren't set in stone.
I do sympathize for today's young people. In almost all aspects of my life, including a positively nasty World War II thrown in for good measure, I believe young folks have a harder and complicated row to hoe than we did, with diminished returns, fulfillment and contentment. Modern technological marvels have far exceeded our prehistoric brains ability to cope with such astronomical changes.
I wish them well. Gluten Haben to all.
DD
Manhattan
2
I'm convinced the vast majority of the " Gluten Free" simply asked their doctor about digestive distress, who recommended trying being gluten free. Having, likely for the first time in many of their lives, paid attention to their diet, their digestion improved. They have now convinced themselves gluten is the villain.
I'll add that I'm sure there is a tiny slice of the population who do suffer from celiac disease.
I also recall a few years back when food companies labeled everything 0% Trans-Fat.
I saw dried apples labeled thusly.
I'll add that I'm sure there is a tiny slice of the population who do suffer from celiac disease.
I also recall a few years back when food companies labeled everything 0% Trans-Fat.
I saw dried apples labeled thusly.
2
A few months ago, I would have agreed with Mr. Cohen's remarks. In August after suffering for years from depression and associated aches and pains but nevertheless still working and volunteering and getting on with life, I thought I would check in with a nutritionist to see if allergies could be a culprit. After extensive testing done by reputable labs, the verdict was definite allergies to grains and dairy products. Two months later, I feel better than I have in many years, and within six weeks, my body dropped thirty pounds with no additional exercise. I have no need of the expensive meds I've been prescribed for years. I have to believe that modern grain and dairy products are off limits for me. My wife and I don't go out to eat very much anymore. If we do, I stick to what I CAN digest and make no comments about my needs to servers or owners of restaurants. The problem with products in the grain and dairy categories in today's world may well stem from what growers and processors are adding to the foods which become available in today's grocery stores. By the way, I completely avoid those "gluten-free" products. I am eating simply and naturally and looking and feeling ever so much better. My internist, not a "gluten-free" proponent, is amazed.
8
Your best in a long while, Roger!
Well done..
Well done..
4
Unfortunately, there are actual people with actual celiac disease, for whom gluten is an actual poison. Columns like this one, and many of the comments, dimiss this actual disease as a mere food fad or a myth. This does real harm. When my son (who has actual celiac disease) and I go to a restaurant and inquire whether there is anything that is "gluten free" on the menu, the wait staff will feel entitled to either lie about it (because columns like this one reinforce the idea that this is a mere food fad), thus exposing my son to poison, or else they'll "proudly" declare that they do not serve gluten free products. To all the celiac doubters, I say: I am very glad you don't have celiac disease. But it is real. Get over it.
7
Your rant should be directed to the people who pretend to have a gluten allergy as they're the ones who have marginalized the disease.
2
This column did not dismiss the actual disease. It correctly pointed out that gluten free products are being unnecessarily consumed for reasons unrelated to celiac disease and have become a fad for some. If a wait staff is lying to you about gluten (which I don't believe) or a restaurant chooses not to serve gluten free meals it is not because of this column or any anyone else pointing to the reality of this phenomenon. A tantrum at one of those restaurants might be more effective than one in the NY comments.
2
He's not talking about Celiac. If people have Celiac, they generally don't go out to eat. It's that bad. No restaurant that serves wheat on the menu is gluten-free.
Leaky gut is a medical condition brought about by the over-use of antibiotics. Gluten and casein (milk protein) can be absorbed into the crevices of a leaky gut and cause autism like behavior. Many children with autism become well when they stop eating gluten and casein. We are just beginning to understand how our medical practices are affecting our children. If you don't understand why people are avoiding gluten, ask. Please don't assume that the reason is trivial.
5
Many of my friends in the food industry, particularly chefs and servers, are the targets of the most outrageous food intolerances that create incredibly expensive one-time actions being demanded by customers. Between 2008 and 2014, for example, the number of special diets at our B&B rose from a few a month to dozens per week -- eventually coming to the point where there was never a time that we didn't have to stop the production of breakfast in order to start the production of special meals.
From my perspective, these fears are part of a broader social complex of anxieties that we all need to address. I mean, really, who walks into an Italian restaurant in Italy and asks for Gluten-Free? It's not just inappropriate, it's approaching OCD. That's well beyond reasonable considering that only 1% of the population actually has seliac disease.
If you can't eat food served at restaurants, it's probably best that you stay at home and prepare yourself the fear-based meal you desire. If you think this position is unreasonable, are you prepared to always pay the price of having each meal prepared according to an infinite variety of special needs -- in other words are you prepared to pay for not just your own special meal, but the special meal of everyone else? Trust me, you can't afford it.
From my perspective, these fears are part of a broader social complex of anxieties that we all need to address. I mean, really, who walks into an Italian restaurant in Italy and asks for Gluten-Free? It's not just inappropriate, it's approaching OCD. That's well beyond reasonable considering that only 1% of the population actually has seliac disease.
If you can't eat food served at restaurants, it's probably best that you stay at home and prepare yourself the fear-based meal you desire. If you think this position is unreasonable, are you prepared to always pay the price of having each meal prepared according to an infinite variety of special needs -- in other words are you prepared to pay for not just your own special meal, but the special meal of everyone else? Trust me, you can't afford it.
7
"the fear-based meal"....the fear of getting terribly ill is real and these people have spent years not eating out. I am sorry if you have issues with special diets. I ran a restaurant before retiring. We stated up front what we could and couldn't do; this wasn't a hardship, it was a service---to our customers.
Now imagine that many people (about 2 percent of a population of 59 million) that are actually Italians having to deal with this disease in a country that is all about eating out. Here is a NYT article from last year to help you understand, this isn't a fad for everyone: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html
Now imagine that many people (about 2 percent of a population of 59 million) that are actually Italians having to deal with this disease in a country that is all about eating out. Here is a NYT article from last year to help you understand, this isn't a fad for everyone: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html
1
We always, always, always honored those with special dietary needs and were grateful for the opportunity to provide them with something surprising and amazing. For restaurants, however, where the margins are thin based upon the trifecta of equipment, supply and labor costs, the new preponderance of dietary restrictions has placed them in a position where the costs of meeting those restrictions is impossible to manage. This is only a problem if the restaurant is unable to pass those costs along to its guests.
People often develop food allergies when they overeat the same things all year round. Our bodies were designed to eat small to moderate amounts of SEASONAL foods, thus food allergies were less likely to develop (some things like peanuts or shellfish are 2 foods that are probably true personally genetically-rejected foods, when they are). Our bodies need a REST from some foods - the availability of virtually all foods, year-round should be considered as one of the culprits of some foods "allergies".
4
Handicapped access had become widespread as well, but does that mean those in need of it are over the top? Sure, sometimes people with a minor limp use designated parking places but that doesn't mean grocery stores should eliminate them. Mr. Cohen makes a silly argument.
3
bob, you are the one making a silly argument. Its not the access but the actual feeling of being handicapped. having a handicap is not a choice, what you eat is. can't eat bread? ok, don't - see? its easy.
I so desperately wish I didn't have so many food sensitivities...my life is spent trying to eat & not get sick. Be grateful that is not your situation.
9
Sadly, the cult of food has made cooking, and dining, two things that I used to really enjoy, just a utility.
My palette has devolved and going out to dinner with anyone who has food allergies or kids becomes insanely boring. Dining out used to be an avenue to good conversation with friends where the meal almost becomes incidental, now the meal is the guest of honor and the conversations often revolve around it to the point where I hope the food jumps off the plate and leaves from boredom, which is what I often feel like doing.
I've heard about every food allergy of my nieces classmates, my in-laws in-laws gluten free diet and more people volunteering descriptive bathroom behavior than should ever be my care while eating.
I've got food allergies myself, and nobody is the wiser, because not being able to eat something does not define me, all it means is that if a dish has what I'm allergic to, I eat something else.
My palette has devolved and going out to dinner with anyone who has food allergies or kids becomes insanely boring. Dining out used to be an avenue to good conversation with friends where the meal almost becomes incidental, now the meal is the guest of honor and the conversations often revolve around it to the point where I hope the food jumps off the plate and leaves from boredom, which is what I often feel like doing.
I've heard about every food allergy of my nieces classmates, my in-laws in-laws gluten free diet and more people volunteering descriptive bathroom behavior than should ever be my care while eating.
I've got food allergies myself, and nobody is the wiser, because not being able to eat something does not define me, all it means is that if a dish has what I'm allergic to, I eat something else.
7
Reminds me of a couple years ago when Kentucky Fried Chicken billed itself as a low carb health food...
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is getting crazy and I appreciate the well done articulation of my "unease" with the growing number of special needs eaters! That is not to dismiss people who genuinely need alternatives to gluten, I have seen first hand both their suffering and recovery. It's the "band wagon" people that, in their effort to be "special" have decided to become gluten free with no dietary needs that infuriate. Well done Roger, I hope to be 80 and free of dietary restrictions some day.
3
There is something strange going on here. I have two relatives who have had long term health problems related to digestion.
Diagnosis and treatment has been a whack-a-mole process.
Sometimes shifting foods has helped a lot, including shifting to gluten free diet. But too be blunt, no one understands the cause-effect relationship
That's a rough universe to inhabit.
Diagnosis and treatment has been a whack-a-mole process.
Sometimes shifting foods has helped a lot, including shifting to gluten free diet. But too be blunt, no one understands the cause-effect relationship
That's a rough universe to inhabit.
4
The column does seem to trivialize celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, a bit like the old cruel jokes about other physical handicaps. Not enough distinction between what I suspect is the author's real issue--how advertisers, particularly for food products, prey on people's fears (I think they would even consider advertising "no pathogens or pollutants!")--and the real problems of food allergies and ways that responsible producers can inform their users. It used to be that "modified food starch" was listed as a catch-all ingredient rather than describing what starch. This was frequently wheat with very harmful results for those with wheat allergy (I write from experience.).
4
Sometimes Gluten phobia is only a state of mind.
But one that pays off very well for producers.
I wonder what will be the next craze?
Dihydrogenmonoxyd incompatibility?
That might lead to yet another great business idea :-)
But one that pays off very well for producers.
I wonder what will be the next craze?
Dihydrogenmonoxyd incompatibility?
That might lead to yet another great business idea :-)
1
In today's society, people are always looking for something other than themselves to blame for their problems. Food is an easy target.
2
The column is gluten-free. So I can read it.
But can I eat it?
(My apologies if this question has been raised previously; I didn't review all 981 comments.)
But can I eat it?
(My apologies if this question has been raised previously; I didn't review all 981 comments.)
Yes, this is both a marketing ploy (targeting a generation of people who know little about food) and a real medical issue.
I was raised to eat what is put in front of me, a matter of good manners. Of course, a real medical issue could impact this, and occasional food allergies were not unheard of and one could eat around this. Mr. Cohen notes that octa and nonagenerians will eat everything but 18-25 year olds will not. This is telling.
If it's food and it is good, eat it! Mind your manners and if you are allergic to everything on your plate, this is a shame. Push your food around and go eat whatever it is you can eat afterwards. Or eat up before going to the dinner party.
For those with celiac disease, there are a lot of vegetables and steak in Tuscany. Select your restaurants with care and keep in mind the chef cooks his recipes and if you don't like them, eat elsewhere, but don't malign the chef or the host.
I was raised to eat what is put in front of me, a matter of good manners. Of course, a real medical issue could impact this, and occasional food allergies were not unheard of and one could eat around this. Mr. Cohen notes that octa and nonagenerians will eat everything but 18-25 year olds will not. This is telling.
If it's food and it is good, eat it! Mind your manners and if you are allergic to everything on your plate, this is a shame. Push your food around and go eat whatever it is you can eat afterwards. Or eat up before going to the dinner party.
For those with celiac disease, there are a lot of vegetables and steak in Tuscany. Select your restaurants with care and keep in mind the chef cooks his recipes and if you don't like them, eat elsewhere, but don't malign the chef or the host.
1
A dear friend of mine has celiac's disease. She can't eat wheat, but if some rice cakes touched slices of bread she could brush off the crumbs and eat the rice cake.
Another friend is so sensitive to gluten that even if I make rice at home in my rice cooker, in which all I ever cook is rice, she cannot eat it because wheat is also in the kitchen. So even though rice is gluten-free, I cannot say to someone who is highly allergic, that the meal will not pose a problem for them.
Another friend is so sensitive to gluten that even if I make rice at home in my rice cooker, in which all I ever cook is rice, she cannot eat it because wheat is also in the kitchen. So even though rice is gluten-free, I cannot say to someone who is highly allergic, that the meal will not pose a problem for them.
1
she can't eat rice because wheat is in the kitchen? absurd. in ta case she can't go anywhere if someone is eating a sandwich in her proximity. or heaven, a muffin or whatever. if they are that highly allergic they should see a doctor - immediatly.
Catering to the various food "needs" is looked at as a problem when one goes out to eat or entertains. Its real problem relates to a family of five dealing with it on an every day basis. Cooking five different meals multiple times each day is an absurdity. My solution, I quit cooking for the family. Starve or take care of yourself has become the rule in my home. So much for modern society.
1
I was diagnosed with Celiac at 54. I felt so run down when I went in for my over 50 colonoscopy, I asked the doc to check the other end and I would pay. I had no stomach or GI symptoms. Celiac was diagnosed through endoscopy and confirmed through biopsy and blood test.
Long story short I am 54 non-smoker who had horrible lifelong allergies asthma (symptom of celiac) and now have stage three COPD. Celiac can attack organs other than the intestines. I believe Celiac attacked my lungs and my doc at National Jewish believes that could be the case.
As a person who loved baking and brewing beer, going gluten free certainly was not a fad for me. I am still embarrassed to order or ask about gluten free at a restaurant.
Having said all that, I don't believe Celiac is a disease. I believe it is a symptom of absence. I believe some microorganism was killed off with antibiotics or our modern diet with pesticides or preservatives. Our medical profession has an uncanny way of looking at the body as parts rather than a system. I had seen an allergist (immunologist) for decades who never caught my celiac yet it is a disease of the immune system. If an immunologist overlooks celiac I think it would be easy to go to a neurologist with tingling fingers (symptom of Celiac) and still not get a proper diagnosis of Celiac. Ultimately I think it is going to be a physician that specializes in microbiology that will cure Celiac. However, I don't believe that medical specialty exists today.
Long story short I am 54 non-smoker who had horrible lifelong allergies asthma (symptom of celiac) and now have stage three COPD. Celiac can attack organs other than the intestines. I believe Celiac attacked my lungs and my doc at National Jewish believes that could be the case.
As a person who loved baking and brewing beer, going gluten free certainly was not a fad for me. I am still embarrassed to order or ask about gluten free at a restaurant.
Having said all that, I don't believe Celiac is a disease. I believe it is a symptom of absence. I believe some microorganism was killed off with antibiotics or our modern diet with pesticides or preservatives. Our medical profession has an uncanny way of looking at the body as parts rather than a system. I had seen an allergist (immunologist) for decades who never caught my celiac yet it is a disease of the immune system. If an immunologist overlooks celiac I think it would be easy to go to a neurologist with tingling fingers (symptom of Celiac) and still not get a proper diagnosis of Celiac. Ultimately I think it is going to be a physician that specializes in microbiology that will cure Celiac. However, I don't believe that medical specialty exists today.
7
"According to the Mayo Clinic web site, four times as many people suffer from celiac disease as 60 years ago, and roughly one in 100 people are now affected. Why is unclear." GMOs people, GMOs! And it's gonna get a lot worse in the next five to ten years. Just wait and see. (It's not only wheat but soy, canola and corn - all these crops in the US are 100% GMO and will lead to all kinds of weird health problems like tumors and organ failure.) Eat at your own risk!
5
"If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on," but why assume mass hysteria?
My theory? The anti-breastfeeding trend of the late 20th century. One of the many, many reasons doctors push breastmilk for the first 6 months is for the development of the infant gut and it's a known fact that children who weren't breastfed are more likely to have allergies later in life. Those people over 80 are overwhelming more likely to have been breastfed, probably for the first year of their life since it was free and the mothers were home to do so, but those under 25? Nope. Mom was looked down upon for daring to feed her child in public, she had to go back to work weeks after giving birth, and Big Formula was there to tell her everything will be fine*.
My theory? The anti-breastfeeding trend of the late 20th century. One of the many, many reasons doctors push breastmilk for the first 6 months is for the development of the infant gut and it's a known fact that children who weren't breastfed are more likely to have allergies later in life. Those people over 80 are overwhelming more likely to have been breastfed, probably for the first year of their life since it was free and the mothers were home to do so, but those under 25? Nope. Mom was looked down upon for daring to feed her child in public, she had to go back to work weeks after giving birth, and Big Formula was there to tell her everything will be fine*.
Mr. Cohen...
The problem isn't just gluten. It is essentially the degradation of the entire food supply of the United States. Those who produce and process our food, from feedlots lacing cattle with gobs of Big Pharma's steroids and antibiotics, to growers who spray their corn with neonicotinoids or glyphosphate made by global chemical companies are slowly poisoning us all. And they are doing it impunity.
Every fact showing the unhealthiness of the food production business is matched by an "anti-fact" perpetrated by the food industry to preserve profits and confuse not only the public but the lawmakers and regulators whose job it is to protect the food supply.
Sure, once we all ate the same wheat, but food production was never like the mechanized, chemistry-based, assembly-line process it is today. It is no wonder that we're getting sick.
The problem isn't just gluten. It is essentially the degradation of the entire food supply of the United States. Those who produce and process our food, from feedlots lacing cattle with gobs of Big Pharma's steroids and antibiotics, to growers who spray their corn with neonicotinoids or glyphosphate made by global chemical companies are slowly poisoning us all. And they are doing it impunity.
Every fact showing the unhealthiness of the food production business is matched by an "anti-fact" perpetrated by the food industry to preserve profits and confuse not only the public but the lawmakers and regulators whose job it is to protect the food supply.
Sure, once we all ate the same wheat, but food production was never like the mechanized, chemistry-based, assembly-line process it is today. It is no wonder that we're getting sick.
3
Did it ever occur to you, Mr. Cohen, that many people are trying gluten-free diets, not as a fad, but as one last desperate attempt to find an answer or partial answer to their IBS, chronic inflammation, allergies, mood disorder and other serious issues where the modern diet and traditional Western medicine have failed them. Most of these folks that I know of have gone to several doctors, read many books and articles and are trying to restore good health without resorting to a lifetime of prescription medications (that may or may not relieve the condition but will, certainly, come with side effects and expense).
It isn't easy to eat a gluten-free diet. Try it sometime.
We have failed the younger generation in so many ways, including poisoning much of their food and despoiling the environment, which they will inherit. Something is fueling obesity and diabetes, and there are doctors who feel grains and refined sugars are the problem. Something is fueling the epidemic of autism and Alzheimer's. Something is fueling the cancer epidemic (Like so many others, we are NOT winning that "war".) With no one giving any answers, why do you begrudge the younger generation in trying a new way?
Read "Grain Brain," "Wheat Belly" and "Detoxification and Healing." All by M.D.'s.
It isn't easy to eat a gluten-free diet. Try it sometime.
We have failed the younger generation in so many ways, including poisoning much of their food and despoiling the environment, which they will inherit. Something is fueling obesity and diabetes, and there are doctors who feel grains and refined sugars are the problem. Something is fueling the epidemic of autism and Alzheimer's. Something is fueling the cancer epidemic (Like so many others, we are NOT winning that "war".) With no one giving any answers, why do you begrudge the younger generation in trying a new way?
Read "Grain Brain," "Wheat Belly" and "Detoxification and Healing." All by M.D.'s.
7
"If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on" YES! Some thing is going on - 100% of wheat (and soy, corn and canola)crops in this country are genetically modified and people are beginning to get sick from it. It's only just beginning, too. Next up, "mysterious" tumors and " strange" ailments and organ failure that no doctor will be able to diagnose. This is only the beginning of a huge science experiment. Also, when I'm 80 I'll damn well eat what I please. Genetically modified or not. Right now, I'm not into making myself sick. I can't afford to.
1
Constance: Your statement that 100% of the wheat crops in this country are genetically modified is patently false. There may be GMO wheat crops in research but not in commercial trade. You are entitle to your own GMO opinions but not your own facts.
1
To TH in Hawaii. You are right about the wheat but I don't trust the "facts" or the government or Monsanto with my or my children's health. Thank you for the correction.
There is another reason for the rise in gluten intolerance/autoimmune reactions. The GMO wheat. I have been diagnosed as having an autoimmune reaction to wheat after many episodes of vomiting and diarrhea when ingesting wheat products. After 8 years, I met a friend who introduced me to the original, non GMO wheat that I used to eat as a child. And guess what. I am mostly tolerant to the original strain. Perhaps the GMO foods are now causing some allergies, and since we cannot tell which of the foods we eat are GMO or have added preservatives such as fresh foods and sulfites, there may be good reason for the problems we are having.
2
Roger Cohen, do we know enough yet to support your views?
As a person with serious food allergies that showed up later in life, I'd like to request more editorials encouraging the medical community to develop a deeper understanding of this immune epidemic--in particular conditions like gluten intolerance, which millions experience but for which the medical community has yet to find an answer.
I fear that doctors--the majority of whom receive only a few hours of nutrition training--too often share your skepticism + misunderstanding of allergies. It took me 10 years to receive a diagnosis because the symptoms were not "typical" allergy symptoms taught in basic training. Every time I suggested allergies to doctors it was dismissed because I did not fit the typical profile. This did not happen with just one doctor; it happened with GPs and specialists over many years. Two implied that I had a mental health issue, even though I had no other symptoms of a mental health disorder!
I understand that for many reasons, the medical community doesn't have all the answers. Please, then, invest in research and doctor training on immune conditions. And, while we are all searching for scientifically-proven answers, don't blame the person who is suffering. This compounds the frustration that many of us with immune conditions feel towards the medical community and the general public.
PS - Italy has the highest rate of Celiac disease in the world. Coincidence?
As a person with serious food allergies that showed up later in life, I'd like to request more editorials encouraging the medical community to develop a deeper understanding of this immune epidemic--in particular conditions like gluten intolerance, which millions experience but for which the medical community has yet to find an answer.
I fear that doctors--the majority of whom receive only a few hours of nutrition training--too often share your skepticism + misunderstanding of allergies. It took me 10 years to receive a diagnosis because the symptoms were not "typical" allergy symptoms taught in basic training. Every time I suggested allergies to doctors it was dismissed because I did not fit the typical profile. This did not happen with just one doctor; it happened with GPs and specialists over many years. Two implied that I had a mental health issue, even though I had no other symptoms of a mental health disorder!
I understand that for many reasons, the medical community doesn't have all the answers. Please, then, invest in research and doctor training on immune conditions. And, while we are all searching for scientifically-proven answers, don't blame the person who is suffering. This compounds the frustration that many of us with immune conditions feel towards the medical community and the general public.
PS - Italy has the highest rate of Celiac disease in the world. Coincidence?
3
Mr Cohen has hit a nerve. It's striking how many comments are from people who seem to really have some kind of food allergy and are deeply offended. He was not talking about you and stated that in his piece. He was talking about another very real phenomenon- anyone who has ever planned a dinner party for more than 10 people will know the real point he is trying to make
3
This column has it wrong - the problem is not entitlement, the problem is that millions of people do not feel well and are desperate for a solution. For some, ie celiacs, the solutions really is to strictly avoid gluten. For others, there are no clear answers. What this author doesn't understand is that it is a terrible thing to feel sick every day, and have multiple doctors tell you they do not know why and leave you with no path to feeling better.
I have crohn's disease and it takes a significant amount of diligence every day re medication/diet/sleep/etc for me to feel OK. Yes, this includes not eating gluten (among other things). Yes, this includes being a pain at restaurants. No, I do not feel like I should have to tell my medical history to everyone I meet so that they take my restrictions seriously.
Mr. Cohen, my dietary needs are not changed by your judgements and opinions, and I would appreciate it if you would not encourage NYT readers to jump to conclusions. I think it is important to give other people the benefit of the doubt and address the issues of why so many people A. genuinely need to avoid gluten, or B. are otherwise so unwell digestively that they try out a gluten free diet in an attempt to feel better.
I have crohn's disease and it takes a significant amount of diligence every day re medication/diet/sleep/etc for me to feel OK. Yes, this includes not eating gluten (among other things). Yes, this includes being a pain at restaurants. No, I do not feel like I should have to tell my medical history to everyone I meet so that they take my restrictions seriously.
Mr. Cohen, my dietary needs are not changed by your judgements and opinions, and I would appreciate it if you would not encourage NYT readers to jump to conclusions. I think it is important to give other people the benefit of the doubt and address the issues of why so many people A. genuinely need to avoid gluten, or B. are otherwise so unwell digestively that they try out a gluten free diet in an attempt to feel better.
7
I had read somewhere that it's not really the gluten that people are having trouble with but rather a chemical used in the harvesting process when combined with the gluten that they can't digest.
1
This column by Roger Cohen is simply idiotic. My wife, a senior citizen, has celiac disease confirmed in diagnostic procedures. We struggle mightily to find gluten-free foods for her. Cohen's stupid diatribe serves to create the view that such foods are unnecessary. His foolish views may only serve to create an environment where less gluten-free foods are available when, in fact, what we need is more.
7
Wow, Roger, what a very uncharitable stance you have adopted! I frankly don't care for your attitude.
Monsanto and other agri-giants have bastardized all the seeds in the name of production and good old fashioned American style GREED. They are slowly killing us with their GMO garbage. I've done some tests on myself lately. I seriously reduced the amount of gluten I eat (and believe me, as a bread and pasta lover that was no easy feat) only to discover that my thumb joints don't ache any more, and a skin rash I was experiencing has disappeared. I also cut way back on dairy, because God only knows what they are feeding the cows. I buy organic produce and dairy whenever I can. I've noticed a dramatic reduction in the amount of mucus my sinuses produce, no more post-nasal drip when I lay down at night.
This is no accident. I firmly believe gluten and dairy are now a source of supreme evil in our diets. And YOU, dear sir, could be a lot more understanding of those of us who do not apparently reside in perfect health the way you seemingly do.
Monsanto and other agri-giants have bastardized all the seeds in the name of production and good old fashioned American style GREED. They are slowly killing us with their GMO garbage. I've done some tests on myself lately. I seriously reduced the amount of gluten I eat (and believe me, as a bread and pasta lover that was no easy feat) only to discover that my thumb joints don't ache any more, and a skin rash I was experiencing has disappeared. I also cut way back on dairy, because God only knows what they are feeding the cows. I buy organic produce and dairy whenever I can. I've noticed a dramatic reduction in the amount of mucus my sinuses produce, no more post-nasal drip when I lay down at night.
This is no accident. I firmly believe gluten and dairy are now a source of supreme evil in our diets. And YOU, dear sir, could be a lot more understanding of those of us who do not apparently reside in perfect health the way you seemingly do.
3
If there are an estimated two million individuals in this country with some identifiable form of gluten intolerance, that is 0.006 percent of the population. This makes the plethora of gluten-free products more about marketing than actual health issues. And it turns out a gluten intolerance diagnosis may not be accurate, with symptoms returning after a period of a gluten-free diet. It's facts and data versus anecdotal hysteria.
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2
About 0.6% actually.
1
There are two problems with this comment.
First, the math. Assuming the population of the US is 320 million, 2/320 * 100 = 0.625%. (If you don't remember what the 100 is for, consider that 1/2 is not 0.5% but 50%.)
Second, the data. More than 1% of the population has celiac disease. That means more than 3 million American have celiac. Celiac is just the tip of the iceberg. Gluten intolerance--the type that causes severe GI distress in absence of celiac or causes significant flare-ups of other autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis)--is believed to be far more prevalent than celiac.
Since the percentage of people suffering from a true gluten intolerance is not known, it's hard to get a handle on the exact percentage of people that need to eat gluten free. But whatever the number, it is orders of magnitude higher than what you're suggesting here.
First, the math. Assuming the population of the US is 320 million, 2/320 * 100 = 0.625%. (If you don't remember what the 100 is for, consider that 1/2 is not 0.5% but 50%.)
Second, the data. More than 1% of the population has celiac disease. That means more than 3 million American have celiac. Celiac is just the tip of the iceberg. Gluten intolerance--the type that causes severe GI distress in absence of celiac or causes significant flare-ups of other autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis)--is believed to be far more prevalent than celiac.
Since the percentage of people suffering from a true gluten intolerance is not known, it's hard to get a handle on the exact percentage of people that need to eat gluten free. But whatever the number, it is orders of magnitude higher than what you're suggesting here.
1
The European Union requires labels to identify 14 allergens, including gluten, in packaged foods and in restaurants.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/labelling_legislatio...
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label/labelling-changes
Food allergies are not a fad, they are a medical reality. I am allergic to dairy, diagnosed in mid-life after five decades of stomach ache. I have traveled extensively since my diagnosis and nowhere except in U.S. restaurants have I encountered the kind of disdain and misinformation Cohen so amply demonstrates in this column. In Chicago, for example, at the end of a meal, a waiter asked if I wanted cream with my coffee, and then said he was "just checking." In Ireland, England, Portugal, Madeira, Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, waiters simply nodded when I said I am dairy allergic and got on with things. This idea that food allergies are some crazy California invention needs to stop. Far from being an "ugly American" invention, in fact the U.S. could do some catching up with Europe when it comes to putting together an informed, helpful and responsible approach to improving food allergy information and consumer safety.
http://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/labelling_nutrition/labelling_legislatio...
https://www.food.gov.uk/science/allergy-intolerance/label/labelling-changes
Food allergies are not a fad, they are a medical reality. I am allergic to dairy, diagnosed in mid-life after five decades of stomach ache. I have traveled extensively since my diagnosis and nowhere except in U.S. restaurants have I encountered the kind of disdain and misinformation Cohen so amply demonstrates in this column. In Chicago, for example, at the end of a meal, a waiter asked if I wanted cream with my coffee, and then said he was "just checking." In Ireland, England, Portugal, Madeira, Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, waiters simply nodded when I said I am dairy allergic and got on with things. This idea that food allergies are some crazy California invention needs to stop. Far from being an "ugly American" invention, in fact the U.S. could do some catching up with Europe when it comes to putting together an informed, helpful and responsible approach to improving food allergy information and consumer safety.
6
There may be a fad layer on the surface, but surely there is true medical diagnosis underlying some of the demand - your doctor can do a blood test to look for celiac and it is commonly done to confirm or deny expectations of hypochondriac faddists. Let's get down to the science of it. There are at least three major hypotheses being investigated as to why there is an outbreak of celiac or 'gluten sensitivity.' One has to do with varieties of wheat now most commonly sold. Another with the use of chemical defoliants on wheat crops used to force simultaneous ripening of wheat or simply suppress weeds. The third has to do with gut biome shifts attributable to multiple factors.
4
I notice that most of the comments are centering around either on Celiac disease or on allergy like peanut allergy. Of course, Mr. Cohen has no idea on the latest warnings by many neurological researchers on gluten inflicted inflammation that causes various brain/neurological illness/disorders including ADHD, ALS, anxiety, brain fog, depression, migraines, dementia, Alzheimer's. Gluten sensitivity is the serious problem for many people that are not suffering from Celiac disease because gluten is silently attacking our brains even for some people that tested negative in the gluten sensitivity test.
The problem is that our brains do not have pain receptors, and we don't know brain degeneration caused by inflammation inflicted by gluten until we find too late in the old age in most of the cases. Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist, warns us that long-term gluten intake is one of the causes of Alzheimer's in addition to excess carbs intake in the long term.
The problem is that our brains do not have pain receptors, and we don't know brain degeneration caused by inflammation inflicted by gluten until we find too late in the old age in most of the cases. Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist, warns us that long-term gluten intake is one of the causes of Alzheimer's in addition to excess carbs intake in the long term.
2
Why do the columns of Roger Cohen appear for multiple days running while others get a single day?
3
Big Ag and Factory Farming have screwed up the food supply, no doubt about it. However, it doesn't help when the food police keep flip flopping - eggs are bad, eggs are good; milk is bad, milk is good; butter is bad, butter is good; sugar is bad, sugar is good, ect, ect.
That said, perhaps this may help -
1. If asking for gluten free muffins in line for coffee, don't order a triple grande half-caf two-pump vanilla two-pump hazelnut half-soy
half-nonfat 1.5 Splenda latte. At this point its not about celiac disease, it about what a self-centered pompous pain you are.
2. If in the same breath that you ask for the Gluten free menu, you ask your server to turn the music down, the heat up, to warm your babies bottle in the kitchen, once again it's not about gluten, its all about you.
That said, perhaps this may help -
1. If asking for gluten free muffins in line for coffee, don't order a triple grande half-caf two-pump vanilla two-pump hazelnut half-soy
half-nonfat 1.5 Splenda latte. At this point its not about celiac disease, it about what a self-centered pompous pain you are.
2. If in the same breath that you ask for the Gluten free menu, you ask your server to turn the music down, the heat up, to warm your babies bottle in the kitchen, once again it's not about gluten, its all about you.
3
A couple of weeks ago - while sitting in the waiting room of a doctor's office - I happened to pick up a copy of a glossy magazine by the name of "Allergic Living" - described, in part, as being "he leading magazine for those with food allergies, celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or environmental allergies."
Flipping through the magazine, I was presented with photos of beautiful people, perfectly dressed and living in gorgeous up-scale homes in lovely communities (mostly women and children - with 99% of them being white) --
As I stopped to read a couple of articles, I was stopped by phrases such as --
"It only took a few minutes into our lovely meal, when I realized that I had been glutened" (!)
The website of Allergic Living announces "The Food Allergy Bloggers Conference is in Denver from Nov. 13 to 15" -- and promotes it as an opportunity to "build relationships" --
In very little time, I realized the "Allergy Business" is marketing to a very specific target group of people - something in the way of high-end foodies with dietary restrictions and - of course - a good amount of discretionary income...at least enough to afford them the freedom to attend a "Food Allergy Bloggers Conference" in Denver --
While I certainly sympathize with those who have serious and potentially health (and life) threatening food allergies -- I think there are better methods of educating and informing the general population for their desired understanding --
Flipping through the magazine, I was presented with photos of beautiful people, perfectly dressed and living in gorgeous up-scale homes in lovely communities (mostly women and children - with 99% of them being white) --
As I stopped to read a couple of articles, I was stopped by phrases such as --
"It only took a few minutes into our lovely meal, when I realized that I had been glutened" (!)
The website of Allergic Living announces "The Food Allergy Bloggers Conference is in Denver from Nov. 13 to 15" -- and promotes it as an opportunity to "build relationships" --
In very little time, I realized the "Allergy Business" is marketing to a very specific target group of people - something in the way of high-end foodies with dietary restrictions and - of course - a good amount of discretionary income...at least enough to afford them the freedom to attend a "Food Allergy Bloggers Conference" in Denver --
While I certainly sympathize with those who have serious and potentially health (and life) threatening food allergies -- I think there are better methods of educating and informing the general population for their desired understanding --
4
Italy tests all of its citizens for celiac disease and gives them a monthly stipend (of around 200 euros, I believe) to buy the more expensive gluten free food if they need it. Don't assume that the owner of the restaurant you ate at was sending a passive aggressive message to people you deem high maintenance and narcissistic (or that said message was purely driven by picky American tourists). For me, living in Europe with Celiac was much easier because they have more options and fewer people like you. The hardest thing about having celiac disease in the US is people with attitudes like yours. Why do you think you know everything? Are you a doctor or food scientist? No. You're speculating using anecdotes with the intention of shaming people for your perception that they are trying to win attention by eating gluten free.
6
I know why this column has chafed me so much.
It's because the writer is basically encouraging the dismissal of a very real condition. While it may not affect him, it affects countless others who have to endure THAT plus derision. Rather than try to bring light and knowledge to the subject, Mr. Cohen instead chose to double down on the stereotypes and empower everyone of deriding those of us who either have Celiac or avoid something in our diet in our quest for better health.
It's because the writer is basically encouraging the dismissal of a very real condition. While it may not affect him, it affects countless others who have to endure THAT plus derision. Rather than try to bring light and knowledge to the subject, Mr. Cohen instead chose to double down on the stereotypes and empower everyone of deriding those of us who either have Celiac or avoid something in our diet in our quest for better health.
8
I can commiserate with healthy octogenarians frustration with the gluten free epidemic as well as picky eaters in restaurants & on board airplanes although am also highly sympathetic with those who do actually suffer from food allergies & autoimmune disorders like Celiac disease, Crohn's, spastic colon, ulcerative colitis, GERD, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Most of my family have some sort of inflammatory bowel disease & chronic digestive issues, so I know how debilitatingly painful these illnesses are. It would be like someone who is physically fit being frustrated with the amount of time it take a quadruple amputee to put on a bathing suit in the locker room. Except stomach & bowel issues are unseen like other disabilities so they are larger misunderstood by the healthy population. My brother suffers is an attorney who suffers periodically from bouts of ulcerative colitis if he eats the wrong foods even though he is on a regimen of pharmaceuticals to treat his condition. Imagine how crippling this disease is if in the middle of a courtroom argument, he has to suddenly excuse himself to run to the nearest bathroom with explosive diarrhea. With the wrong diet, an IBS sufferer will spend all morning on the toilet with horribly painful stomach cramps rivaling the severe pain of childbirth. There are a range of herbal products on the market that help as well as yoga, acupuncture, meditation, hypnosis & gentle exercise although controlling diet is the most effective overall.
2
Certainly there are people with celiac disease who must avoid gluten, but I have to agree with Mr. Cohen that this whole allergy/intolerance thing has gotten out of hand. It reminds me of a patient I recently saw who, when I asked if they had any allergies said, "Just one that I know of, I'm allergic to mercury." I paused and asked, "Do you mean the element or the planet?"
1
As a physician, and father of a daughter with Celiac disease, I am disappointed with the lack of facts, knowledge and 'correctness' of this article. Although the reasons for the rise of the prevalence of Celiac disease is currently unknown, the fact remains that more than 1:100 people are affected by it. It is not a choice for these people, and believe me, my daughter wishes she could eat some wonderful bread, especially when we were in Italy this summer.
Fortunately, not all proprietors are as rude and dismissive as the gentleman in your article, and we easily found pastas and breads for her during our stay there.
Rather than blaming those with Celiac disease, and those many others trying to eat a healthier diet, we should focus our resources on finding out why this is happening, and what is so different in our society now, that we are faced with these challenges.
Thank you-
Fortunately, not all proprietors are as rude and dismissive as the gentleman in your article, and we easily found pastas and breads for her during our stay there.
Rather than blaming those with Celiac disease, and those many others trying to eat a healthier diet, we should focus our resources on finding out why this is happening, and what is so different in our society now, that we are faced with these challenges.
Thank you-
7
Mr. Cohen,
I hope you never have to deal with a grandchild who has celiac disease and gets violently ill with a single bite of a gluten-containing product.
But until you have to deal with it, and attempt to find somewhere that child can eat outside the home, I suggest you place your snarky attitude someplace dark and personal.
Shaking my head at ignorance,
Jimbo
I hope you never have to deal with a grandchild who has celiac disease and gets violently ill with a single bite of a gluten-containing product.
But until you have to deal with it, and attempt to find somewhere that child can eat outside the home, I suggest you place your snarky attitude someplace dark and personal.
Shaking my head at ignorance,
Jimbo
4
There are legitimate health concerns about our food, how it is produced, and what is sprayed on it, that may have to do with the increase in food sensitivities and allergies. There are also many people who make a food intolerance or allergy into something "special" they associate with their self-image. But the latter does not negate the need to be concerned about the former, Mr. Cohen!
1
Roger, I used to sell artisan breads at a farmer's market nearby. I sold scores of loaves each week, mostly to older folks. Many younger people would look in longing at my offerings, but pass them by with a "I can't eat gluten." One older woman would come every now and then and beg for something that her vegan children (visiting for the weekend) could eat. Perhaps we are so picky because we can afford to be, and food producers are all-too-eager to create a new market for our anxiety-riddled diets.
3
Bravo! My favorite of many "gluten free" tales - at an upscale grocery store where I shop, the retailer identified canned TOMATO SAUCE with gluten-free tags - but only on the most expensive brand.
5
Food is a great thing to market but selling points are required to help the advertising.
We tend to hear of one thing to another and when the latest food plus or minus wears thin another will be created.
This is not to say gluten is not a problem because for many it is, just as peanuts can be an allergen that can cause death.
The thing to do is to read the very small print in the nutrition panel because whatever food you buy these days in the supermarket is both an art or requires some knowledge of what is good or bad for you personally.
Gluten is only one thing, saturated fats, transfats, salt and sugars etc are all to be determined by the percentage in the product, whether or not it goes in your basket.
In the case of gluten it is better to know about it than not.
STAN CHUN
Wellington
New Zealand
We tend to hear of one thing to another and when the latest food plus or minus wears thin another will be created.
This is not to say gluten is not a problem because for many it is, just as peanuts can be an allergen that can cause death.
The thing to do is to read the very small print in the nutrition panel because whatever food you buy these days in the supermarket is both an art or requires some knowledge of what is good or bad for you personally.
Gluten is only one thing, saturated fats, transfats, salt and sugars etc are all to be determined by the percentage in the product, whether or not it goes in your basket.
In the case of gluten it is better to know about it than not.
STAN CHUN
Wellington
New Zealand
Except for roughly one in a hundred people.... gluten sensitivity is BUNK. There are so many people who are gluten free to lose weight, treat anxiety, treat ADD, treat Autism, treat headaches... etc etc and the list goes on.
Look at it for what it is, a food fad.
Look at it for what it is, a food fad.
2
Autism was also considered BUNK in the 1950's and was blamed on cold mothers and poor parenting. Just because something isn't yet scientifically proven doesn't mean it's not real. Not saying it's the gluten just saying there a link between food, autoimmune disorders (of which Celiac is one) and many current child development disorders should be investigated by seriously credentialed folks. Another way to think if this: the world was also flat....once. EVERYONE who was ANYONE thought that a round world was, well, BUNK.
Wow, just wow!
The column I just read is just about the most mean-spirited screed I've ever seen.
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease nine years ago, after suffering years of bloat, discomfort, and near starvation.
The incidence of sprue, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or whatever you'd care to call it is actually much higher in Italy, which you cite in your rant.
It's unlikely that more people actually have it over there. The difference is probably related to the fact that American doctors are not as quick to twig to the presence of the condition. (On average, a sufferer will go a dozen years or more without a diagnosis in this country.)
I'm with you at being mystified by the proliferation of allergies these days; there were no peanut-free tables in my grammar school. But trust me Roger, this thing I've got is for real.
I for one welcome the proliferation of gluten-free food, as I need it to survive and the more "victims" there are—perceived or real—the cheaper the products get.
Please don't tell me to just eat cake (unless it's been made with gluten-free flour).
Allen
The column I just read is just about the most mean-spirited screed I've ever seen.
I was diagnosed with Celiac disease nine years ago, after suffering years of bloat, discomfort, and near starvation.
The incidence of sprue, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or whatever you'd care to call it is actually much higher in Italy, which you cite in your rant.
It's unlikely that more people actually have it over there. The difference is probably related to the fact that American doctors are not as quick to twig to the presence of the condition. (On average, a sufferer will go a dozen years or more without a diagnosis in this country.)
I'm with you at being mystified by the proliferation of allergies these days; there were no peanut-free tables in my grammar school. But trust me Roger, this thing I've got is for real.
I for one welcome the proliferation of gluten-free food, as I need it to survive and the more "victims" there are—perceived or real—the cheaper the products get.
Please don't tell me to just eat cake (unless it's been made with gluten-free flour).
Allen
8
I think that part of the reason for the ballooning number of people with Celiac disease could be the fact that diagnosis of this disease is improving. Quite frankly, back in the day, many children with the disease simply ended up dying young. I know, I was nearly one of them. If our family doctor hadn't contacted his old pediatrics professor about my case I might very well have slipped away with a vague diagnosis of failure to thrive.
Also, back in the day, doctors made a determined effort to get patients with celiac inured to a regular diet. I know, I was one of them. By the time I was in my teens I could tolerate gluten containing foods without too much suffering. I ate pizza and pasta and drank beer with only the occasional bout of gastrointestinal distress. My doctors pretty much said, "Great". It was only when I went to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy that I learned that I was wreaking havoc on my small intestine. I pretty much blew him off until he threw out the C word. Being told you're risking Incurable cancer does get your attention.
Today I'm gluten free and if I accidently eat something with gluten in it I experience a variety of symptoms ranging from a quick drop in blood pressure, shock, diarrhea and vomiting. I wince at some of the trendies who've jumped on the GF bandwagon as much as anyone but the fact remains that If I dine out I do have to make some requests--a salad with an oil and vinegar dressing will be fine thank you.
Also, back in the day, doctors made a determined effort to get patients with celiac inured to a regular diet. I know, I was one of them. By the time I was in my teens I could tolerate gluten containing foods without too much suffering. I ate pizza and pasta and drank beer with only the occasional bout of gastrointestinal distress. My doctors pretty much said, "Great". It was only when I went to a gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy that I learned that I was wreaking havoc on my small intestine. I pretty much blew him off until he threw out the C word. Being told you're risking Incurable cancer does get your attention.
Today I'm gluten free and if I accidently eat something with gluten in it I experience a variety of symptoms ranging from a quick drop in blood pressure, shock, diarrhea and vomiting. I wince at some of the trendies who've jumped on the GF bandwagon as much as anyone but the fact remains that If I dine out I do have to make some requests--a salad with an oil and vinegar dressing will be fine thank you.
6
Having spend no fewer than five years taking increasingly larger weekly injections in both arms to mitigate allergies, I can keenly appreciate the struggles of those who are genuinely allergic to certain foods or food groups. But I suspect that there are far more people who enjoy getting attention by obsessively defining themselves by what they do NOT eat; often trying to proselytize those around them. Perhaps that was the intended focus of Roger Cohen's beautifully-written column, not to criticize genuine allergy sufferers.
3
Remember the good old days when everyone had hypoglycemia. Whatever happened to that disease? I guess those people actually were gluten intolerant. I think I'm on to something.
1
There is a simple blood test for celiac disease yet I think you will find the majority of people who claim to suffer from the condition have not had the test and are self-diagnosed. I have noticed that many people I encounter who have an endless list of foods to which they are allergic, including the gluten, the allergen du jour, put more faith in herbalists than doctors and it is often the former that have diagnosed celiac disease along with a multitude of other food sensitivities. The whole thing is faddish and while seldom harmful, it can have disastrous effects when parents practice these dietary theories on young children.
The particular irony of the ignorance of this article is that Italy has some of the highest incidence of celiac disease. The sign was not for Americans, but likely in response to the fact that by law, Italian schools and government eateries must provide gluten-free meals. All children in Italy are tested for celiac by the time they are 6-years-old. Gluten-free food is sold in pharmacies there and covered by health care (because, as others have mentioned, non-compliant celtics will suffer from a host of secondary diseases - lupus, cancer, and others). The Italians expect gluten-free food to be available at virtually every restaurant. That sign had nothing to do with a fad nor with visiting Americans - it had to do with the fact that most restaurants that do not fall under the Italian legal requirement voluntarily offer "Senza Glutine." So it's more notable to find a restaurant in Italy that does not observe this cultural norm.
2
"Hardly anyone aged between 18 and 25 was up for eating anything. One young woman wrote: “I can’t eat shellfish but I do eat lobster.”
The poster child for today's highly informed, but woefully ignorant young people.
The poster child for today's highly informed, but woefully ignorant young people.
1
Using the term (epithet?) narcissistic is unfortunate. One of the defining characteristics of narcissism is a lack of empathy. I fail to see how this applies to people who struggle daily to maintain their health. The finger would seem to point back to those who criticize.
3
Perhaps Mr. Cohen, something is different about the food today. Instead of speculating no nothing opinions, why not wait for scientific research to decide if it's just a political food fad, or if there is something real that is causing the food intolerances.
1
I wonder if Roger was paid by "big food" to write this one?
"Keep eating our GMO wheat and quit yer complaining'!"
"Keep eating our GMO wheat and quit yer complaining'!"
If Roger Cohen had been reporting on the rise in Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance instead of using it to make a point about fads and self-absorption in the early 2000s, he would have discovered what's almost certainly driving these trends: the overuse of antibiotics, As eloquently laid out in "Missing Microbes" by Dr. Martin Blaser, heavy use of antibiotics for health care and in the livestock we consume, has radically diminished the human gut microbiome, which is critical for regulating not only digestion but our entire immune system. Millions of people have have developed Celiac or become gluten intolerant following too many rounds of antibiotics, some of them unnecessarily prescribed. I hope Mr. Cohen will educate himself further on this issue and write a follow-up column about the antibiotic problem. President Obama is so concerned about it that he's recently created a Presidential Advisory Council on Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. It's chaired by Dr. Blaser, who is head of the NYU Human Microbiome Project.
3
If we want to identify an environment trigger for these "allergies," we have to look at the microbiome environment as well:
1) what pesticides were used to grow the grains?
2) were these people breast fed as infants?
3) what about marijuana or other drug use in this cohort?
4) what other products do these people consume?
I suspect that if these people would eat a "normal" diet and cut out the alcohol and drugs, their bodies would be a lot more tolerant.
1) what pesticides were used to grow the grains?
2) were these people breast fed as infants?
3) what about marijuana or other drug use in this cohort?
4) what other products do these people consume?
I suspect that if these people would eat a "normal" diet and cut out the alcohol and drugs, their bodies would be a lot more tolerant.
Why is he suddenly an expert of gluten? Does not the NY Times have a food or health editor? On the other hand, it's always typical of Roger to write about things he knows little about, especially politics.
2
I like my food with extra gluten. And no "nonfat" or "low-fat" food. Plus, no Splenda (yikes)! Normal, good food, eaten in moderation, works for me. Pass the pasta, please.
2
I am sure there are many food allergies that are quite serious. What are we doing to heal the immune systems, the bowel in these folks? That's where some of the research dollars need to be spent. There are many culprits out there: genetically modified foods that need Roundup in the field; chlorinated water that messes with the bowel bacteria; plastics that mimic estrogen in the body; pesticides, steroids, antibiotics in the food. Wake up consumers. Much of what passes for food in our supermarkets is in reality poison to the human body. Some folks are not so intolerant, but more and more youngsters are sensitive to all the junk in the food system. I don't find it narcissistic that I choose to buy organic food and eat grains, vegetables, soy, sea vegetables. It is a political statement. I don't support big agriculture. I don't support feedlots. I have been eating this way for 30 years and in my youth ate from my grandparents' farm. I'm lucky I guess.
1
Wow. You hit the full panoply of lefty food-related conspiracy theories. Kudos.
So in the last couple weeks you've printed pieces raging against meditation, breast feeding and now celiac disease - is the Times turning into a grumpy old man?
4
Ascribing food allergies to a cultural mindset is not very smart, except to promote clicks. Now I would like to call on the pundirati to draw the analogies to Donald J. Trump's blather on immigration.
1
Before boarding a flight a few months ago it was announced that one of the travelers had a peanut allergy so no peanuts would be passed out and if you had your own not to open them. Really... peanut fumes wafting around the plane would endanger this poor soul. What about the previous 10,000 flights where peanuts were consumed and the residue is everywhere?
What about my allergy to Narcissists?
What about my allergy to Narcissists?
2
While I have every sympathy for people who really do have food allergies, high sensitivities, and diseases like celiac, that are indubitably serious and/or life-threatening, I also see too many people claiming these, and 'requiring' that everyone within 100 ft, and all kitchens 'must' strictly comply with every possible problem.
I'm afraid that I'm of an older generation. While I had a strong reaction to cheese (which has moderated over the years), and something of a lactose intolerance problem, which still persists, I can pretty much eat anything. Sure, a few things do cause a later bout of diarrhea, but I can live with that.
What I can't take is people who go to a steak house and insist that the very smell of meat causes an allergic reaction. Or people who insist on a particular brand of catsup in my baked beans at a dinner I'm hosting. Or people who insist that I use only organic foods in my home kitchen, because pesticide traces 'might' (would?) give cross contamination for years.
Oh well.
I'm afraid that I'm of an older generation. While I had a strong reaction to cheese (which has moderated over the years), and something of a lactose intolerance problem, which still persists, I can pretty much eat anything. Sure, a few things do cause a later bout of diarrhea, but I can live with that.
What I can't take is people who go to a steak house and insist that the very smell of meat causes an allergic reaction. Or people who insist on a particular brand of catsup in my baked beans at a dinner I'm hosting. Or people who insist that I use only organic foods in my home kitchen, because pesticide traces 'might' (would?) give cross contamination for years.
Oh well.
2
I’m not a physician, but I recognized celiac disease in a Filipino acquaintance and recommended a check, which turned out to be positive. The disease used to be far more frequent among people like those from southeast Asia whose rice-based diet did not include wheat. Now it affects more and more of those living in advanced countries.
After all, bad nutrition may be America’s number one health problem.
There’s reason to suspect that not only GMO cereals but ALL the complex high-yield hybrids that have come to dominate western production may be behind the problem. It will have taken bread eaters millennia to adapt to eating grains that were not part of the hunter-gatherers’ diet, and here we come along with completely different molecules. Additives, pesticides, pollution and mass-production of NEW! IMPROVED! products with previously unknown chemical ingredients complete the picture. As a Russian baker who’d moved to the States put it about the local product, “you can eat it, but you can’t call it bread…”
I’m 76, a British wartime kid. Like most of my generation, food rationing gave me a healthy start to life. But my younger wife suffers from serious food intolerances, and these give rise to very nasty chronic symptoms she just has to live with – not celiac disease but atopic eczema.
After all, bad nutrition may be America’s number one health problem.
There’s reason to suspect that not only GMO cereals but ALL the complex high-yield hybrids that have come to dominate western production may be behind the problem. It will have taken bread eaters millennia to adapt to eating grains that were not part of the hunter-gatherers’ diet, and here we come along with completely different molecules. Additives, pesticides, pollution and mass-production of NEW! IMPROVED! products with previously unknown chemical ingredients complete the picture. As a Russian baker who’d moved to the States put it about the local product, “you can eat it, but you can’t call it bread…”
I’m 76, a British wartime kid. Like most of my generation, food rationing gave me a healthy start to life. But my younger wife suffers from serious food intolerances, and these give rise to very nasty chronic symptoms she just has to live with – not celiac disease but atopic eczema.
I catered a dinner once and made risotto with fresh white truffles, the lady of the house told me that she couldn't eat white truffles only black.
2
How about all things in moderation. My grandmother never drank or smoked but she did eat just about anything she wanted. All in moderation. She lived to age 98. She was only in a nursing home the last two weeks of her life.
Oh, I almost forgot, just about everyone who ate carrots in 1910 are dead today. Think about that.
Oh, I almost forgot, just about everyone who ate carrots in 1910 are dead today. Think about that.
1
Thank you for this column, Mr. Cohen, it was way long overdue. Wholeheartedly concur. Some cases might be real medical issues, but the majority must be fads.
You wirte: "If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on — " In the past, kids, teenagers, young adults, used to be "picky eaters," now they are "allergic." Hopefully it will go away with age. But it might not...
You wirte: "If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on — " In the past, kids, teenagers, young adults, used to be "picky eaters," now they are "allergic." Hopefully it will go away with age. But it might not...
1
While I agree with much of the column, the author shows his ignorance by dismissing the woman who is allergic to shellfish but can eat lobster. Actually that is quite common. Shellfish (mussels, oysters, clams) are bi-valves which create a different set of allergies than lobster, which are not. So don't be so dismissive of an actual malady.
4
I really disagree. I think people's health should be in their own control. If they don't want to eat something they shouldn't have to and gluten allergies are real, even if you aren't completely intolerant a lot of people have other negative reactions to consuming it. Also, there are food allergies that aren't actually life-threatening. There is this thing called immuno-labs that tests for any foods that you may have any sensitivities too. There are certain levels from 1 to 4 of how allergic you are to each. 4 is very allergic and 1 is not very allergic and so on. Someone may not have celiac but they may be a 3 or 4 level and that could cause them enough of a reaction that it's not worth it to them to consume gluten. I know for me, in particular, I really try to avoid gluten because it has a sedative effect on me and it tends to make me bloated. I actually can't drink beer at all because of the wheat content, brewer's yeast, and carbonation. All of those combined cause me severe bloating, heart burn, and overall discomfort to the point where I just want to lay down. I have had immuno-labs done and wheat was at a level of 3. Brewer's yeast was at a level of 1. Combined they are just too much. There were also several other allergies listed that I have noticed little reactions too. Some are tolerable and some are bad enough that I try to avoid those foods. I don't see how it's narcissistic for someone to look out for his or her health.
1
"ABSTRACT
Celiac disease, and, more generally, gluten intolerance, is a growing problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe,
where an estimated 5% of the population now suffers from it. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and
depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased
risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer. Here, we propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup®,
is the most important causal factor in this epidemic. Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of
celiac disease. ..."
https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/ITX_2013_06_04_Seneff.pdf
Celiac disease, and, more generally, gluten intolerance, is a growing problem worldwide, but especially in North America and Europe,
where an estimated 5% of the population now suffers from it. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, skin rashes, macrocytic anemia and
depression. It is a multifactorial disease associated with numerous nutritional deficiencies as well as reproductive issues and increased
risk to thyroid disease, kidney failure and cancer. Here, we propose that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide, Roundup®,
is the most important causal factor in this epidemic. Fish exposed to glyphosate develop digestive problems that are reminiscent of
celiac disease. ..."
https://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/ITX_2013_06_04_Seneff.pdf
Yeah, well, there are always neurotics who are looking for the next health fad to latch onto. That doesn't change the fact that some of us suffer from real food sensitivities -- the kind that show up on skin and blood tests conducted by board-certified allergists. I'm one of them and I'm grateful that more attention is being paid to this issue as eating the wrong food can make me very uncomfortable indeed, or even send me to the emergency room.
By the way, one of these sensitivities is to wheat. I don't have celiac -- I've been tested -- but I do have non-celiac wheat sensitivity and it took me years to discover that I could save myself from the mild discomfort of irritable bowel by avoiding it. I'd note though that the research does *not* indicate that this is a gluten sensitivity as researchers initially believed, but rather sensitivity to compounds known as FODMAPs. So gluten is the wrong target for those who suffer from this apparently very common condition.
By the way, one of these sensitivities is to wheat. I don't have celiac -- I've been tested -- but I do have non-celiac wheat sensitivity and it took me years to discover that I could save myself from the mild discomfort of irritable bowel by avoiding it. I'd note though that the research does *not* indicate that this is a gluten sensitivity as researchers initially believed, but rather sensitivity to compounds known as FODMAPs. So gluten is the wrong target for those who suffer from this apparently very common condition.
2
I have two very close friends who have threatening allergies so I am far from dismissing anyone who claims to be allergic. However, looking back at when I was growing up, I knew of no one who could not eat anything and everything. Maybe, we have gone overboard on cleanliness and sterility.
2
Well said, Mr. Cohen. The responses to this article show some of the problem. For those who truly have a medical condition, of course that is to be taken seriously, and I didn't read this article to say it shouldn't be. However, for the millions of others who are making food choices for other reasons, read the labels and ask in restaurants, but stop expecting everyone everywhere to accommodate your choices.
I, for one, hate the taste of kale, which is showing up in food products and restaurants with alarming frequency. Perhaps we need a kale-free label and a special aisle in the grocery store for me. Thank goodness I'm out of the US right now and haven't seen a kale dish on a single menu.
I, for one, hate the taste of kale, which is showing up in food products and restaurants with alarming frequency. Perhaps we need a kale-free label and a special aisle in the grocery store for me. Thank goodness I'm out of the US right now and haven't seen a kale dish on a single menu.
3
The fact that this column has garnered 750 comments so far, with many people on both poles passionate unto near-hysteria, says much to back up Cohen's main thesis.
7
Baloney. Most of the articles are against the writer.
People who have never experienced the excrutitatingly painful symptoms associated with gluten intolerance are quick to label those of us whom do suffer as narcissistic faddists. I would give anything to eat a warm croissant, a freshly baked sourdough baguette, a hamburger on real bread, or a beer. My intolerance to gluten came on suddenly and around 6 years ago, at around the same time the epidemic began to take hold of many.
Many of the lucky ones who didn't suddenly suffer from an onslaught of symptoms ridicule those of us who are the victims of a very serious food and health epidimec which is being treated with gluten-free dining options instead of a thorough government investigation into why exactly millions of people are getting sick from one of the very food groups that was a pillar of our diet.
I am incredibly grateful for the increased gluten-free options and labeling sensitivities available in the food and restaurant industry. I often have the sense that these options are just as inspired by empathy and relatability as they are by commerce.
In the meantime, I urge Mr. Cohen to continue enjoying his beer and bread, and count himself lucky. Soon enough it may be Mr. Cohen or someone in his family who suffers these awful side-effects. Perhaps then he'll be able to spare a bit of empathy.
Mr. Cohen's critique of those that must go gluten-free is unhelpful and ignores the problem at the heart of the issue: why are so many of us suddenly getting sick?
Many of the lucky ones who didn't suddenly suffer from an onslaught of symptoms ridicule those of us who are the victims of a very serious food and health epidimec which is being treated with gluten-free dining options instead of a thorough government investigation into why exactly millions of people are getting sick from one of the very food groups that was a pillar of our diet.
I am incredibly grateful for the increased gluten-free options and labeling sensitivities available in the food and restaurant industry. I often have the sense that these options are just as inspired by empathy and relatability as they are by commerce.
In the meantime, I urge Mr. Cohen to continue enjoying his beer and bread, and count himself lucky. Soon enough it may be Mr. Cohen or someone in his family who suffers these awful side-effects. Perhaps then he'll be able to spare a bit of empathy.
Mr. Cohen's critique of those that must go gluten-free is unhelpful and ignores the problem at the heart of the issue: why are so many of us suddenly getting sick?
9
You missed the point of his article. Get the chip off your shoulder. No one is saying they don't feel sympathy for you, the gluten sufferer.
1
More research needs to be done as to why so many people developed that allergy around the same time. My guess is that "Monsanto" will figure prominently into the results....
2
Contrary to the implication in Mr Simon's article that the Italian restaurant owner was responding to the demands of gluten-crazed Americans (tourists?), Italy is known for its restaurants catering to gluten-free patrons, with many of them providing options, and even whole gluten-free establishments. Yes, they even sell gluten-free pasta. I eat plenty of gluten, but I do enjoy a good brown rice pasta.
Some purple feel better on special diets, even though they may not have a true allergy. Understood.
But please:
1. Burden me with special instructions in advance of my dinner party only if it's serious (e.g., celiac disease).
2. Don't talk about it! Your special dietary requirements, while interesting to you, are a huge bore to everyone else.
But please:
1. Burden me with special instructions in advance of my dinner party only if it's serious (e.g., celiac disease).
2. Don't talk about it! Your special dietary requirements, while interesting to you, are a huge bore to everyone else.
6
I believe the phrase you were looking for is 'mass hysteria'.
4
Yes. You got it. GROUPTHINK
AFFLUENZA ! Just love it !!!
Overheard in a line whilst waiting for coffee.
"I'll have a skim-milk cappuccino with full-cream froth on top - and does your chocolate have gluten in it ?" Yes, Affluenza is alive and well in Melbourne. Australia too.
Overheard in a line whilst waiting for coffee.
"I'll have a skim-milk cappuccino with full-cream froth on top - and does your chocolate have gluten in it ?" Yes, Affluenza is alive and well in Melbourne. Australia too.
5
Here's an unheralded analysis of the cause of the real, not imagined, upsurge in celiac and related gut conditions:Why the Use of Glyphosate in Wheat Has Increased Celiac Disease, 9/14/14, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/14/glyphosate.... And, an all-inclusive summary of the glyphosate-basis in a burgeoning global epidemic of chronic, debilitating conditions from glyphosate: A Roundup of Roundup® Reveals Converging Pattern of Toxicity from Farm to Clinic to Laboratory Studies, ISIS Report 19/01/15, http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Roundup_of_Roundup.php.
2
Some of it is just plain attention-getting. My sister was lactose intolerant for a while, then hypoglycemic, then... I honestly can't remember them all. And managing each of the complaints always required that she come to the dinner table with her bottle of pills plonked down in front of her plate, or the plate of food itself had to be visibly different, or she sighed and suffered, loudly....
Then she had kids, who have huge amounts of food allergies, each different from the other (and who knows how many of them are actually real) -- and for a decade and a half, her own complaints seemed to just disappear.
Now that her kids are older, and don't need her to obsess over their food, ta da! her lactose intolerance is back. At a recent family get-together she was amazed that, because she said she couldn't eat the romano cheese in the family sauce, the entire extended family wouldn't give up grandma's pasta for her.
Then she had kids, who have huge amounts of food allergies, each different from the other (and who knows how many of them are actually real) -- and for a decade and a half, her own complaints seemed to just disappear.
Now that her kids are older, and don't need her to obsess over their food, ta da! her lactose intolerance is back. At a recent family get-together she was amazed that, because she said she couldn't eat the romano cheese in the family sauce, the entire extended family wouldn't give up grandma's pasta for her.
5
Thank you so Much. You hit the nail on the head for sure. Yes Indeed. Was pressured into getting tubes in a Daughter's ears many years ago. Remember those ? At the time the current "Pop Affliction". Caused her many an Ear problem.
And sorry, but the Majority of Obese folks in this Country do not, repeat Not have some type of Glandular disorder. They need to Do More & Eat less (I include myself in this).
On & On it goes. One after the other. 3 years from now - look around and you'll wonder just Where did the thousands of "Gluten-Free" signs go ? Replaced by whatever Pop Culture Group Think Meme is Hot at the moment.
Me, I always wonder just how in the World did the Human Race make it This far and then Suddenly, in the last century / 2-3 decades, all these Terrible Maladys have appeared. How Did we do it ?
If the same number of People put the same thought into what is wrong with our Country, our Political Systems, Our Very Infrastructure, our problems would be vastly improved.
And sorry, but the Majority of Obese folks in this Country do not, repeat Not have some type of Glandular disorder. They need to Do More & Eat less (I include myself in this).
On & On it goes. One after the other. 3 years from now - look around and you'll wonder just Where did the thousands of "Gluten-Free" signs go ? Replaced by whatever Pop Culture Group Think Meme is Hot at the moment.
Me, I always wonder just how in the World did the Human Race make it This far and then Suddenly, in the last century / 2-3 decades, all these Terrible Maladys have appeared. How Did we do it ?
If the same number of People put the same thought into what is wrong with our Country, our Political Systems, Our Very Infrastructure, our problems would be vastly improved.
No more "over the top" than this column, however, which would make Rush Limbaugh and his anti-science crowd proud (no doubt he'll be quoting it on air soon). I don't really mind being called an overblown fetishist -- I've been called worse, but just barely -- however, the only thing overblown about me was my intestinal track before my gluten intolerance was discovered in 2000. Since then, my energy level soared, and 50+ years of monthly bouts of "gastritis" disappeared along with the misdiagnoses of gall bladder troubles and irritable bowel syndrome. Now all I have to deal with is irritable columnist syndrome -- the trade was worth it!
6
Surprised at the sarcastic, ignorant column from Roger Cohen who i had heretofor admired.
I cannot tolerate gluten, and cannot help the fact that it is a "Fad".
Am tired of servers in some restaurants asking whether it is an allergy (i.e; take seriously) or " just a preference". It shouldn't make a difference, I'm the customer and I dont want gluten. Vegetarians dont get asked this patronizing question.
So the food industry is piling into gluten-free becuase they can make money? I dont care, I have the choices I need.
Am also disappointed at the low level of food allergy training ( ...and I live in San Francisco) compared to Italy or for that matter Boston where there are more stringent regs regarding menu disclosure and manager oversight.
My mother and aunts, in their 80's, are pretty much like Roger Cohen, and Ive just learned to ignore them. Intolerance to people eating differently - not intolerance to foods -- is the real generational divide here. Dumb.
I cannot tolerate gluten, and cannot help the fact that it is a "Fad".
Am tired of servers in some restaurants asking whether it is an allergy (i.e; take seriously) or " just a preference". It shouldn't make a difference, I'm the customer and I dont want gluten. Vegetarians dont get asked this patronizing question.
So the food industry is piling into gluten-free becuase they can make money? I dont care, I have the choices I need.
Am also disappointed at the low level of food allergy training ( ...and I live in San Francisco) compared to Italy or for that matter Boston where there are more stringent regs regarding menu disclosure and manager oversight.
My mother and aunts, in their 80's, are pretty much like Roger Cohen, and Ive just learned to ignore them. Intolerance to people eating differently - not intolerance to foods -- is the real generational divide here. Dumb.
8
Why doesn't the NYT and its columnists report on why the FDA and Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health aren't working on finding out why so many people today are allergic to so many foods? And if our government agencies are working on figuring this out, why aren't you reporting and opining about that instead of subjecting us to this exasperatingly ignorant whining about something that is such a heartbreak in many people's lives? Even those of us who are lucky enough not to have food allergies or children who have them find our quality of life diminished because our friends and their children have them.
4
It is not the incidence of celiac disease that has increased four-fold over the last 60 years, but rather the diagnosis of celiac disease in the US. Celiac disease is still widely under-diagnosed in the US. It happens to be the only autoimmune disease where we know the trigger (gluten). Maybe someday we will find the trigger for the other autoimmune diseases. If you would like to be brought up to date on the latest research into celiac disease, gluten allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity, read the book, Gluten Freedom by Alessio Fasano, MD, Director of the Center for Celiac Research at Massachusetts General Hospital.
I can't resist adding that gluten-free junk food, as shown in your photo, trivializes the whole issue. And some of the food preferences/requirements that are popular among young people are indeed annoying. But don't turn a blind eye to what is a very real problem for a significant number of people.
I can't resist adding that gluten-free junk food, as shown in your photo, trivializes the whole issue. And some of the food preferences/requirements that are popular among young people are indeed annoying. But don't turn a blind eye to what is a very real problem for a significant number of people.
2
Seems to me the Main "Trigger" for it are the vast amount of Insurance Plans that Promise easy Profits while refusing Patients with very real & Serious Problems
Everything you put in your body has some effect on it. Most of us (me) are too busy (or lazy) to take the time to figure out our own optimal diet. If it doesn't make us out and out sick, we let it go. I say good for those folks who try to figure it out. If they feel better, they probably behave better and that's good for everyone they touch.
2
I agree wholeheartedly with the article. My husband has celiac, and we eat in and dine out accordingly - but we have no EXPECTATION that restaurants or even party/event hosts are going to accommodate his dietary restrictions. The people who "keep gluten-free" as part of some weird, misguided adherence to a diet trend look absurd ordering "gluten free" everything, along with a beer (FULL of gluten, of course). They make it difficult for people who have a medically based need to stay away from gluten to be taken seriously, because their affectation is so obvious and silly.
3
"According to the Mayo Clinic web site, four times as many people suffer from celiac disease as 60 years ago, and roughly one in 100 people are now affected. Why is unclear." GMOs people, GMOs! And this is only the very tip of the iceberg. People are going to get a lot sicker in the next five to ten years when the effects really take place. Just wait and see.
"According to the Mayo Clinic web site, four times as many people suffer from celiac disease as 60 years ago, and roughly one in 100 people are now affected. Why is unclear."
This could just be from improvements in diagnosing and reporting.
This could just be from improvements in diagnosing and reporting.
Americans eat "what's put on their plate" and they are becoming fat and unhealthy. Can you blame them for wanting to take control of their diets? Perhaps some efforts are misguided but so is your chiding article. I wish you would give some deeper thought and research into food in America and then write an article that doesn't include the word "narcissist".
1
Perhaps, Mr. Cohen, you are unaware that all Italian school children are tested for celiac disease, and that some 40% of them test positive. I would expect gluten free options to be more prevalent in Italy than any other country on earth.
My spouse is a celiac. Having suffered from this disease for many years, she was diagnosed only when she saw a physician who had earned her medical degree in Scotland
My spouse is a celiac. Having suffered from this disease for many years, she was diagnosed only when she saw a physician who had earned her medical degree in Scotland
1
Who cares if you think dietary restrictions are silly? If you can't eat certain stuff, you can't eat it. It's great that there are alternatives. If you are lucky enough to eat whatever you want, goody for you. Don't dis those of us who aren't.
6
You had me at, "If people over 80 will eat anything, yet people under 25 are riddled with allergies, something unhealthy is going on," but lost me when you leapt to the conclusion that what's going on is mass hysteria.
While most people over 80 have consumed large quantities of wheat-based products in their lives without any negative reaction, they have not done what a typical 25-year-old has done -- spend an entire lifetime consuming products made from Roundup-soaked and/or genetically modified wheat mixed with bleaching additives, oxidizing additives, reducing additives, etc.
There are, as you point out, studies in reputable, peer-reviewed medical journals that show a four-fold increase in the prevalence of celiac disease between 1950 and 2010. There are also studies showing inexplicable increases in the prevalence of other auto-immune diseases. Something is causing these increases and it is not marketing hype about gluten.
While most people over 80 have consumed large quantities of wheat-based products in their lives without any negative reaction, they have not done what a typical 25-year-old has done -- spend an entire lifetime consuming products made from Roundup-soaked and/or genetically modified wheat mixed with bleaching additives, oxidizing additives, reducing additives, etc.
There are, as you point out, studies in reputable, peer-reviewed medical journals that show a four-fold increase in the prevalence of celiac disease between 1950 and 2010. There are also studies showing inexplicable increases in the prevalence of other auto-immune diseases. Something is causing these increases and it is not marketing hype about gluten.
3
You have done a total disservice to those who are actual sufferers of intolerance and those with celiac disease. It is not imagined. I agree that there is a preponderance of people on the gluten free craze without needing to be, and what is happening is that food is being labeled as gluten free when it is not. For those that cannot have any gluten, or wheat, at all, the labeling, which now allows products to be called gluten free with a slight amount, can be quite damaging. Although it is a conscious choice by some to be gluten free, it does not minimize the devastating effects it has on those that need it to be.
6
For those that don't suffer from the intestinal gas that ingesting wheat with glutten in it, then whatever, eat it you don't have a problem. But, ask someone from China and they will tell you that eatiing pasta gives them gas. Your system seems to get accustomed to certain grains. In my case, wheat was always giving me acid indigestion. Switched to rice and potatoes, and voila, I feel better.
So Glutten Free is a real thing. Maybe this mysterious rise is just the change in population and ethenic groups, because rice eaters in general cannot really eat that much pasta. It would depend on how you grew up.
So Glutten Free is a real thing. Maybe this mysterious rise is just the change in population and ethenic groups, because rice eaters in general cannot really eat that much pasta. It would depend on how you grew up.
1
This is worth reading: http://greatist.com/health/modern-wheat-health-gluten . The gist is that the wheat we have been eating since 1971 us very different from that prior. Hybridization change the genetic structure.
1
Mendel's experiments were conducted about 115 years before 1971. All major seed growers in the US have been hybridizing wheat for at least 75 years.
It is getting exhausting to read the snide judgements and not too subtle jabs at the authenticity of celiac disease as if it is more of a trend because people over the age of 80 will eat anything, how scientific. Failure to mention how infrequently celiac has been diagnosed in the past because of the lack of medical awareness and the severe health consequences related to delayed treated is a failure to understand that this is not remotely entertaining.
2
So, let's all of us who do not have celiac disease empathize with you by buying overpriced products we don't need! Why can't people learn to read labels?
Some people truly cannot physically handle gluten. But when grapes and fresh spinach are labeled "gluten free" as I saw in a store recently, I know that fads and consumer gullibility are out of hand.
4
There's a point to labeling things "gluten-free" when they are inherently gluten-free: not everyone knows what choices are left when gluten-containing products are eliminated. I know it sounds stupid, but it would probably be shocking to find out how many Americans don't know how to boil water.
My wife, who is intolerant of gluten ( digestive issues shall we say) thinks it is from GMO wheat. We eat wheat very different from that our ancestors ate.
3
"My wife, who is intolerant of gluten ( digestive issues shall we say) thinks it is from GMO wheat."
Last I heard, there's no GMO wheat on the market. Please try again.
Last I heard, there's no GMO wheat on the market. Please try again.
Our "ancestors" did not eat wheat. They ate nuts, roots, berries and meat when they could get it. Virtually every grain we've eaten since the turn of the last century has been genetically modified through hybridization. Without this great blessing of modification, millions of people would starve to death.
After reading so many of the comments, it's amazing to see how few people mention the fact that industrial agriculture is nothing like earlier traditional agriculture, the original strains of traditional crops, etc. People are now exposed to an incredible number of chemicals and pesticides. This is what is causing the intolerance not the " bread."
In Europe they do have better environmental conditions, because they are somewhat less tolerant of the applications of pesticides such as Roundup. What will it take to realize that it is the way food is grown, that is the cause of the problem, the quality of the soil and the quality of the plants determine the quality of the food that we eat.
Food is produced without nutrition in mind. The minerals and trace elements have practically disappeared and yet we do not expect to experience a difference in our health?
We do not even realize that we are eating Frankenfood? That as a result we are losing the bees. It's an environmental disaster as well as a health crisis!
It is true that younger people are more affected because they have been deprived of healthy good quality food that is nutrient dense and have grown up exposed to tens of thousands of chemicals.
In Europe they do have better environmental conditions, because they are somewhat less tolerant of the applications of pesticides such as Roundup. What will it take to realize that it is the way food is grown, that is the cause of the problem, the quality of the soil and the quality of the plants determine the quality of the food that we eat.
Food is produced without nutrition in mind. The minerals and trace elements have practically disappeared and yet we do not expect to experience a difference in our health?
We do not even realize that we are eating Frankenfood? That as a result we are losing the bees. It's an environmental disaster as well as a health crisis!
It is true that younger people are more affected because they have been deprived of healthy good quality food that is nutrient dense and have grown up exposed to tens of thousands of chemicals.
2
Allergies and intolerances aside, there is a difference between NYC and where I grew up in the Midwest. Many in this city are much too picky. My 18 month old eats anything her little teeth can handle while people stare in wonder. We gave her a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, meats and spices from the start. I'm very aware that the variety was made possible by our stable economy and society. It's a shame that the opportunity to eat such a variety of foods often makes people so ungraciously picky.
2
I am always amused when parents take credit for the fact that theit child isn't picky. You fed her a variety of foods? Wish I had thought of that! Oh wait, I did, and my child refused to er them, starting fron her first introduction to solids. She is still a very picky eater at age 8. She doesn't demand special food. She just politely declines fooda to which she is averse (i.e. most foods). Now along came her younger brother and sister, and guess what? They eat everything. What did we do differently this time? Nothing!
Y'all would do well to lookup "orthoexia nervosa" and "the nocebo effect." With the exception of those unfortunate folks that have celiac disease, these two phenomena explain some of the gluten phobia frenzy. This too shall pass.
1
This is an insulting column. I have had a test and an endoscopy. This is not some fabrication. I can NOT eat gluten. This editorialist shouldn't insinuate that there is anything selfish or silly about this condition which can produce agonizing pain. I resent this editorial. Of course, there is some fakery but there are some who can give the author there diagnosis. And restaurants should pay attention to peanut allergy too, mild allergies. These are REAL things for many people!!!
2
As a person with a food sensitivity that has landed me in the hospital and, in lesser quantities, ruined any number of evenings with things you don't want to hear about, I find people with vanity allergies absolutely infuriating. I read an article one time in which a fitness personality cheerily suggested people lie and say they had allergies to avoid getting butter or carbs or whatever in their meals. Meanwhile people with actual intolerances or allergies often want nothing more than to eat whatever will make them sick, or at least not have to comb every label of every item they buy at the grocery store. A food allergy doesn't make me special. It makes me an annoying jerk to invite out for a meal.
Stop it, people. Just stop it.
Stop it, people. Just stop it.
Don't they test for celiac disease for kids in Italy because its so prevalent? I thought the Europeans were far more obsessed about it than Americans for obvious genetic reasons. Strange and not overly insightful column but still funny - especially the comments.
1
Mr. Cohen,
I am a 28 year old female. I teach power yoga, I'm a manager at a Fortune 500 company, and I've traveled the world. Like you, I am successful, adventurous and educated. However, unlike you, I have rheumatoid arthritis. Like Celiac, it is an autoimmune disease. My once perfectly healthy joints in my hands and feet can become so inflamed I can't walk without crying or open my toothpaste without a deep breathe.
After my own research and on the advice of my naturopath and rheumatologist, I I no longer eat gluten despite testing negative for a traditional food allergy. Now, 3 years later, I take less than a fourth of the medicine I was original prescribed and I have no symptoms. My feet and hands no longer hurt. They don't turn big or blue or cause so much pain that I cannot function as I should... unless I eat gluten. And then what do you know? All the symptoms come back.
I made the choice to be gluten-free for my health and sanity, not for my vanity or beauty or because I am narcissistic.
I do not understand what credentials you have to warrant your opinion on this topic. Do some research on GMOs, pesticides, gluten's impact on autoimmune disorders. Get some facts from somewhere other than la Mamma (who can serve all the gluten she wants) before insulting and belittling others' life choices.
Because if you were given the choice to change your diet or watch your body crumble 60 years before it's meant to, which would you choose?
Sincerely,
Catherine Gignac
I am a 28 year old female. I teach power yoga, I'm a manager at a Fortune 500 company, and I've traveled the world. Like you, I am successful, adventurous and educated. However, unlike you, I have rheumatoid arthritis. Like Celiac, it is an autoimmune disease. My once perfectly healthy joints in my hands and feet can become so inflamed I can't walk without crying or open my toothpaste without a deep breathe.
After my own research and on the advice of my naturopath and rheumatologist, I I no longer eat gluten despite testing negative for a traditional food allergy. Now, 3 years later, I take less than a fourth of the medicine I was original prescribed and I have no symptoms. My feet and hands no longer hurt. They don't turn big or blue or cause so much pain that I cannot function as I should... unless I eat gluten. And then what do you know? All the symptoms come back.
I made the choice to be gluten-free for my health and sanity, not for my vanity or beauty or because I am narcissistic.
I do not understand what credentials you have to warrant your opinion on this topic. Do some research on GMOs, pesticides, gluten's impact on autoimmune disorders. Get some facts from somewhere other than la Mamma (who can serve all the gluten she wants) before insulting and belittling others' life choices.
Because if you were given the choice to change your diet or watch your body crumble 60 years before it's meant to, which would you choose?
Sincerely,
Catherine Gignac
6
Unfortunately, your words are prejudiced and unfair. Our food today has been modified and altered from its original forms. Italians will not use our seeds or import many of our foods. They have fresh local cuisine. We have agri-business. I have finally cut many mainstay American food products from my diet-- wheat, dairy, and most red meat. I have lost 27 pounds and finally I am not bloated. I cook all the time. I had a medley of peppers and Italian chicken sausage for dinner. I used to cook from the classic cookbooks of the past by James Beard and others. The Americsn diet was never a healthy one. Remember The New James Beard. I miss some of the classic foods, but my health is more important.
2
If gluten is so bad then switch to "eastern" food system. Indian chinese thai. Rice, lenthil and curry of all kinds. No gluten no hassles. Real delicious food.
I am surprised that Nobody told these people suffering for years like this for years on western wheat based food system.
I am surprised that Nobody told these people suffering for years like this for years on western wheat based food system.
This is the worst Op Ed article I've ever seen from a NYT columnist. A rant against those who eat, for a variety of reasons, differently than the author. These people aren't putting anyone down, belittling anyone or forcing anyone to do as they do. There are so many things we can do to make this a better world and so many areas need our attention and our care. A great piece for hating those who are different.
6
Whenever I eat gluten, my intestines make these loud weird noises. It's so embarrassing being in a meeting and have my digestive system make noises and everyone can hear it. When I gave up gluten, the noises disappeared after a couple of months. So I prefer not to eat gluten. I find it irritating how many people and articles written making fun of people who don't eat gluten.
1
Gluten intolerance? Oh, it exists, all right, though it's probably not nearly as common as the food faddists make it out to be. But what's the biggest food-related epidemic in this country now? The delusion that there's such a thing as a panacea, in diet as well as lifestyle, that can prevent (if not cure) most of the worst ills that befall us, especially cancer and heart disease. (Perhaps Alzheimer's will be added to the list as well.) While we all should be regarded as having been created equal as far as our rights are concerned - that key notion of freedom that goes back all the way from Paul the Apostle to our Founding Fathers - biologically and medically, we do vary. And, unfortunately, a lot of us easily fall pray to all sorts of media campaigns - especially in what's become a very anti-intellectual culture stressing muscles and money and status (Bods, Bucks and Brainlessness) - all too many of us are suckers for books with titles like 'Grain Brain' and 'Wheat Belly'.
that said, if there's one sort of substance in food that's really doing us harm, it's a lot of those so-called 'safe' pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers used on our crops, and the hormones and antibiotics ('Superbugs', anyone?) fed to livestock. In other words, it's not what nature put there. It's what corporate mega-agriculture and the chemical business DID.
that said, if there's one sort of substance in food that's really doing us harm, it's a lot of those so-called 'safe' pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers used on our crops, and the hormones and antibiotics ('Superbugs', anyone?) fed to livestock. In other words, it's not what nature put there. It's what corporate mega-agriculture and the chemical business DID.
1
I have been involved with the cooking for a week long camp here in Oregon for 5 years now. At first, with up to 45 attendees, we had only a few vegetarians, who we were glad to accommodate. Over the last five years, however, we have seen the special diets climb, not arithmetically, but geometrically, often with the same folks who ate what all ate before. This last year, we had one celiac, two gluten intolerant, 2 vegetarians, one no fat (I mean NO fat), one shellfish allergy (and who didn't like other seafood), and one person who could not even be in the room when chicken was cooking, but who could and would happily eat other protein. I almost threw up my hands and just fed everyone lettuce and only lettuce, but organic of course.
Anaphalactic reactions I get. But I wonder how some people went 60 years before they discovered that they were "intolerant" to certain foods. Also, our one celiac person actually forbade any of the rest of us to wear any scent or use shampoo with perfume. I am suspicious of the power dynamics in her allergies.
I do not consider myself insensitive, but if this continues, as I suspect it will, I will find it next to impossible to plan for and cook for a group of more than 5 next year.
Anaphalactic reactions I get. But I wonder how some people went 60 years before they discovered that they were "intolerant" to certain foods. Also, our one celiac person actually forbade any of the rest of us to wear any scent or use shampoo with perfume. I am suspicious of the power dynamics in her allergies.
I do not consider myself insensitive, but if this continues, as I suspect it will, I will find it next to impossible to plan for and cook for a group of more than 5 next year.
5
There are a few unfortunate people who have celiac disease, as for the rest, it is a new fad and I am getting frustrated when I can't even find fresh pasta that is NOT gluten free! Everything Gluten-free is more expensive and stuff that never had gluten in it is now getting labeled Gluten free, and priced accordingly! I add gluten to my flour when making bread, and am waiting for the day Gluten will be Free, since everyone seems to reject it!.
3
Italian supermarkets offered a wide range of gluten-free pasta long before we had it here, probably because whatever was happening with gluten intolerance was noted there first. I have several Italian friends who cannot tolerate gluten and find that eliminating it from the diet is much better for them.
My grandchildren are gluten intolerant, and so are a few of my children, even though all grew up eating healthy, freshly-prepared food.
My grandchildren are gluten intolerant, and so are a few of my children, even though all grew up eating healthy, freshly-prepared food.
1
This article is an outrage. First of all, it is a waste of time to critique diets that benefit peoples' health. I am not a vegetarian, but I also do not spend my time telling people to eat meat when they say abstaining from doing so benefits their health.
The modus operandi in our society is to eat what we please and become addicted to medications to help us feel better. Why are we spending time criticizing people for trying to find a different path by changing their diet, their health and improving their lives?? I don't want to be like members of the older generations who were addicted to medication. Thank god my generation is going in a different way.
I can only speak from personal experience but the standard American diet left me sick, depressed, and unable to eat because my stomach hurt so badly. I had to "self medicate" before eating just to keep food down. Changing my diet changed my mental a physical health. I am happy and not addicted to prescription drugs. Why am I narcissistic for making this change? The true narcissists are those who have the ability to change but won't and drive up our healthcare costs.
I agree that this diet is most accessible to people of privlage, and I realize how privlaged I am. The solution is making better food options available to all people, and not criticizing people who make healthy food choices.
The modus operandi in our society is to eat what we please and become addicted to medications to help us feel better. Why are we spending time criticizing people for trying to find a different path by changing their diet, their health and improving their lives?? I don't want to be like members of the older generations who were addicted to medication. Thank god my generation is going in a different way.
I can only speak from personal experience but the standard American diet left me sick, depressed, and unable to eat because my stomach hurt so badly. I had to "self medicate" before eating just to keep food down. Changing my diet changed my mental a physical health. I am happy and not addicted to prescription drugs. Why am I narcissistic for making this change? The true narcissists are those who have the ability to change but won't and drive up our healthcare costs.
I agree that this diet is most accessible to people of privlage, and I realize how privlaged I am. The solution is making better food options available to all people, and not criticizing people who make healthy food choices.
3
The problem may not be with gluten but rather some issue caused by GMO grains. My ONLY rheumatoid arthritis flares come from products made from corn or soy. These include vitamin C, ascorbic acid, and citric acid (all made from corn) , cornstarch (in iodized salt for example), high-fructose corn syrup and so on. Soy lecithin dogs my life in chocolate, soy oil in shortenings and cooking fats. On a recent trip I could eat nothing in a restaurant and little from the grocery store other than apples or cheese. Bread and crackers were out of the question.
It is time to look at long-term effects of GMO foods. Wheat is mostly GMO'd unless organic. Please researchers: ask whether the problem is gluten or something else, perhaps some genetic modification against which your body increasingly rebels over time.
It is time to look at long-term effects of GMO foods. Wheat is mostly GMO'd unless organic. Please researchers: ask whether the problem is gluten or something else, perhaps some genetic modification against which your body increasingly rebels over time.
3
Mr. Cohen,
Why do you care enough about what other people eat or don't eat to devote an entire column to it? No one is making you avoid anything and if you're annoyed at other's requests at meals you serve, don't invite them again!
Why do you care enough about what other people eat or don't eat to devote an entire column to it? No one is making you avoid anything and if you're annoyed at other's requests at meals you serve, don't invite them again!
1
A poorly thought out column from one of my favorite writers. The gluten-free diet makes sense. When you cut gluten out of your diet, you indirectly cut out a lot of mayo, cream cheese, and other things that usual go on top, or between, gluteny foods. I have celiac, and am so grateful to this trend for creating the demand in the market that makes gluten-free pizza a consistent part of my life. I have many friends who are not glutarded per se, but have vague "GI issues" that are alleviated when they eliminate gluten. I believe they feel relief because gluten is a complex protein that is difficult to digest. At the worst, it is placebo affect, but it's not narcissism. No Flour Power!
2
Humm. Ever hear of a Kosher kichen, Roger? Food preferences come in all flavores. No need to belittle any of them, I think.
6
I have been angry about this column all day long today. Not just angry: hurt, frustrated and sad too.
Why? Because.
As a mother of a child with Celiac, I struggle with his food options every single day. EVERY DAY.
Mr. Cohen--smug in his perch on his computer--dismisses the very real needs of millions of people and diminsihes it all to fad. He cheers on what I would consider an incredibly unwelcoming statement by the part of a restaurant owner.
Ironically, pasta is one of the easiest things to alter to g/f. Our local Italian restaurant does it all the time--we either bring pasta or they have it. They boil it in a seperate pot and provide our boy with some marinara sauce. Happy night out.
Meanwhile, every time he makes social plans, we have to think through every nuance so we don't burden others.
And why is it so important?
Because prior to being diagnosed with Celiac, our boy was literally not thriving. Underweight and sickly--frequently in the hospital due to colds and fevers his friends shook off. That is what happens when your intestines are so inflamed that they stop absorbing nutrients.
Our boy put on five pounds the first year after his diagnosis. He grew two inches. He is now tall, thin, and healthy but even a little gluten can have an adverse effect in his health. So sit on your high horse, Mr. Cohen, but that sign you celebreate would serve to remind me we are pariah when it comes to restaurants.
Why? Because.
As a mother of a child with Celiac, I struggle with his food options every single day. EVERY DAY.
Mr. Cohen--smug in his perch on his computer--dismisses the very real needs of millions of people and diminsihes it all to fad. He cheers on what I would consider an incredibly unwelcoming statement by the part of a restaurant owner.
Ironically, pasta is one of the easiest things to alter to g/f. Our local Italian restaurant does it all the time--we either bring pasta or they have it. They boil it in a seperate pot and provide our boy with some marinara sauce. Happy night out.
Meanwhile, every time he makes social plans, we have to think through every nuance so we don't burden others.
And why is it so important?
Because prior to being diagnosed with Celiac, our boy was literally not thriving. Underweight and sickly--frequently in the hospital due to colds and fevers his friends shook off. That is what happens when your intestines are so inflamed that they stop absorbing nutrients.
Our boy put on five pounds the first year after his diagnosis. He grew two inches. He is now tall, thin, and healthy but even a little gluten can have an adverse effect in his health. So sit on your high horse, Mr. Cohen, but that sign you celebreate would serve to remind me we are pariah when it comes to restaurants.
6
Celiac is not an allergy. Gluten free is not an option for my family as both of my children have been diagnosed with diesase. I fully support a discussion of why those suffering with the disease have grown as percentage of the population from 1 in 400 to 1 in 100. However this poorly researched op-ed is a step in the wrong direction.
According to www.celiac.org and www.celiachia.it, Italy is much more cognizant and supportive of those with celiac than Mr. Cohen is. Italy provides financial support for those suffering with celiac to help offset the high cost of gluten free breads and other specialized items. In Italy the thought is by providing those with celiac easy access to gluten free food items the overall lifetime medical costs of those with the disease will be lower. What a foreign concept for those of us in the U.S.
If we want to know why those suffering from celiac and gluten intolerance have grown within our population - we need to look at our food industry and avoid being sidetracked by giving equal weight to individuals who don't know lobster is shellfish. Mr. Cohen also derails the conversation when he fails to provide the name, the authors and the overall scope of the 2010 study he relies upon.
According to www.celiac.org and www.celiachia.it, Italy is much more cognizant and supportive of those with celiac than Mr. Cohen is. Italy provides financial support for those suffering with celiac to help offset the high cost of gluten free breads and other specialized items. In Italy the thought is by providing those with celiac easy access to gluten free food items the overall lifetime medical costs of those with the disease will be lower. What a foreign concept for those of us in the U.S.
If we want to know why those suffering from celiac and gluten intolerance have grown within our population - we need to look at our food industry and avoid being sidetracked by giving equal weight to individuals who don't know lobster is shellfish. Mr. Cohen also derails the conversation when he fails to provide the name, the authors and the overall scope of the 2010 study he relies upon.
4
Back before gluten avoidance became the fashion that you are so upset with, celiac and other gluten intolerance were among the most underdiagnosed of diseases.
And so my sister almost died. I listened to her cry one morning as she got up at 4am to take our Dad to the doctor, held her bra up to her chest and in her sleepy stupor wondered what went in there. She had lost so much she had no breasts - and then listened to doctors tell her it was all imagined.
No more will I read this cruel author.
And so my sister almost died. I listened to her cry one morning as she got up at 4am to take our Dad to the doctor, held her bra up to her chest and in her sleepy stupor wondered what went in there. She had lost so much she had no breasts - and then listened to doctors tell her it was all imagined.
No more will I read this cruel author.
3
Great column. The truth does hurt. Ignore all the special snowflakes writing indignant complaints. It's funny how very poor people in impoverished countries do not have all these allergies and fetishes. Is there gluten free food aid? The epidemic in special food needs and sensitivities is oh so bourgeois.
1
I, too, have a Celiac condition, which didn't appear until I was
over 60. I have come to the conclusion, after much investigation, that the change in the wheat shaft itself, brought on by the advent of GMOs, could be one cause of this epidemic. I have heard, from other Celiacs, that they could eat wheat products in Europe without illness, perhaps due to the fact that European countries allow no GMOs. Just some food for though, no pun intended!
over 60. I have come to the conclusion, after much investigation, that the change in the wheat shaft itself, brought on by the advent of GMOs, could be one cause of this epidemic. I have heard, from other Celiacs, that they could eat wheat products in Europe without illness, perhaps due to the fact that European countries allow no GMOs. Just some food for though, no pun intended!
My mother always tells this story that she claims comes from Buddy Hackett--he was an adult eating army rations before he realized the hot, burning, acid feeling he used to have after all his years of civilian dinners wasn't normal. (It's probably a lot funnier when he tells it). The older generation didn't complain about heart burn, indigestion, acid reflux, etc--they were probably happy to have been fed and not be starving, like the eponymous children in China. My generation expects not to starve--and to not be feeling our dinner later on as well.
2
I had no idea I was gluten intolerant until a colonoscopy three years ago. I love Roger Cohen but there was a degree of Archie Bunkerism in this piece. Having Celiac disease or being gluten intolerant is no fun! Personally I hate it. But my improved health after eliminating gluten from my diet has been far nicer than ordering one more pizza from what was once my favorite San Francisco pizza shop. Accommodating people who have gluten intolerance or food allergies is an appreciated kindness when bad luck has landed you on the wrong side of this issue.
6
I was at an event recently populated mostly by young families. Around here that means people in their late thirties or early forties. There was a spread with a variety of different foods,catered, decent stuff. Almost no one touched it. The variety of diets well exceeded the variety of foods. Some could eat no meat and some only meat. One diet was even based on the supposed pH of the food, but I didn't see any measurements taking place. It was way to complicated for me, so I just ate a little of everything that looked good.
1
I confess to sometimes sharing the writer's annoyance at all the "special needs" people for whom a different meal must be prepared. I know that some of them are just electing to eliminate gluten or other foods because of a mistaken notion that this is healthier, or just because of a fad. However, we should not overlook the fact that for many others it really is a case of serious discomfort or sometimes life and death. The real question though is why instances of food allergies and intolerance have risen so dramatically. Is it the increase in the percentage of C-section births? Growing methods? Lack of a varied fresh diet in childhood? Environmental factors? Researchers really need to study this trend, because it does not portend well for the survival of the human race.
1
Looking at another reader's comment makes me think we might have to look especially closely at the use of Round Up and other toxic substances being put on our food crops.
1
Thanks to Mr Cohen for having the cahones to raise the touchy issue of self-diagnosed food allergies. Those who have been medically diagnosed can clearly see his article ISN'T about them. The point of the article is that serving food with pleasure to others these days is liable to backfire as some guests feel the need to be gratuitously picky and unappreciative. So much for the ancient art of pleasant socializing.
4
Perhaps you and Mr. Cohen should join up for meals. There will be no narcissistic, unappreciative people suffering from "affluenza" there and you can eat all the wheat, soy, nuts and shellfish you like without having to accommodate a single soul!
Whenever I am around someone making a big deal out of gluten, I ask "Oh, when did your doctor diagnose it? 9 Out of 10 are self-diagnosed, a la "I had some GI problems so I decided . . . ."
Meanwhile, our hostess last Thanksgiving cooked an entirely separate meal for a fussy guest and then had to keep saying to the rest of guests -- stop, don't eat those green beans, eat the other one
And the allergic guest? Later seen eating GLUTEN heavy leftovers.
Meanwhile, our hostess last Thanksgiving cooked an entirely separate meal for a fussy guest and then had to keep saying to the rest of guests -- stop, don't eat those green beans, eat the other one
And the allergic guest? Later seen eating GLUTEN heavy leftovers.
4
I am most inclined to believe those who remind us of how important gut bacteria are. Would that ever become a fad?
We need to diversify our diets. Wheat is not the problem but eating only 2-3 grains probably is. And some people actually eat only wheat, that too white flour.
If we can eat whole foods, fermented foods, raw foods, diverse foods, then we will be better off. And if we can have more friendly bacteria in our environment. At least this is what i have learned from reading the New York Times.
We need to diversify our diets. Wheat is not the problem but eating only 2-3 grains probably is. And some people actually eat only wheat, that too white flour.
If we can eat whole foods, fermented foods, raw foods, diverse foods, then we will be better off. And if we can have more friendly bacteria in our environment. At least this is what i have learned from reading the New York Times.
1
How do you know that it is the gluten that people are reacting to. Perhaps it is any of a variety of adulterants added to what we eat.
Consider that glyphosate a herbicide is sprayed liberally on the wheat before harvest to increase crop yields. Then the wheat germ and the fiber are removed. Then preservatives are added to the wheat. Then Folic Acid, mostly from China, is added to the wheat in spite of the fact that one Harvard paper blamed Folic Acid for causing 14,000 new cancers a year. Then HFCS is used to make the final bread. The bottom line is that by the time the wheat gets to the table it has been totally destroyed.
A very few people have taken to buying organic wheat berries and grinding them at home. The result is vastly superior to anything commercially available with improvements in both taste as well as overall health.
Consider that glyphosate a herbicide is sprayed liberally on the wheat before harvest to increase crop yields. Then the wheat germ and the fiber are removed. Then preservatives are added to the wheat. Then Folic Acid, mostly from China, is added to the wheat in spite of the fact that one Harvard paper blamed Folic Acid for causing 14,000 new cancers a year. Then HFCS is used to make the final bread. The bottom line is that by the time the wheat gets to the table it has been totally destroyed.
A very few people have taken to buying organic wheat berries and grinding them at home. The result is vastly superior to anything commercially available with improvements in both taste as well as overall health.
3
Roger, read today's Dear Abby - a mother writes how a child's sleepover has become a nightmare with so many mothers demanding different accommodations for their children's special needs.
Why have we suddenly become a nation of auto-immuners? My heart goes out to those who truly need accommodations and get lost in the avalanche of the " me-tooers".
Why have we suddenly become a nation of auto-immuners? My heart goes out to those who truly need accommodations and get lost in the avalanche of the " me-tooers".
1
It's a real problem... if you do have a serious food-health problem, when the trendiness of marketing awareness fades away and a food problem or other health fad) is rendered un-hip, passe, or even debunked, leaving the true sufferers to suffer skepticism, mockery, and even dangerous indifference.
3
Celiac Disease is real; non-celiac gluten intolerance is the latest designer disease. The placebo effect is prominent in the mostly women who are responsive to the latest, expensive trend.
Loving my homemade bread, pasta and beer and let the others wallow in their body issues. But please, if you think you are gluten intolerant, don't come to my dinner party or try to ruin a nice evening out by fussing about your food issues. Life is too short.
Loving my homemade bread, pasta and beer and let the others wallow in their body issues. But please, if you think you are gluten intolerant, don't come to my dinner party or try to ruin a nice evening out by fussing about your food issues. Life is too short.
1
And because life is too short for a celiac and even shorter for one who eats gluten - dinner parties can be enjoyed by hanging near the healthy foods section. But your diet makes you sound as if you're a bit large. If none of your friends eat elite than you probably don't have many self aware or health conscious friends. One day waking up will happen.
Celiacs Disease is Real and not something to laugh at or dismiss. Its insulting to read an article like this - are you a medical professional, have you researched the facts on Celiac Disease to understand the unfolding complications that arises, secondary illnesses, aside from the debilitating pain associated with lack of adherence to a Gluten Free eating lifestyle? For many of us there are no alternatives, and we are not enjoying some fad diet for the heck of it, there is No Choice. Please don't make it more difficult than it already is, and do your research.
3
A friend has celiac disease and didn't find out until he required a liver transplant. no fun. He is much better now that he knows what is going on in his body. even with all the anti rejection drugs. Some people cannot digest meat, others cannot digest milk. My wife and I used to make chocolate and have been asked many times if there it was gluten free (?!!!!).
Love your columns usually but this one is almost as goofy as the food faddism it pokes fun at. Restaurant patrons in Venice and everywhere else on the planet are 100 percent entitled to know what's in the food they're considering eating and any restaurant owner, chef or waiter worth his or her salt totally gets this.
3
Gluten starts with "glut". As in glut, glutton, and gluteus maximus! Is it any wonder that this never-too-skinny world is irrationally afraid of it?
Just rename it to something stylish and everyone will stop the posturing.
Just rename it to something stylish and everyone will stop the posturing.
1
Perhaps, no one is looking at the fact that our children have had more vaccinations in a short time span than we ever had. While I am not telling people to avoid vaccinations, the amount they are getting in a short period of time may affect their immune systems in ways we never thought.
Most studies show vaccinated groups in general have better immunity, however, maybe, we are looking at the amount we tolerate the wrong way. Perhaps, this is where the sensitivities come from.
There seems to be a direct correlation between the celiac, wheat, peanut allergies and the volume of vaccinations our children receive, yet ,nobody seems to take issue with it.
Trump brought this up during the republican debate, and it was the first time I have seen someone with a public voice ever notice it, even though I made this observation on my blog over a year ago.
The gluten problems are likely a symptom.
Most studies show vaccinated groups in general have better immunity, however, maybe, we are looking at the amount we tolerate the wrong way. Perhaps, this is where the sensitivities come from.
There seems to be a direct correlation between the celiac, wheat, peanut allergies and the volume of vaccinations our children receive, yet ,nobody seems to take issue with it.
Trump brought this up during the republican debate, and it was the first time I have seen someone with a public voice ever notice it, even though I made this observation on my blog over a year ago.
The gluten problems are likely a symptom.
2
You said exactly what I wanted to bring up. Thanks! Great job.
I am disappointed by this column. I recall an article in the Times a short while ago about gluten free dining in Italy, which was very encouraging and conveyed that many restaurants there try to accommodate those who don't or cannot eat wheat, in part because they have such an appreciation for the pleasure of eating and sympathize with those who cannot eat everything. Why the hostility toward those who can't or do not want to eat gluten? I am so grateful that there are more choices for those who have food allergies or preferences.
4
Roger Cohen REALLY REALLY needs to learn to do his homework. The opening anecdote in this column simply does not work, as Mr Cohen would have understood if he had taken the time to learn about Italian attitudes toward and policies concerning celiac disease. Believe it or not, these attitudes and policies have developed in response to something other than the demands of American tourists.
5
I wonder if the increase in Celiac and associated ailments is a case of more people have it or are more people aware of it? I went Gluten free about 18 mos ago after suffering with stomach problems all of my life (I am 50 now). All of my stomach problems disappeared within a couple of weeks in addition to problems that I would not have associated with Gluten. My sister went Gluten free several years ago and a lot of health issues for her also cleared up. Had Gluten free not become such a fad we might not have even thought about trying it. As we talked about it we realized that our father who has passed on also had severe stomach problems all of his life but all he had ever done was take antacids. The irony there is that he grew up on a wheat farm. Dad would never have gone to a doctor about his stomach, it just was not the way he was raised, it took me 49 years to finally do something about mine. I wonder if the older people who are "fine with eating anything" just are not aware of the difference that diet can make in their lives? This fad thing is crazy but it has also raised awareness for those of us who do have a real problem. One thing I will not do though, I will not insist that your dinner party accommodate my diet issues. I might ask but I will never insist. My dietary issue is my problem, not yours.
6
I wish you did your research. Italy has many celiacs and many restaurants serve gluten free options. I don't think this restaurant owner was responding only to hysterical Americans.
Those Italians with celiac are given vouchers each month to purchase gluten free foods and routine testing is done for all children. Seems Italy has a lot more compassion than you, Mr. Cohen.
Those Italians with celiac are given vouchers each month to purchase gluten free foods and routine testing is done for all children. Seems Italy has a lot more compassion than you, Mr. Cohen.
4
There's certainly a trend toward seeing food as medicine and of understanding the link between how one eats and how one feels. I see this as progress, but Mr Cohen seems personally offended. His comments remind me of that guy who wants everyone to drink with him, the one who bullies and browbeats the friend who's trying to stay on the wagon and better himself. He's inferring that these gluten-free lemmings are ignoring science and are laughably uninformed but the same could be said of his opinions. I see no science here, just the repeated complaints of those who lack understanding about food sensitivities. I don't eat wheat because it makes me ill, and when I stopped eating it I was able to resume working and socializing again. I am neither narcissistic nor attention seeking. I'm on no social media and I personally find it embarrassing to announce my wheat-free needs at restaurants. I, like other commenters here, took handfuls of antibiotics for years to control acne (didn't work, but dermatologists kept prescribing it anyway). I suspect this may be something that's contributed to my wheat sensitivity, but really I have no idea. I just know how much better my life is without it. I am not, contrary to what Mr Cohen writes here, 'imagining' this, nor am I wanting to declare my specialness to the world via food issues. Wouldn't everybody love a bit of real estate in the NYT to spout our own little theories and grievances? Insulting.
6
I agree with Mr. Cohen. Let's bring back the 1950s sitcom, "I Love Gluten." Them's my sentiments exactly. If you don't have celiac disease and you won't eat gluten, you should have Ricky Ricardo do a slow burn and reprimand you with "Gloooo-ten!"
1
GLUTEN & GMO There are claims that the level of gluten in genetically modified varieties of wheat, for example, are related somehow cause negative symptoms. But how do we know whether it's the gluten or other chemicals produced by the introduction of genetic modification into the DNA of our foodstuffs and, hence, into our bodies? Big Agro has powerful control of what they claim to be proprietary information about genetically modified seeds, some apparently based on intellectual property rights. I'm skeptical if the government permits substances that cause plants to resist weed killers, without transparency and scientific vigor.
I take the point of those who refer to whether can trust people food like Mamma used to make. If food is an expression of love, then to question that love is to arouse intense passions.
Still, is it nurturance and evocations of maternal love that the owners of intellectual property rights on GMO wheat? Or are they like the three monkeys, See no Evil, Hear no Evil and Speak no Evil.
I think that the American consumer is entitled to a higher level of scientific rigor and transparency. The French and others in Europe have been waging huge battles to prevent genetic modifications being introduced into their foodstuffs which have provided them sustenance for centuries.
If unmodified plants work for the farmer and consumer, why change them? Why introduce substances that will protect the plants from powerful insecticides? SILENT SPRING!
I take the point of those who refer to whether can trust people food like Mamma used to make. If food is an expression of love, then to question that love is to arouse intense passions.
Still, is it nurturance and evocations of maternal love that the owners of intellectual property rights on GMO wheat? Or are they like the three monkeys, See no Evil, Hear no Evil and Speak no Evil.
I think that the American consumer is entitled to a higher level of scientific rigor and transparency. The French and others in Europe have been waging huge battles to prevent genetic modifications being introduced into their foodstuffs which have provided them sustenance for centuries.
If unmodified plants work for the farmer and consumer, why change them? Why introduce substances that will protect the plants from powerful insecticides? SILENT SPRING!
2
DH will you marry me? Your explanation of this was brilliant. I even screenshot it err screenshotted it...
A colleague of mine develops a nasty rash all over his forearms when he eats wheat. His doctor advised him to avoid wheat gluten - including beer.
Some way to indulge a "fad."
I have a better idea: set your contrived "food intolerance" issues and write a column about the billions on this planet who have access to little or no food at all, gluten-free or otherwise. That's a real story. Or do you only travel to places where your Times expense account picks up four-course meals?
Some way to indulge a "fad."
I have a better idea: set your contrived "food intolerance" issues and write a column about the billions on this planet who have access to little or no food at all, gluten-free or otherwise. That's a real story. Or do you only travel to places where your Times expense account picks up four-course meals?
3
I think it would be great to see a restaurant put up a sign that said “We do NOT serve gluten-free food.”
Of course, those of use with celiac disease, wheat allergy, NCGS, etc. wouldn't likely go there in the first place. We usually only eat in places that HAVE a gluten free menu. Restaurants without such a menu put us at risk of being sick for weeks or months. So we'd probably never see the sign.
But such restaurants really should put up a sign that says "Our Chef isn't as smart as MICKEY MOUSE!"
Yes, Walt Disney World's chefs are smart enough to accommodate not only gluten issues, but almost any allergy as well. If WDW can do gluten free and you can, then you're not as good as the House of Mouse!
Thanks for the sign! It tells us exactly how good you REALLY are! :-)
Of course, those of use with celiac disease, wheat allergy, NCGS, etc. wouldn't likely go there in the first place. We usually only eat in places that HAVE a gluten free menu. Restaurants without such a menu put us at risk of being sick for weeks or months. So we'd probably never see the sign.
But such restaurants really should put up a sign that says "Our Chef isn't as smart as MICKEY MOUSE!"
Yes, Walt Disney World's chefs are smart enough to accommodate not only gluten issues, but almost any allergy as well. If WDW can do gluten free and you can, then you're not as good as the House of Mouse!
Thanks for the sign! It tells us exactly how good you REALLY are! :-)
4
Perhaps the restaurant owner forgets that when my family and I dine out together we look for a place that will have gluten free options. Or we don't go. So they lose the whole bunch of us and I roll ten peeps deep.
As we accommodate more and more allergies, we are just perpetuating a reverse Darwinism... You already cannot eat a snickers bar in an airplane or pack it in a kid's lunch. At what point does this become ridiculous? I get that everyone has a tendency towards their own and their children's self-preservation, but the rest of the world does not need to bend over backwards to help you live. Reasonable accommodations are fine, but some are heading towards unreasonable.
1
Some allergies are life threatening. Gluens forpeople who are Celiac are life threatening. "Reasonable accommodations" are not enough for some.
1
Roger risks much. This is a craze taken up en masse by the unchained, potted liberati: one doesn’t see it anywhere near as frequently among those with more rightward inclinations. But, then, the right has its own fixations that the left can’t understand, such as this completely unfathomable hatred of the Ex-Im Bank. Sometimes I think, like celebrities and major diseases that need sponsors and spokespeople, that social issues and as in this case food preferences remain unaffiliated for about three microseconds before EITHER the right or the left calls dibs on them; then, regardless of the sense of the matter, one can reliably determine a person’s political leanings by the food he avoids or whether he drives a Prius.
But the tendency to develop suspiciously sudden “allergies” is a phenomenon that’s been going on for decades. The movement to ban smoking of tobacco indoors and in cabs began with the claim by about half of NYC’s residents that they were “allergic” to smoke. Well, we transform language all the time, and “allergy” now seems to be equivalent to “I don’t like it”, except that the former pretends a medical condition whose suggested impact could be more than a wrinkled nose … but almost never is.
Yet, as I wrote, Roger risks much by bringing the subject up. After all, it’s the left that invites most pundits to jumbo-shrimp fests and once you get on their apostate list it’s very hard to get off it to be invited again.
But the tendency to develop suspiciously sudden “allergies” is a phenomenon that’s been going on for decades. The movement to ban smoking of tobacco indoors and in cabs began with the claim by about half of NYC’s residents that they were “allergic” to smoke. Well, we transform language all the time, and “allergy” now seems to be equivalent to “I don’t like it”, except that the former pretends a medical condition whose suggested impact could be more than a wrinkled nose … but almost never is.
Yet, as I wrote, Roger risks much by bringing the subject up. After all, it’s the left that invites most pundits to jumbo-shrimp fests and once you get on their apostate list it’s very hard to get off it to be invited again.
1
Ummm dying from cancer because of secondhand smoke can hardly be called an allergy. Maybe I read wrong but if not...really
I don't just like secondhand smoke. I prefer to live.
I don't just like secondhand smoke. I prefer to live.
Look up eosinophilic esophagistis, Roger, and see all the possible foods causing immune system responses. It's not just celiac disease out there. Perhaps it has as much has to do with how our food is grown, hybridized, treated, and processed as it does with the anxiety of the young.
3
On the subject of gluten, as well as the other one, cholesterol, your article reminds me of the saying that nobody ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the average person. Anyone with decent basic biology education should know that gluten is only found in plants . Yet I have seen advertisements that tout animal products as gluten-free. and plants products as cholesterol free. Of course cholesterol is only found in animal products. Even though that only very few unfortunate people need to know anything about the gluten for health reasons, nevertheless we get the jangled telling us that we don't have any gluten in animal products and no cholesterol implants products. That is popular culture for you.
When I see articles and responses those here, I worry about how we are evolving as a species.
4
Mayo Clinic on the one side, Roger Cohen on the other ... hmmm ... that's a toughy
4
Mr. Cohen should stick to subjects he is more familiar with. Diet & Health are not among them.
2
A co-worker used to get hysterical if anyone dared to make coffee with tap water instead of the distilled water she had the company provide; something about all the chemicals. This went on until I pointed out her two-pack a day Marlboro habit to her. Problem solved.
1
Relevance?
Contrary to what one reads in "What's all this nonsense about gluten?" themed articles like this one, sensitivity to commonly consumed foods can and do cause severe symptoms that are not (yet) universally understood by the mainstream medical community.
Case in Point: I suffered almost daily migraine-level headaches and depression for decades, starting in childhood. Eliminated wheat and gluten from my diet, and haven't had a headache in ten years.
Anyone who's interested in maladies associated with inability to tolerate gliadin and other proteins in gluten should check out the books by Dr. David Perlmutter, which are replete with medical research, supporting and explaining the role of gluten related inflammation in causing an array of illnesses. http://www.drperlmutter.com/about/grain-brain-by-david-perlmutter/
Case in Point: I suffered almost daily migraine-level headaches and depression for decades, starting in childhood. Eliminated wheat and gluten from my diet, and haven't had a headache in ten years.
Anyone who's interested in maladies associated with inability to tolerate gliadin and other proteins in gluten should check out the books by Dr. David Perlmutter, which are replete with medical research, supporting and explaining the role of gluten related inflammation in causing an array of illnesses. http://www.drperlmutter.com/about/grain-brain-by-david-perlmutter/
3
Awesome response!
Pizza. Why would I not eat you?
So many people have died of lymphoma type cancers at a young age. Undiagnosed Celiac disease leads to cancer-it depletes all the nutrients in your body. You have no idea the hell many of us have lived thru or watched our family members die ata young age because doctors didn't know to test for celiac. Thank God for modern day diagnosis.
3
Agreed. My father died in his late 20s of MS or untreated celiac disease. Get a clue roger
Let's see. There is a real disease that people suffer from. You mock it as "affluenza". What does that make you?
4
I feel that several readers are missing the point of this well-written column. Food fussiness disguised as food intolerance (which is what Mr. Cohen is actually complaining about) is completely different from actual food allergies and/or food-related illness. The former is a ridiculous manifestation of our 'me-first' culture, while the latter is a real issue. The former cheapens the latter and makes people less likely to take seriously the concerns of actual sufferers. I think it's great that my genuinely celiac friends have more options at restaurants, but prickle when non-celiac friends snaffle up the treats that should be reserved for celiacs because 'they're trying to avoid gluten'... and then eat a piece of glutenous cake because it's just too good to resist. I also think it's great that my dad, who has a severe peanut allergy, is taken seriously when he tells a server at a restaurant. We've come a long way, but my 20-30-something generation is not doing anyone any favors by latching on to every new food fad and essentially making people think these things aren't real.
6
While this is an interesting and informative article, it is NOT a scientific analysis of whether any allergies have or have not increased lately.
As someone who has had auto-immune problems for decades, and also who relies on Mayo Clinic postings for authoritative information, I would say that autoimmune mysteries in the coming decades will require first and foremost Medical Transparency. Let's have all the evidence out and open, for all to analyze.
As someone who has had auto-immune problems for decades, and also who relies on Mayo Clinic postings for authoritative information, I would say that autoimmune mysteries in the coming decades will require first and foremost Medical Transparency. Let's have all the evidence out and open, for all to analyze.
1
Fads like this distract us from the more pervasive problems of the American diet, much like the war on drugs distracts us from the overuse of medications, or the various hysterias surrounding children (think pictures on milk cartons) distract us from the more pervasive problems of parenting in today's world (whether too little or too much). I'd be glad to eat at the Venetian restaurant, and remember the good advice from Mamma, eat what's put in front of you.
A gluten-free column?
Terrific - I'll send it to my son, who has celiac disease, and welcomes the proliferation of gluten-free foods for whatever reason because it makes his life much easier. This column might make him angry, but at least it won't make him sick.
Terrific - I'll send it to my son, who has celiac disease, and welcomes the proliferation of gluten-free foods for whatever reason because it makes his life much easier. This column might make him angry, but at least it won't make him sick.
1
The last time Roger Cohen gave diet advice he was proselytizing on behalf of the General Motors Detox Diet if I recall correctly so you'll excuse me if I enjoy this column with a personal serving of NaCl.
2
Whatever happened to manners? Recently I was in charge of a large church supper and received dozens of calls about allergies and diets with requests for different foods. I decided people with specific diet needs were welcome to bring their own food, stay home because of their health concerns or come to enjoy coffee and fresh fruit with everyone else. I only adjust a menu for a family dinner or dinner for close friends. I can't recall my mother ever asking us kids what we wanted for dinner except on our birthdays.
1
Farmers are growing wheat with higher gluten content for the same reason that they're growing fruits with high sugar content: MONEY.
We're all paying the full price of Capitalism.
We're all paying the full price of Capitalism.
5
A lot of people suffer from Celiac Disease and many more have it and don't know it. They will sooner or later. It will come up and bite them just as it did me this year. It's no surprise to me that the food industry would want to include this booming market, notwithstanding Mr. Cohen's carefully worded rant. So Roger, go binge on a loaf of wheat bread and be thankful you can stomach it. I can't and I'm glad the gluten free craze has made it easier for me to find things I can eat.
3
It is nice that Mr. Cohen doesn't know anyone with either the disease or the allergy but they are real. Also, "my way or the highway" for those who have an issue with gluten means going to the emergency room or spending 24-48 hours getting it out of your system--in a reaction that includes stomach cramps, diarrhea and a general "ill-feeling" that feels like the flu (but without the fever). Then there is trying to explain to someone who is, say 5 years old, why they can't have cupcakes, brownies, a birthday cake etc...it isn't all about pasta and adults, Mr. Cohen.
I suggest everyone go to the cupboards and pantry shelves and look at what is in their soups in cans and boxes and what is their spice rack----not only has wheat changed in how it is grown but also in how it is used. Even if you are trying to avoid wheat, you may find you can not.
And to our EU friends in Italy---talk to your EU friends in Finland and the other Nordics and the Baltics. You will find that both dairy as part of a daily diet and wheat are not good for almost 1/2 the population. So, "my way or the highway" might work genetically for Italians, it isn't true for the rest of Europe.
I suggest everyone go to the cupboards and pantry shelves and look at what is in their soups in cans and boxes and what is their spice rack----not only has wheat changed in how it is grown but also in how it is used. Even if you are trying to avoid wheat, you may find you can not.
And to our EU friends in Italy---talk to your EU friends in Finland and the other Nordics and the Baltics. You will find that both dairy as part of a daily diet and wheat are not good for almost 1/2 the population. So, "my way or the highway" might work genetically for Italians, it isn't true for the rest of Europe.
2
And don't forget about the terrible headaches and incessant itching from gluten. I had to have eye surgery because of my earlier i undiagnosed gluten allergy.
1
What's more narcissistic than writing a whole column about how everyone should eat as the columnist does.
4
This column is fact and substance free.
3
Your lack of empathy is striking. Maybe you should try researching food allergy and intolerance before you make rude, condescending and very hurtful (to those who suffer) comments. (Heck, just read some past NYT articles on leaky gut or autoimmune disease; you will learn a lot.) You are obviously lucky enough to be healthy and have healthy young family members. Many are not.
There is a huge rise in autoimmune disease of all types, often in people whose parents never suffered. It's thought that many are susceptible, but in some, something "triggers" the immune system. One suspect is--as the NYT has written about --is a "leaky" gut. Roundup, other chemicals , along with gluten for many, viruses and bacteria, are suspects. The forefront of medical research for many diseases is the leaky--or healthy--gut.
People feel unwell, or get terribly sick even, bedridden or suffering anaphylactic shock.....and doctors don't yet always have tools to figure it out...so people read, and try to heal themselves through food(or avoidance of it.) The "trendiness" you complain of--the fact that many start trying things (or avoiding them, like gluten) all at once--is due to social media and today's enhanced communication which allows professional scientific/medical info to be available to all.
Stop blaming those trying to help themselves, or their children. It isn't our fault, we aren't just being "trendy"and you are an insensitive man to so suggest. You should apologize.
There is a huge rise in autoimmune disease of all types, often in people whose parents never suffered. It's thought that many are susceptible, but in some, something "triggers" the immune system. One suspect is--as the NYT has written about --is a "leaky" gut. Roundup, other chemicals , along with gluten for many, viruses and bacteria, are suspects. The forefront of medical research for many diseases is the leaky--or healthy--gut.
People feel unwell, or get terribly sick even, bedridden or suffering anaphylactic shock.....and doctors don't yet always have tools to figure it out...so people read, and try to heal themselves through food(or avoidance of it.) The "trendiness" you complain of--the fact that many start trying things (or avoiding them, like gluten) all at once--is due to social media and today's enhanced communication which allows professional scientific/medical info to be available to all.
Stop blaming those trying to help themselves, or their children. It isn't our fault, we aren't just being "trendy"and you are an insensitive man to so suggest. You should apologize.
6
Recent research (Gibson et al) on 'everyday' gut complaints show intolerances to foods high in FODMAPS - fructooligosaccharides - basically complex sugars found in foods like apples, milk, wheat, onions etc. Probably when people say being gluten-free makes them feel better, it may be because they are consuming less FODMAPS. I no longer eat at restaurants as I am sick of having to ask if there are onions in what I want, and getting the intolerant eye-roll from waiters. I once asked (nicely) for an onion-free burger, and received cooked onions in the meat patty, fresh onions on the patty, and fried onion-rings on the top... a recipe for a stomach cramps. I didn't make a fuss. Not worth the hassle. Never went there again.
2
One important point Mr Cohen ignores is that celiac hasn't been correctly diagnosed until relatively recently. Many people I know had stomach issues for years until they were ultimately diagnosed with celiac. Likely, people haven't dealt well with wheat for meillennia....
1
Thanks for helping the issue with your brand of tolerance. I want my bread basket back, I want to eat non-GF pasta, I want chicken noodle soup with the noodles. But if I do, I get sick. I feel sad when I watch others eat foods that I can't have, and the rash of gluten-free offerings often taste like paste.
Believe me, not everyone is looking to be difficult.
Believe me, not everyone is looking to be difficult.
1
Dear Mr. Cohen,
Is you note, gluten really does exist.
And some people are sensitive to gluten.
Curiously, when I took two friends to Spain, one of whom never eats wheat in the states because it produces severe symptom of celiac disease, in Spain she ate bread with wheat with no severe symptoms.
As we all know, there are many strains of wheat, some make good bread, some make good pasta. But there is little doubt that American strains, which have been selected to satisfy the needs of Americans, must be different from the strains which are used in Spain.
Is you note, gluten really does exist.
And some people are sensitive to gluten.
Curiously, when I took two friends to Spain, one of whom never eats wheat in the states because it produces severe symptom of celiac disease, in Spain she ate bread with wheat with no severe symptoms.
As we all know, there are many strains of wheat, some make good bread, some make good pasta. But there is little doubt that American strains, which have been selected to satisfy the needs of Americans, must be different from the strains which are used in Spain.
2
As a child and younger adult I was able to eat whatever I wanted, with no ill effects. But in recent years I have developed what I can only regard as a true allergy to fruits such as apples, strawberries, peaches, and melons. People think this is really strange, but you just never know what foods will set someone off. I've inadvertently eaten a prepared food item with apple or apple juice in it and my throat feels like it's starting to close up. I have an Epi-pen but fortunately haven't had to use it--yet. Yes, some "intolerances" are anxiety driven, but many of us have real problems with certain foods and need to be vigilant when eating out or at other people's houses.
2
Can't eat shellfish but can eat lobster. Funniest thing I've read all day. Sad that some people are so utterly stupid, or think others are.
2
Marketing, pure and simple, and people being ignorant. I had a client request gluten free food on set (I work in film).The moron, as I found out after, was confusing "gluten" with being a glutton. I can imagine may people in the super market have the same level idiocy when choosing gluten free.
I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999, long before "gluten-free" was a label you could expect to find on any supermarket shelf. Things have come a long way since then. It's nice to be able to eat out with friends or make gluten-free mac and cheese at home once in a while. Yes, some people eschew gluten because they heard on "The View" that it's poison -- but those people helped establish sufficient market demand for convenient and safe gluten-free food, and that has benefited those of us who don't have a choice. It's the backlash that makes me furious. On several occasions, people have deliberately given me food that contained gluten (while assuring me that it didn't) because they didn't believe celiac disease is a real thing. Luckily, my immune response isn't (immediately) fatal, but I feel wretched for at least 24 hours. Those with deadly allergies are not so lucky -- and that sort of mean-spirited prank happens to them as well. Columns like this one put me at risk of discomfort, but they put people with severe food allergies at risk of dying. Yes, some people really are just picky, but you can't tell who's who until it's too late. Food allergies should never be taken lightly.
1
Note that people with actual allergies and illnesses are usually not the ones aggressively complaining about gluten free options and usually the most grateful when they are accommodated. As someone with Celiac Disease, please don't lump us in with the fad dieters.
This article does such a disservice. We as a people are suffering the results of a profit-driven corporate food industry, where nutrition and safety are sacrificed. Others here have alluded to the effects of genetic modification and liberal pesticide use.
Current research is showing that the root of many illnesses that didnt exist before WWII (ex: fibromyalgia) is inflammation. Three of the greatest well-known triggers of inflammation are wheat, sugar and dairy, which are in just about everything in the American grocery store. As a nation we would all be healthier, THINNER, and feel better if we cut way back on gluten.
As a caterer, I couldn't figure out what lunacy came over people when they approached the bread basket. They would attack it like fiends, in a way no one ever approached the salad bowl. I could see their eyes widen an pupils dilate merely from looking at the pile of bread. Then I read about gluten's effects on the brain and got why the Olive Garden used to offer the Bottomless pasta bowl and Endless breadsticks. I don't think they do that anymore, I bet they didn't know just how much wheat ppl could pack away.
What I learned is that while few ppl have true celiac disease, many many more have sensitivities they are not even aware of, and have no idea why they are chronically tired, fuzzy headed, have achy joints, and so on. IMHO, the solution may be to bring back the family farmer.
Current research is showing that the root of many illnesses that didnt exist before WWII (ex: fibromyalgia) is inflammation. Three of the greatest well-known triggers of inflammation are wheat, sugar and dairy, which are in just about everything in the American grocery store. As a nation we would all be healthier, THINNER, and feel better if we cut way back on gluten.
As a caterer, I couldn't figure out what lunacy came over people when they approached the bread basket. They would attack it like fiends, in a way no one ever approached the salad bowl. I could see their eyes widen an pupils dilate merely from looking at the pile of bread. Then I read about gluten's effects on the brain and got why the Olive Garden used to offer the Bottomless pasta bowl and Endless breadsticks. I don't think they do that anymore, I bet they didn't know just how much wheat ppl could pack away.
What I learned is that while few ppl have true celiac disease, many many more have sensitivities they are not even aware of, and have no idea why they are chronically tired, fuzzy headed, have achy joints, and so on. IMHO, the solution may be to bring back the family farmer.
2
It's curious that this article is based on a report of what the author's friend saw a on a restaurant menu. And it's bizarre that he translated "we do not serve gluten-free food" into "my way or the highway". In a country filled with gluten-free options, I would see this message instead as a polite warning and a suggestion to eat next door.
Italy jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon long before the United States, due to the high prevalence of celiac disease among Italians. Here is an abstract from an article published in 2001: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11478502.
Italy jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon long before the United States, due to the high prevalence of celiac disease among Italians. Here is an abstract from an article published in 2001: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11478502.
2
Unbelievable. This article is offensive. So the author is saying that people with allergies who want to stay safe and healthy are merely being narcissistic and spoiled? Just because more people have allergies and intolerances now than they did in past generations does not mean they are making it all up just to feel "special". Perhaps these issues were under diagnosed before? Perhaps it is becoming more common due to chemicals and preservatives in our foods? I assure you, allergy sufferers are not doing it to feel "special" - we hate every minute of it and wish we did not have to worry about dying every time we see a sesame seed bun or a nutty fruitcake. I'd cancel my subscription to the NY Times over this irresponsible excuse for "journalism", but I don't have one because I'm not 100 years old
6
While it is true that some claims of gluten insensitivity are not scientifically based, Mr. Cohen seems to identify the only "victims" here as the restaurant owners. I can identify two others - people with real celiac disease (which even Mr. Cohen notes is increasing) who are told that something is gluten free only to fall ill when that's not true, and people with real food allergies of other kinds who see their real medical issues disbelieved, disparaged as narcissism and an attempt to feel special, etc. A few years ago, people would have said the same about those who become ill from secondhand smoke, "even outdoors," - until science supported those claims. Those of us with real medical issues (and I am NOT gluten sensitive) can assure you that these do not make us feel "special." They create obstacles to real social engagement, particularly as more people inaccurately claim disabilities (look at the explosion of comfort animals) and others use this as an excuse to endorse rank discrimination against the disabled. Responsibility and judgment must be exercised by all sides, without returning to the days when it was socially acceptable to judge and disparage those whose disabilities were not obviously visible. I'm surprised and disappointed that Mr. Cohen's more obvious discriminatory comments passed muster with the editor. He could have made his point without taking down so many people who do not fit his narrow minded description.
2
Roger, celiac's disease is extremely prevalent among Italians. I'm a celiac, diagnosed in 1990, who lived in Italy around '07. I was astonished at how much more aware and understanding and accommodating they were with gluten-free diets. From Lecce on up to Milan, the majority of restaurants in which I dined had gluten-free menus or would bend over backwards once you mentioned "sono celiaco," Naples being the most impressive. And that's eight years ago now. They test all children for the disease before kindergarten; pharmacies have extensive gluten-free sections with every iteration of biscotto and pasta that you could dream; and the government covers about 60% of the cost of such products for its citizens. So there are likely two reasons why this restaurant in Venice printed such a statement on its menu: 1. they are tired of the near 1MM Italians with celiac in a country of 60MM or 2. like most restaurants in Venice that would be frequented by a tourist, it was a poor excuse for an Italian restaurant that would never be patronized by the natives. In fact, now that you mention it, the one place I did encounter difficulty with a gluten-free diet was in Venice. I also encountered other lapses in basic manners from people in the service sector, as the locals are most certainly jaded and cynical by the tourist trap that their city has become.
3
This seems to misleadingly suggest that it is difficult to get gluten-free pasta in Italy or that Italy is curmudgeonly against the "American fad" of gluten-free. In fact, Italy is ahead of the game in that regard. It had gluten-free pasta before America, and most restaurants have gluten-free pasta options.
2
Right now, gluten-free is the flavor-of-the-month and it's good for those of us who have Celiac Disease. There is a lot more variety in food, and some restaurants are serving some GF options, which was rare just a few years ago.
For some reason, people seem to think that GF eating is healthier, but no one has ever been able to give me a good reason why. There are those who've jumped on the bandwagon and decided they have an allergy/intolerence, and others who got sick and blamed it on gluten.
The ones I find most annoying are those who say, "I try to avoid gluten as much as possible." Why? Why would you do that?
Products are still ridiculously expensive, and I'd readily change places with someone who claims to have a gluten allergy/intolerence or Celiac without having the proper testing done. This can be misdiagonosed by it's symptoms, and unless you have specific testing done for it, you can have it for years and not know it. So, it seems to me preposterous to self-diagnose
Usually when I go somewhere, people are kind enough to ask what I can and cannot eat and make sure they have something available. I've found them to be so accomodating, and I've always offerred to bring my own food, but never had to.
I'd definitly swap a $5 loaf of mostly stiff and tastless bread for a plain PB&J made on an ordinary, cheap loaf of white bread. Sometimes, it's just that simple for someone who lives with Celiac.
For some reason, people seem to think that GF eating is healthier, but no one has ever been able to give me a good reason why. There are those who've jumped on the bandwagon and decided they have an allergy/intolerence, and others who got sick and blamed it on gluten.
The ones I find most annoying are those who say, "I try to avoid gluten as much as possible." Why? Why would you do that?
Products are still ridiculously expensive, and I'd readily change places with someone who claims to have a gluten allergy/intolerence or Celiac without having the proper testing done. This can be misdiagonosed by it's symptoms, and unless you have specific testing done for it, you can have it for years and not know it. So, it seems to me preposterous to self-diagnose
Usually when I go somewhere, people are kind enough to ask what I can and cannot eat and make sure they have something available. I've found them to be so accomodating, and I've always offerred to bring my own food, but never had to.
I'd definitly swap a $5 loaf of mostly stiff and tastless bread for a plain PB&J made on an ordinary, cheap loaf of white bread. Sometimes, it's just that simple for someone who lives with Celiac.
1
I used to be someone who would agree with this column, annoyed by those trying to lose weight by claiming allergies to gluten, wheat, carbs, and anything with fat. I do believe people adopt and misuse these real conditions, to such an extent that the phrase "gluten-free" frequently induces eye rolls. But some of the increase in these conditions makes sense with the changes in medicine over the last few decades.
It is not only those suffering from Celiac Disease who can get sick from gluten, but also those (I am one of them) who have become sick from overuse of antibiotics, causing damage to the GI system. There has been a significant increase in incidents of the C. Difficile infection b/c antibiotics (even those given for medically necessary and legitimate reasons) can wipe out good bacteria along with bad, leaving people vulnerable to colonization by "bad" bacteria. One of the lasting problems can be overgrowth of bad bacteria, and as I am now learning, these bad bacteria feed on gluten and other types of carbohydrates. The increase (or overuse) of antibiotics over the last few generations-a practice just starting to wane in recent years-has led to many more of these infections and bacterial imbalances, which, in turn, has forced even skeptics like me to eat gluten-free for medical reasons.
I wish the trendiness of these conditions for some didn't undermine their legitimacy for the rest of us who have no choice.
It is not only those suffering from Celiac Disease who can get sick from gluten, but also those (I am one of them) who have become sick from overuse of antibiotics, causing damage to the GI system. There has been a significant increase in incidents of the C. Difficile infection b/c antibiotics (even those given for medically necessary and legitimate reasons) can wipe out good bacteria along with bad, leaving people vulnerable to colonization by "bad" bacteria. One of the lasting problems can be overgrowth of bad bacteria, and as I am now learning, these bad bacteria feed on gluten and other types of carbohydrates. The increase (or overuse) of antibiotics over the last few generations-a practice just starting to wane in recent years-has led to many more of these infections and bacterial imbalances, which, in turn, has forced even skeptics like me to eat gluten-free for medical reasons.
I wish the trendiness of these conditions for some didn't undermine their legitimacy for the rest of us who have no choice.
1
Wonderful column!
It's just amazing how many people cannot eat food nowadays.
Is it the GMO's in it? or more like a fad. Maybe both. But it is way over the top.
So glad to see the NYT looking into this.
It's just amazing how many people cannot eat food nowadays.
Is it the GMO's in it? or more like a fad. Maybe both. But it is way over the top.
So glad to see the NYT looking into this.
Thank GAWD for someone willing to speak the truth. Gluten-free is the latest in narcissism, an excuse for one diner/cook to apply their OCD to the rest of humanity.
See also: Veganism, (Most) Vegetarianism, Smell-free workplaces, no MSG, Organic of ALL types and any other liberal/progressive isms.
See also: Veganism, (Most) Vegetarianism, Smell-free workplaces, no MSG, Organic of ALL types and any other liberal/progressive isms.
1
I agree with the other commenters that are pointing out your intolerance to other's intolerances. The idea that does not seem to be getting much air time is that we know more now about these things, and so can make adjustments to make ourselves feel better. It may be that in the past these intolerances and allergies existed, but were just ignored or "lived with." Which is what I did before I discovered my gluten intolerance. I had a lot of symptoms that I took a bunch of drugs to deal with. And when I got off gluten (and sulfites it turns out), they went away. And this could also explain the older crowd "not having" any food preferences or needs. They have always lived with the consequences, and so don't know any different (in the small percentage of them that are likely to have problems). It seems clear that things have gotten worse, which may be due to our use of antibiotics and antibacterial cleansers, combined with C-section births that don't expose newborns to the proper bacteria.
2
Don't you think people would prefer to eat the widest array of food and not be limited? Just because you can't physically see someone's symptoms post consumption of the offending food, doesn't make it less real for that person.
As someone who got diagnosed with Celiac in her 30s and acquired allergies late in life, I find the tone of your article arrogant and dismissive.
As someone who got diagnosed with Celiac in her 30s and acquired allergies late in life, I find the tone of your article arrogant and dismissive.
3
I was in the market yesterday and saw a bag of beef jerky labeled gluten free. Do they think we are THAT stupid? Bread has been the staff of life for thousands of years. Next year will be quinoa and kale intolerance.
3
Some jerky includes teriyaki sauce or soy sauce, both of which contain wheat. If my jerky-loving daughter with celiac disease were to eat the wrong brand, she would have a two-day headache and painful cramps. She might wake up in the middle of the night, glassy-eyed and altered, telling me about voices outside her windows and voices in her head before rushing to the bathroom for some projectile vomiting and diarrhea. All of which would remind me of how ill she was before diagnosis, how her trachea was filled with pus according to the anesthesiologist, how her last bout of pneumonia sickened her for weeks because by age three her guts were so damaged that oral antibiotics didn't work, so that taking away her IV line was the same as stopping her meds. If you're put out by having to scan two words on a jerky label, give a thought to those who have to read the fine print on the back every day of their lives. Is it so offensive that food manufacturers make restrictive, difficult diets a bit easier?
In addition to gluten free it said 100% US beef. Do I make my point?
1
I'm up for anything that's well prepared and tastes good. Call me what you want, but don't call me late for dinner!
" the result of a bored immune system looking for new targets."
Much more likely the result of people looking to have their prejudices enshrined into "disability" law.
Much more likely the result of people looking to have their prejudices enshrined into "disability" law.
1
Yes!
Perhaps a virtuous cycle of less fussiness in early years would also lead to less actual intolerance. It seems like allergies to peanuts and everything else has exploded, such that no one can send their kid to school with PB&J (or a hundred other things) anymore. Well, feed your kid peanuts early and maybe they won't develop the allergy.
My kids ate dirt, crawled on the floor with the dog, ate some pretty yucky things the dog came in contact with, and were fed plenty of milk, PB&J, and even the occasional gluten/dairy/egg/fat filled cookie. They're both exceptionally healthy.
We all need to be a little less fussy these days.
Perhaps a virtuous cycle of less fussiness in early years would also lead to less actual intolerance. It seems like allergies to peanuts and everything else has exploded, such that no one can send their kid to school with PB&J (or a hundred other things) anymore. Well, feed your kid peanuts early and maybe they won't develop the allergy.
My kids ate dirt, crawled on the floor with the dog, ate some pretty yucky things the dog came in contact with, and were fed plenty of milk, PB&J, and even the occasional gluten/dairy/egg/fat filled cookie. They're both exceptionally healthy.
We all need to be a little less fussy these days.
I do not test positive for an intolerance to gluten (and neither does my family) BUT how we react to it is very real (not limited to bloating, gas, pains, etc). And I always have had an issue, but always assumed it was due to poorly prepared food. I am fairly certain that the gluten from 12,000 is VERY different from the gluten being consumed today. As a nutritionist, I see first-hand the positive results that are experienced when removing this protein in diet, even when someone is not 'allergic' to it.
It is a real problem to a lot of people and making fun of, or picking apart reasons for avoiding this does not help anyone.
It is a real problem to a lot of people and making fun of, or picking apart reasons for avoiding this does not help anyone.
3
Within one month of stopping all gluten products I lost 25 pounds and have never regained them.
Frankly, I feel so much better and don't miss the pasta, bagels, breads, etc. etc which I daily ate.
For years I was told that I was gluten intolerant. Finally, I learned that this was indeed the case.
The few times when I have eaten more than a little gluten ( like a whole pita) I have not only gotten major GI pains and constipation followed by diarrhea but felt emotionally drained.
Frankly, I feel so much better and don't miss the pasta, bagels, breads, etc. etc which I daily ate.
For years I was told that I was gluten intolerant. Finally, I learned that this was indeed the case.
The few times when I have eaten more than a little gluten ( like a whole pita) I have not only gotten major GI pains and constipation followed by diarrhea but felt emotionally drained.
7
what drives me nuts is this limits my choices. Our supermarket used to carry lots of pasta shapes, and various brands from Italy as well as the cheap store brand. Now over half the pasta shelf space is consumed by gluten-free, high protein, multigrain, whole grain, and "white fiber" (what on earth is that??) boxes of pasta, and the good Italian imports, and less common shapes are gone.
Thanks for highlighting a truly first world problem.
An increasingly common observation to post on the NYTimes comment boards.
Are we supposed to be concerned only with second and third world problems here in the first world? Or can we walk and chew gum at the same time?
Are we supposed to be concerned only with second and third world problems here in the first world? Or can we walk and chew gum at the same time?
Does this explain the Gluten Free Shampoo I saw on the shelf this week?
1
I know right! I'm actually now concerned that my eye surgery due to severe gluten intolerance and itchy damaged eyes could have been prevented by changing my shampoo!
"There has been a huge and mysterious rise in celiac disease.”
Despite your snotty back of the hand, there is nothing mysterious about it.
If indeed there has been a “huge” rise in the diagnosing of celiac disease, it is for the same reason as the rise in diagnosis of autism. Scientists and doctors know more than they did sixty years ago. It’s called progress. And thank your preferred deity for it.
Celiac remains the only medically legitimate reason for eliminating gluten from a diet. Don’t lump it in with the faddists.
Despite your snotty back of the hand, there is nothing mysterious about it.
If indeed there has been a “huge” rise in the diagnosing of celiac disease, it is for the same reason as the rise in diagnosis of autism. Scientists and doctors know more than they did sixty years ago. It’s called progress. And thank your preferred deity for it.
Celiac remains the only medically legitimate reason for eliminating gluten from a diet. Don’t lump it in with the faddists.
1
Our bodies are become increasingly more gluten intolerant due to the genetically modified wheat that we grow. It has five times more gluten than the wheat eaten by our parents. In order for the human body to ably digest so much gluten, we literally need three stomachs. If restaurants don't want to serve gluten-free options, they will lost customers. Obviously, gluten intolerance is on the rise. Restaurant owners might want to assess and adapt instead of trying to plant a stake in an ever-changing (rarely for the better) environment. GMOs are here and they are beginning to show how they take their toll on our bodies.
1
One young woman wrote: “I can’t eat shellfish but I do eat lobster."
"Right."
The woman certainly knows what foods she is allergic to but Mr. Cohen chooses to disbelieve her. He needs to be careful about letting his snarky side out of its cage.
"Right."
The woman certainly knows what foods she is allergic to but Mr. Cohen chooses to disbelieve her. He needs to be careful about letting his snarky side out of its cage.
3
As a retired physician and a "foodie" I found your article interesting and to the point.Celiac disease is of course very real but food fads are also very real.I remember the day my granddaughter and a young friend were at my home at lunch time and we invited them to the table.We were informed that the friend was vegetarian.We did our best to accommodate her but in the end both young girls ordered by phone a pepperoni pizza.
A little science might be good here. For instance, there are over 20 gluten related antigens that can be routinely tested for via skin tests which contributes to the high variability and quirkiness of gluten sensitivity. Also, the 80-90 year olds of your example are the survivors, the reduction of many, many peers who died younger and likely had some forms of food intolerance. Keep in mind that lactose intolerance is a real thing. It occurs later in life when there is no good evolutionary reason to make the enzyme because adult hominids didn't get milk in their diets. Gluten-intolerance for many is something that crops up later in life and we should ask if there is a connection, as there is with milk products, with earlier cave-man diets which were far richer in fat and protein than in carbs. After all, high availability of carbs in the last 10,000 years is a blip on the evolutionary radar. I looked up GLUTIN and wonder ig GLUTEN is a British spelling?
People really do have intolerances and serious allergies. That, and others are becoming more aware of what they put in their bodies, wether it's non-gluten, or organic or vegan. Some of it may be faddish, but some of it is worthy and sincere. Isn't that a good thing? What we eat impacts our health and the health of the planet. It may be a slight inconvenience for a restaurant or hostess, but ultimately it's us moving in the right direction. I think.
1
Often not "slight" for this hostess.
I'm happy to accommodate a real allergy, a religious issue or vegetarianism, but increasingly people are confusing "food preference" with "dietary requirement."
I'm happy to accommodate a real allergy, a religious issue or vegetarianism, but increasingly people are confusing "food preference" with "dietary requirement."
At least Mr. Cohen didn't use Germany as the model of modern culinary intolerance.
2
Dear author, I'm happy you've apparently not suffered any food allergies and that, praise the Lord, there is no limit to which you can gorge on gluten - good for you! In other news, there are serious issues with America's food industry. What you apparently consider elitist - pushing for local, organic, and raw foods, food labeling, and industry transparency - have all grown from the fact that our food itself is controlled by a handful of corporations (the real elitist). And while we may not all have allergies, choosing to avoid certain foods for the betterment of one's body (like avoiding dairy products because dairy is a major inflammatory), should never be mocked, but rather applauded! Instead of belittling those that take their food into their own hands, why don't you do some real good with your writing and take a harder look at WHY so many food allergies and other health issues exist today? Articles like this do little to help anyone, instead just perpetuating gross misconceptions and an obvious misunderstanding of food related diseases and allergies. I'm sorry a gaggle of millennials descended upon your favorite eatery and demanded a gluten free, vegan menu (my guess as to this article's origin), but next time do us all a favor and write something that leads to actual, meaningful discussion about our food. P.S. I'm sure there are many people who would be happy to discuss why they avoid certain foods/personal experiences with food allergies - have you ever asked?
3
This column is cerebration-free.
Gluten intolerance is real. Not everyone presents with GI symptoms, or diagnoses as having celiac disease. And other food allergies exist. People may be confused about whether they have such problems or not, but they are not a "mob" (per one clueless reader). It may be a fad of sorts, but lacking clear medical evidence or guidance, people will experiment.
Gluten intolerance is real. Not everyone presents with GI symptoms, or diagnoses as having celiac disease. And other food allergies exist. People may be confused about whether they have such problems or not, but they are not a "mob" (per one clueless reader). It may be a fad of sorts, but lacking clear medical evidence or guidance, people will experiment.
1
Tree nut allergic and lactose intolerant reader here. And YES I enjoyed the column. Dear fellow allergy sufferers, kindly abandon the reflexive persecution routine. Cohen clearly exonerated us from the overwrought food intolerance mania he was targeting.
There is vast reasonable terrain between the poles of suffering in pain and silence and making everyone else miserable because of your loud proud advocacy for your condition. I simply carry lactase tablets to digest dairy and an epi-pen if I mistakenly consume tree nuts.
Is it inconvenient and annoying? Heck yeah it is! But I know it's also incredibly annoying for those serving groups, be it a dinner party, a larger gathering, or the general public. Usually they accommodate my issues if I ask. If not, I understand, and make alternative arrangements, or sometimes I just literally eat the poison pill and then deal with very very uncomfortable consequences. I've done this hundreds of times, as I know many many others in my situation have.
Anaphylactic events are horrible, but death is a very rare outcome for adult allergy sufferers and an epi-pen or similar salve almost always come to the rescue if necessary. And let's (allergy sufferers) all be honest, here, shall we. It is a quite soluble first world problem to have, as opposed to LACK of food in the first place, or terminal conditions like advanced metastatic cancer, AIDs, or alzheimers.
A little perspective is in order.
There is vast reasonable terrain between the poles of suffering in pain and silence and making everyone else miserable because of your loud proud advocacy for your condition. I simply carry lactase tablets to digest dairy and an epi-pen if I mistakenly consume tree nuts.
Is it inconvenient and annoying? Heck yeah it is! But I know it's also incredibly annoying for those serving groups, be it a dinner party, a larger gathering, or the general public. Usually they accommodate my issues if I ask. If not, I understand, and make alternative arrangements, or sometimes I just literally eat the poison pill and then deal with very very uncomfortable consequences. I've done this hundreds of times, as I know many many others in my situation have.
Anaphylactic events are horrible, but death is a very rare outcome for adult allergy sufferers and an epi-pen or similar salve almost always come to the rescue if necessary. And let's (allergy sufferers) all be honest, here, shall we. It is a quite soluble first world problem to have, as opposed to LACK of food in the first place, or terminal conditions like advanced metastatic cancer, AIDs, or alzheimers.
A little perspective is in order.
2
What a refreshingly sensible comment. Thank you.
I'm so very tired of people dismissing the move toward gluten free foods as a self-indulgent food fad. Both my daughter and I have very real stomach pains whenever we eat products containing wheat (yes, even when we aren't aware that wheat is an ingredient, imagine that!) yet neither of us tests positive for celiac disease. I'd love to know the cause of this problem, but I've been through a battery of tests and thus far Western medicine can't provide one. The simplest way to avoid discomfort is to go with gluten free products, even though they don't yet begin to measure up to the flavor and texture of "real" pizza or pasta. We're not imagining the pain we experience, Mr. Cohen, and it certainly doesn't make us feel "special" when we're the only ones at a gathering who can't eat what is provided or who must eat at home before we attend. It's insulting that you suggest that this is feigned behavior, or created by the availability of gluten free products, which in my view are meeting a very real need.
2
My daughter and I were shopping for laundry detergent recently. The label for a detergent made by a company called Seventh Generation announced that the product was gluten free. Yes really. No, we didn't buy it. We just laughed at it.
Meanwhile, I found a gluten-free mom's website extolling the critical importance of gluten-free art supplies, because...toddlers. I'm thinking that if a toddler consumed enough glutenous paint to do whatever bad thing it is that gluten does, mom would have a lot more to worry about than the gluten.
When people are advertising gluten-free laundry detergent and gluten-free crayons, you know that a craze has gone way, way too far. Though the detergent label is a good way to help kids learn to recognize pseudoscience.
Meanwhile, I found a gluten-free mom's website extolling the critical importance of gluten-free art supplies, because...toddlers. I'm thinking that if a toddler consumed enough glutenous paint to do whatever bad thing it is that gluten does, mom would have a lot more to worry about than the gluten.
When people are advertising gluten-free laundry detergent and gluten-free crayons, you know that a craze has gone way, way too far. Though the detergent label is a good way to help kids learn to recognize pseudoscience.
1
I saw Gluten-Free Rat Poison in a market. So yes, it's a marketing ploy. But it is also a real disease, and those who have it have only recently become aware that a gluten-free diet can restore them to normal health. For all the virtues of our market-based society to meet individual needs, the United States was relatively late in even identifying gluten-free foods on menus; in Scandinavia they did this over ten years ago.
2
I have for years been allergic to cigarette smoke; it irritates makes my eyes and mucus membranes, and makes them burn. Ditto for perfumes, and scents added to products
It wasn't always this way. I can remember a time when these things didn't bother me. I've often wondered whether auto-suggestion is involved. Could these reactions be learned?
I don't know how helpful this is to a sufferer, but I offer it as something to consider. If I'm right, then perhaps hypnosis is the answer.
It wasn't always this way. I can remember a time when these things didn't bother me. I've often wondered whether auto-suggestion is involved. Could these reactions be learned?
I don't know how helpful this is to a sufferer, but I offer it as something to consider. If I'm right, then perhaps hypnosis is the answer.
4
An unfortunate column, Mr. Cohen. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps there are so many more people diagnosed with celiac nowadays because the medical community finally understands it and diagnoses it correctly? That's what my gastroenterologist told me.
..
I suddenly lost about 40 pounds three years ago and lost all energy. I honest to God thought I had cancer. Friends would come up to me and ask if I was alright. My gastroenterologist did a blood test, genetic test, and biopsy, and confirmed celiac. I changed my diet and whammo, I gained back almost 70 pounds and feel 100 percent better.
.
Does that sound to you as though I decided gluten must be bad for me, or that I suffer from "affluenza" or self-indulgence?
.
You owe somebody an apology for this tripe you wrote. But not me - tripe is gluten free.
..
I suddenly lost about 40 pounds three years ago and lost all energy. I honest to God thought I had cancer. Friends would come up to me and ask if I was alright. My gastroenterologist did a blood test, genetic test, and biopsy, and confirmed celiac. I changed my diet and whammo, I gained back almost 70 pounds and feel 100 percent better.
.
Does that sound to you as though I decided gluten must be bad for me, or that I suffer from "affluenza" or self-indulgence?
.
You owe somebody an apology for this tripe you wrote. But not me - tripe is gluten free.
32
I'm glad for you. But what you just described sounds psychosomatic. I don't know how old you are but it is impossible for you to have developed an allergy to gluten so instantaneously. The human immune system does not work that way towards a substance it has seen thousands of times. Still, it's good that you healed from your illness.
@Citizen
Your comment alone is almost reason enough to have this column written. While you have, by your own account, had to deal with a serious condition, you are NOT who this column is being written for! For every 1 of you, there are 10 who don't, and never have, had the symptoms you had to deal with. Not everything you read is applicable to YOU.
Your comment alone is almost reason enough to have this column written. While you have, by your own account, had to deal with a serious condition, you are NOT who this column is being written for! For every 1 of you, there are 10 who don't, and never have, had the symptoms you had to deal with. Not everything you read is applicable to YOU.
But Cohen wasn't writing about you -- rather, his concern was the me-centered culture of many affluent societies. He explicitly notes that some people have celiac disease and that, for them, gluten is very bad news indeed. But there are many others who claim allergies and other food-related vulnerabilities as a way to bid for attention. Their cases are quite different from yours, clearly, and they don't negate what you went through. Indeed, their conduct only further confuses the public about the real disease some people have...
1
My mother is deathly celiac, also lactose intolerant and allergic to soy. It makes me want to spit when young people try to make themselves special without regard to the two-way interaction of hospitality by embracing the latest fad. Her struggles (and ours to care for her) are difficult enough without all these precious young egos who are so inflexible about their so important selves (selfie-worthy, no doubt).
However, another point, I am convinced that part of her problems stem from excessive use of pesticides (Agent Orange, aka Sevin, in particular) and our current obsessions with the products of marketing that require a toxically "clean" environment to meet societal norms of approval.
A little dirt is healthy, too little dirt unhealthy indeed.
Let's stop with the excessive antibacterial products, the toxic waste form laundry "pods", and all the other sales and marketing ploys to make the two-dimensional universe more "clean" and life more unreal.
However, another point, I am convinced that part of her problems stem from excessive use of pesticides (Agent Orange, aka Sevin, in particular) and our current obsessions with the products of marketing that require a toxically "clean" environment to meet societal norms of approval.
A little dirt is healthy, too little dirt unhealthy indeed.
Let's stop with the excessive antibacterial products, the toxic waste form laundry "pods", and all the other sales and marketing ploys to make the two-dimensional universe more "clean" and life more unreal.
14
I feel strongly that people should be able to eat and live in a way that helps them feel best, without static from anyone, particularly those with no medical background. Shaming those who suffer from not yet accepted symptoms is often a prequel to real medical understanding. We should remember that there have been other alarming increases in health problems over recent generations and that may be the reason young people are sicker. The increase in asthma is an example of a formerly less frequent illness that is now common. When I was young I knew of no other children but me who had asthma. I found it embarrassing. The characterization of the asthmatic Piggy in Lord of the Flies was actually typical of the view of it as a personal failing that I experienced from others. My future husband's psychiatrist aunt told me it was all in my head and she was far from the first. Now millions of people carry an inhaler. No one thinks it's in an asthmatic's head. We accept the fact that there have been changes in the world which have contributed to this. I think we should consider that we are on a similar path with food sensitivities and should allow people who suffer from them, or who simply know that they feel better on some foods than others, the freedom to determine their diet without shame, blame, or baseless mischaricterization.
40
Caramel food coloring(made with ammonia) and brominated corn syrup(in Mountain Dew etc) were triggers for my asthma, until I figured that out and eliminated those from my diet. I wonder how many asthmatic kids out there also are triggered by those food colorings.
The matter you raise is not always easily resolved. I had a close friend who claimed crippling environmental sensitivities. Such sensitivities are not medically recognized and because of symptoms that mirrored schizophrenia, she was deemed seriously mentally ill and institutionalized involuntarily. Matters have improved for her but remain debilitating. I have been with her and spoken with her many times and I don't have a clue as to the correct diagnosis. Sensitivities can become much more than a nuisance and it is not clear to me that freedom of choice is always the answer. I confess bottom line uncertainty. But every case is different and there is no single answer for all.
Amen.
You should stick with your usual well informed commentary. As a parent of child with celiac, I'm very glad this is a trendy fad. My now 13 year old daughter is thriving and healthy, with many delicious food options. I'm thankful everyday that she was diagnosed in the midst of this fad, let's hope is last awhile longer.
31
I was happy to see this comment, Janice. I have Celiac (blood-tested and all for the past 7 years), and I am so, so very happy that the fad exists. I no longer have to explain what gluten is, or read over list after list of ingredients on each grocery with no guarantee of safety.
1
I am 23 years old and after nearly 2 years of terrible stomach pains, cramping, bowel pains, alternating constipation and diarrhoea and bleeding when going to the toilet, a colonoscopy found I have haemorrhoids, and able to rule out other conditions, I was diagnosed with IBS (the constipation from it the cause of the haemorrhoids).
I now take large fibre supplements twice a day (reminder - I am only 23) which have helped somewhat with the constipation but not enough to stop the haemorrhoids coming back. To lessen the symptoms of IBS I am on the low FODMAP diet, which has meant I've gone from being sick the majority of days, to only once every couple of weeks. It is very restrictive - the most important things to avoid are wheat, onion and garlic, which are in almost everything - and as such, I no longer enjoy eating out and no longer go out often. I *hate* having to ask for gluten free bread with my poached eggs (the only thing I'll order at cafes now - it's the easiest thing I can eat without modification) or having to wait to hear back from the kitchen whether there is anything - just one dish, I don't need options, I just want the least difficult one - that I can eat.
I only go out for dinner if I have to now. If I'm at an event being catered, I'll go hungry rather than be difficult. For me, it's not a choice to not be able to eat normally.
I now take large fibre supplements twice a day (reminder - I am only 23) which have helped somewhat with the constipation but not enough to stop the haemorrhoids coming back. To lessen the symptoms of IBS I am on the low FODMAP diet, which has meant I've gone from being sick the majority of days, to only once every couple of weeks. It is very restrictive - the most important things to avoid are wheat, onion and garlic, which are in almost everything - and as such, I no longer enjoy eating out and no longer go out often. I *hate* having to ask for gluten free bread with my poached eggs (the only thing I'll order at cafes now - it's the easiest thing I can eat without modification) or having to wait to hear back from the kitchen whether there is anything - just one dish, I don't need options, I just want the least difficult one - that I can eat.
I only go out for dinner if I have to now. If I'm at an event being catered, I'll go hungry rather than be difficult. For me, it's not a choice to not be able to eat normally.
27
I have operated specialty bakeries in the midwest, including french, san francisco sourdough (rented the starter for 3000 a month), and my bakers always said that Americans had no idea what a real loaf of bread is. French bread (real stuff) is not made from high gluten wheat (less than 8%) spring wheat from the Dakotas, proofs for up to three days, and is handled gently. American bread is hard red or white winter Kansas wheat, very high gluten, and blows up like a basketball with additives in less than an hour, then is flogged into a loaf by machine. What we eat here isn't bread, it is the inmdustrial equivalent of a belted tire, made to travel and last for days in transit. It stays in your gut also for days. Real bread is stale in 9 hours. I went through the gluten schtick, mostly the problem is what people put on and in bread to give it flavor. Real bread has flavor that greets the palate, needs only butter or oil. Real flour smells like fresh wheat, is fine between the fingers, and loves time in the yeast bowl, and is folded like a precious linen. American bread is abused, hammered, expanded violently and baked mean and surly. You are what you eat. Bread, the real stuff, is a miracle and any human can sniff it and find that atavistic need to crunch.
Strange truth: 90% of my midwest baked bread sold in less than an hour only at markets that sold the New York Times. Go figure.
Strange truth: 90% of my midwest baked bread sold in less than an hour only at markets that sold the New York Times. Go figure.
24
I can complain about the quality of American bread without claiming special knowledge.
I'm so tired of the "I'm so tired of gluten intolerance" columns. Okay. I get it. You don't have "my" problem - which is a real disease by the way. But how does this column really help anyone - those with celiac and those who choose not to eat gluten and those who do?
47
Personally I'm getting fed up with articles ridiculing people avoiding gluten. I and my sister both had over a decade of major health problems - especially digestive ones that the medical fraternity could not figure out as there was not a blood test for gluten sensitivity that is accurate. According to genetic testing we are not celiac. If you say you are gluten sensitive but not celiac then people think it's a fad you are following. Both my sister and I have immediate and major digestive problems after ingesting minute amounts of gluten. Being gluten free is not a choice, it's a necessity. Being gluten free for me means feeling energetic and healthy and no more wasted trips to doctors and allied health professionals for useless advice.
39
I know 2 people with celiac disease, and I understand that it's serious. The rest of the "gluten free" crowd makes me crazy. One guest came to my home for dinner and announced she was gluten free. The gorgeous food from the horrendously expensive market, although containing gluten, was suddenly edible. Hmmmm.........
21
There is some science behind rising gluten intolerance. The wheat we eat today is not the same that Jesus ate - this has been altered to have high amount of protein and less fiber. At the same time the hygiene hypothesis suggest that since we live in such sanitized surroundings that our immune system has become prone to attach self rather than invading organisms. It was not the case with our octogenarians.
So while we live longer than the 2000 years ago, we do so with a price.
So while we live longer than the 2000 years ago, we do so with a price.
7
This popular aversion to gluten is likely a fad disguising what you all should really be studying. That would be farming practices in the wheat fields as they have changed over the past 30 years. The herbicide known as Roundup - glyphosate - is intended for weed control early in the growing season but now famers apply it days before harvest to speed the drying process by killing the wheat. This is an off label use of the product. The glyposate residual in the wheat is making its way to our digestive systems where it interferes with the microbes responsible for synthesis of amino acids. Google it for heavens sakes. Sure some people genuinely have problems with gluten, but more likely it's the glyphosate in our guts thanks to off label uses of herbicides.
22
Another one takes the Stephanie Seneff bait...
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/glyphosate-the-new-bogeyman/
Now Google some real scientific publications!
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/glyphosate-the-new-bogeyman/
Now Google some real scientific publications!
I watched my son stop breathing a few minutes after he ate a pistachio. He has severe food allergies and they could kill him. Dismissing this very real, very serious disease and grouping it with food intolerances, "to imagined intolerances and allergies," shows your ignorance and lack of respect for people that suffer from diseases. Would you say these things about people with cancer or mental health issues? This kind of ignorance and your intolerance add to the misunderstanding about life threatening allergies that threatens my son's safety. I expect more from the NY Times.
16
Why did you let him eat a pistachio? And is your son a good reason why pistachios or food containing them should be banned or restricted?
Answer to B is no, by the way.
Answer to B is no, by the way.
Three relatives of mine have celiac disease, and it's no joking matter. It is expensive for them, and crimps their social life. They would give a lot not to have to worry about gluten.
At the same time, only one of the three has serious symptoms and suffers from even cross-contamination. Another one worries about her long-term health and so avoids gluten religiously, though she does not seem to suffer when she mistakenly eats it. The third often eats gluten, though he generally avoids it.
Those who do not have celiac disease -- and that is 99% of the population -- should realize that there is nothing harmful about gluten. Nor need they worry about allergans or be picky about their food unless they, again, are among the very few unfortunates who have serious food allergies.
Trouble is, many people are being irresponsible in claiming food allergies or demanding gluten-free foods when they simply want to avoid certain foods. That ruins it for the real sufferers.
At the same time, only one of the three has serious symptoms and suffers from even cross-contamination. Another one worries about her long-term health and so avoids gluten religiously, though she does not seem to suffer when she mistakenly eats it. The third often eats gluten, though he generally avoids it.
Those who do not have celiac disease -- and that is 99% of the population -- should realize that there is nothing harmful about gluten. Nor need they worry about allergans or be picky about their food unless they, again, are among the very few unfortunates who have serious food allergies.
Trouble is, many people are being irresponsible in claiming food allergies or demanding gluten-free foods when they simply want to avoid certain foods. That ruins it for the real sufferers.
12
@John Smithson:
I do not have celiac disease, and yet I still have trouble digesting wheat. My digestion improved dramatically when I eliminated wheat from my diet. I don't know about gluten, but there is something harmful about wheat for me.
I do not have celiac disease, and yet I still have trouble digesting wheat. My digestion improved dramatically when I eliminated wheat from my diet. I don't know about gluten, but there is something harmful about wheat for me.
1
Give me gluten!!!! Seriously, I understand the VERY FEW who truly are gluten intolerant--but this fad is (like many fads) ridiculous. I am always suspect of big ag., so maybe there is something to the way these grains are processed--but I think this whole thing has gotten out of control. Well, anyway, more pasta and pizza for me!
20
@Ibswink:
Celiac disease is estimated to be 1% of the population, most of whom are undiagnosed. That's millions of people in the US alone, and that's not counting "non-celiacs" who still have trouble digesting wheat. So not "very few" as you stated.
Why do you care if other people eat wheat?
Celiac disease is estimated to be 1% of the population, most of whom are undiagnosed. That's millions of people in the US alone, and that's not counting "non-celiacs" who still have trouble digesting wheat. So not "very few" as you stated.
Why do you care if other people eat wheat?
1
I really fail to understand the lack of empathy conveyed in this article.
Being gluten-free isn't a political fad or an opinion - for most of us, it's a medical decision. I've had celiacs for 12 years, and while I have never 'imposed' by 'gluten-free lifestyle' on anyone else, I am also delighted by the proliferation of gluten-free products.
I would never mock someone with diabetes for requesting low-glycemic food, so I don't know why you think it's ok to mock someone for needing gluten-free food.
Being gluten-free isn't a political fad or an opinion - for most of us, it's a medical decision. I've had celiacs for 12 years, and while I have never 'imposed' by 'gluten-free lifestyle' on anyone else, I am also delighted by the proliferation of gluten-free products.
I would never mock someone with diabetes for requesting low-glycemic food, so I don't know why you think it's ok to mock someone for needing gluten-free food.
41
We are fine with you eating whatever you want, as long as it does not impact what we eat. And you want it to impact what we eat. You want your prejudices catered for at the expense of others.
Well put.
Four years ago I was in France, and for five glorious weeks I enjoyed my favourite breakfast (croissants) and my favourite pastries (millefeuilles) as often as possible. Six months later those things started making me sick. Medical science remains ignorant of the causes of this problem, and as if this were not enough, I have to read dismissive and far-fetched social theories about it. Please be grateful that you are not one of us and leave it at that.
29
A lot of people are gassy, bloated and uncomfortable after eating fiber-rich whole grain products -- and believe them-self to be gluten-sensitive. They are not. They (self included) simply have a tougher time digesting a complex of whole grains.
I'll have my peanut butter and jam on white, thank you.
Same goes for milk and such. A big ol' glass of milk to wash down a hunk of chocolate cake is a thing of my youth. But a half cup of milk and a slice of cake, no problem!
I'm disgustingly healthy and look it. Yes, I know how lucky I am.
I'll have my peanut butter and jam on white, thank you.
Same goes for milk and such. A big ol' glass of milk to wash down a hunk of chocolate cake is a thing of my youth. But a half cup of milk and a slice of cake, no problem!
I'm disgustingly healthy and look it. Yes, I know how lucky I am.
8
Actually, there is nothing odd about eating a gluten and dairy free diet, which is what people largely ate until ten thousand years ago. After that, the skeletal evidence demonstrates, humanity declined in stature and strength and began suffering a number of chronic illnesses. Much odder than any millenial demanding gluten-free entrees, is the pretense that a diet consisting largely of highly processed grains is 'natural' and that only 'narcissistic' people resist eating it--the theme of this ill-informed and trite piece.
16
"the skeletal evidence demonstrates, humanity declined in stature and strength and began suffering a number of chronic illnesses."
Also about the time there was a decided rise in intelligence and civilization.
Also about the time there was a decided rise in intelligence and civilization.
FYI- It is possible to be allergic to some shellfish but not lobster. There are two types of shellfish: crustaceans (lobster and shrimp) and mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels). You can be allergic to one type but not the other.
13
There are many reasons why people around the world hate Americans.
Many of their reasons are petty, misguided, or pointless.
At least this one is valid, and we deserve all their scorn.
Many of their reasons are petty, misguided, or pointless.
At least this one is valid, and we deserve all their scorn.
5
“If people over 80 will eat anything…” I’m not sure what the basis is for your assertion other than the anecdotal report about he British gathering. Among my over 80 years old acquaintances, many have quite different dietary preferences. And why is it important that there is an “epidemic” of dietary restrictions? People are free to choose their dietary life style, and if it works for them, why should you care? Is this one of the pressing social issues facing this country?
8
Spot on Roger Cohen. The allergies people have, are incredible if not downright laughable. I am an anesthesiologist and therefore I DO and HAVE to know about food and drug allergies. Shellfish allergy is one of those. Shellfish allergy really is an allergy to iodine and therefore patients going in for CT scan and MRI cannot get IV contrast because it contains Iodine. Then there are the antibiotic allergies. On close history, they are nothing more than side-effects. Then there is the Latex allergy which can be fatal and therefore great precautions have to be undertaken with latex free equipment. However, on close examination you discover that there was a redness of the skin where the tourniquet was tied. And now along comes gluten. How much is and how much is not is debatable. It could perhaps be lactose intolerance, resulting in diarrhea, gas and bloating because of the massive amounts of dairy products we ingest, in the quest to eating healthy. But once this allergy becomes a part of the patient's history, he has to live with it, right or wrong. But during the process medical costs incurred skyrocket to prevent the adverse repercussions of an allergy. Americans tend to err on the side of caution and unlike the Venetian restaurateur, the American restaurants cannot declare gluten-free but each dish has to be analyzed for it's contents. Now I hope our restaurants are not out-sourced too!
9
@NI:
So lactose intolerance is real but wheat intolerance is not?
So lactose intolerance is real but wheat intolerance is not?
And sometimes antibiotics cause folks to have their throat swell shut while they become covered in hot itchy red welts. "Side effects" indeed. Glad you weren't the doctor in my OR when I insisted on no Vanco or Clindamyacin after surgery. I'd be dead as a door nail (oh yeah and no heavy or prolonged doses of epinephrine or steroids for Type 1 diabetics because it can cause life threatening high blood sugars and DKA or is that just another tedious "side effect" you'd like to dismiss as well?)
This was a terrific column.
I appreciate the candor and taking a position that likely isn't popular with some readers.
I appreciate the candor and taking a position that likely isn't popular with some readers.
You column is not only gluten free, but also anti-oxidant and cholesterol free :)
3
You should have done your research better. My daughter has Celiac (and yes, for all you doubter, it is serious). We travelled to Europe. She had no problem at all in Italy finding gluten free food. They have so many people with Celiac in Italy and that they start to test them as children. No one glared at her.
Can we come to an understanding that it isn't always a fad.
Can we come to an understanding that it isn't always a fad.
18
After years of watching the gluten-free fad swell with unease, I'm beginning to think that there is a deeper cultural anxiety attached to the idea of going without gluten than to gluten itself.
Keep an eye out and you'll notice a cottage industry of articles just like this one. Begin with a bit of science, then draw a scientifically unsupported line between "real sufferers" (celiacs) and pretend-sufferers (everyone else), then conclude with a good-ol' boy nod to tradition and simplicity.
And what is achieved? Those sides of the same coin: more polarisation and more clicks. Well done.
As a person who has to avoid gluten, I'm amazed that people without this burden are putting so much energy into thinking about it. Why the descent into schoolyard mockery? What are people so afraid of?
Keep an eye out and you'll notice a cottage industry of articles just like this one. Begin with a bit of science, then draw a scientifically unsupported line between "real sufferers" (celiacs) and pretend-sufferers (everyone else), then conclude with a good-ol' boy nod to tradition and simplicity.
And what is achieved? Those sides of the same coin: more polarisation and more clicks. Well done.
As a person who has to avoid gluten, I'm amazed that people without this burden are putting so much energy into thinking about it. Why the descent into schoolyard mockery? What are people so afraid of?
21
Bravo Mr Cohen! Judging from the comments, you've struck a nerve! Unfortunately, a lot of people are confusing nut allergies/anaphylaxis (truly life threatening) with gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), a condition that does, in fact, affect 1% of the population (not 50%, as some retailers would have us believe. And while serologic (blood) tests may be suggestive of the diagnosis, only a small bowel biopsy is truly diagnostic. Since there is an approximate 30% placebo effect in ALL medical interventions, is it possible that a significant number of those who THINK they have celiac disease, and alter their diets
accordingly may in fact be benefitting from same?
I was recently traveling, and my Chicago hotel advertised gluten free shampoo and conditioner in my bathroom...what is the world coming to...
accordingly may in fact be benefitting from same?
I was recently traveling, and my Chicago hotel advertised gluten free shampoo and conditioner in my bathroom...what is the world coming to...
23
@Susan Edsall:
I do not have celiac disease, but I had chronic, painful IBS which was cured by a wheat-free diet. On the way there, I tried dairy-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, meditation, acupuncture, talk therapy, and numerous drugs and supplements. I wanted very badly all of these treatments to work, but none of them did. If that's a placebo effect, it's a very selective one.
I do not have celiac disease, but I had chronic, painful IBS which was cured by a wheat-free diet. On the way there, I tried dairy-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free, meditation, acupuncture, talk therapy, and numerous drugs and supplements. I wanted very badly all of these treatments to work, but none of them did. If that's a placebo effect, it's a very selective one.
I don't think you can "think you have celiac" anymore than you can "think" you have diabetes. My child went through a set of tests including a stomach probe before getting his diagnosis.
Good comment!! Too many people do not realize that only a biopsy can diagnose celiac disease. Yes nut allergies are completely different and these were not what were being alluded to in this article.
I have celiac disease. Plain and simple. I would love to be able to eat anything and everything without giving it a second thought and having to question ingredients. So I don't appreciate your snarky comments. This is not a fad for me.
21
Well said. I don't understand the snark either. It is a disease. Are people this snarky about diabetes?
7
My family and I are omnivores who enjoy food tremendously. When my children were babies and I was nursing, they had allergies that precluded me from eating a lot of things beloved by me: bread, pasta, dairy, shellfish, nuts.... luckily, they outgrew it (the culprit, it turns out for our family, was detergent. Remove detergent from our lives, and voila, the bloody eczema went away. Detergent is in everything these days, toothpaste included). So, I have great sympathies for people (especially children) who need special diets. At least of the children I know well, I have seen the hives that break out after accidentally ingesting the forbidden food. So it is not an imagined allergy. But this is not to say that there are not people whose allergy are pure fancy. Good and bad. Gluten free used to be impossible to find. But I'm afraid 20 years from now, people might discover that the gluten free substitutes to be actually very bad for health (margarine was good for us till it was not). In any case, consumers should clamor for real food, should look carefully at the way food is grown and vote with their money.
6
I read your column with interest as I downed my aged cheddar and whole wheat sandwich. Part of the 'epidemic' is better testing and information so that those with dietary intolerances are more aware that that and not some mysterious 'stomach bug' are causing their woes. Another part is weight loss dieting, which periodically chooses one food group or another to demonize. It is sometimes easier to say "I'm allergic" to some food or another, than to say "I don't eat that because that's not on my diet.' If it's a medical condition, people will generally not push you to 'try just one or two bites. it's so delicious!'
One other possibility that R Cohen does not touch on is the hybridized and/or genetically modified grains and legumes which are almost impossible to avoid these days. Some people may be the canaries in the coal mine, warning us that there are problems with these plants that the rest of us have not yet encountered.
One other possibility that R Cohen does not touch on is the hybridized and/or genetically modified grains and legumes which are almost impossible to avoid these days. Some people may be the canaries in the coal mine, warning us that there are problems with these plants that the rest of us have not yet encountered.
4
If only dietary meddling were completely benign, but it isn't. Our bodies have evolved over millenia to thrive on those particular foods available to us - I don't think I'd do well on an Innuit diet, for example.
A short look-back over the history of food fads, mostly but not all medically approved reveals the demonizing of butter which led to greater consumption of trans fats and probably more than a few extra coronary events. Beef liver was in until cholesterol was out; now carbs and especially gluten are the villains.
While the Roman senators dined on peacock's tongues and other exotica, the legions were conquering the known world - on a diet of bread and beer. Just saying.
A short look-back over the history of food fads, mostly but not all medically approved reveals the demonizing of butter which led to greater consumption of trans fats and probably more than a few extra coronary events. Beef liver was in until cholesterol was out; now carbs and especially gluten are the villains.
While the Roman senators dined on peacock's tongues and other exotica, the legions were conquering the known world - on a diet of bread and beer. Just saying.
3
My kid can't eat more than 20 foods due to life-threatening food allergies. We eat out perhaps once a year, and only at a restaurant that has been carefully vetted and the chef communicated with a week in advance, because to spontaneously assume a kitchen could accommodate his needs would put his life at risk. To say I'm angry at you lumping me in with the allergy charlatans puts it mildly. Until you walk a mile in my boy's shoes, how dare you throw stones and judge me. How dare you.
14
It's a little ironic that he opens by assuming that Italians have a 'healthier' outlook on this issue than spoiled Americans. Italians are actually are the forefront in terms of gluten-free options and testing for celiac among children (though I do agree that these options should be for people who actually have a medical issue and not for those for whom it's just another fad diet.)
See NPR's article here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/23/433430664/italy-land-of-p...
See NPR's article here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/23/433430664/italy-land-of-p...
9
"The narcissism of minor differences" - I love it! I have minor, medically verified, food allergies that guide my food choices at home. I never mention them to prospective hosts; one meal isn't going to kill me. But if my partner, or someone else who's aware of the allergies, is around, they'll eagerly preempt me, turning a minor medical issue into a social pose.
4
As someone who would experience life-threatening anaphylaxis if I ingested even the smallest amount of peanut protein, it has become more difficult to get people to take allergies seriously when so many people, including our Secretary of State, claim to be allergic to foods, when in reality they are not. Celiac disease is a very real thing, and I have close friends who have said to me that they feel like restaurants no longer take their gluten-free requests seriously, believing they are only jumping on the latest diet bandwagon. Trust us, if we could truly "eat anything," we would be beyond thrilled to experience that freedom. Unless you know for sure that someone does not have a severe allergy, you should take them seriously when they ask questions about ingredients and preparation methods.
5
I've been living (happily) with celiac disease for almost fifteen years (diagnosed in May of 2002). Now that I'm in my second year of college and what I eat has become a reflection of my autonomy, I feel increasingly conflicted about the growth of food allergies and intolerances. On the one hand, it's made my autoimmune disorder easier to live with, with a great proliferation of GF foods. On the other, it seems to have given people everywhere the right to judge me because they interpret my disease-mandated dietary restrictions as an example of a delusional, fad-diet obsessed, narcissistic millennial generation. Not to mention the complete arbitrariness of the general public's interpretation of what is and isn't a legitimate dietary choice! My school's dining halls make constant accommodations for vegans (a dietary choice) but virtually none for celiacs (a medical necessity) largely because our administration seems to have legitimized veganism and de-legitimized celiac disease. What gives?
6
I was at a party the other night attended by several female friends who fall into the "affluenza and narcissistic fussiness" category. They all droned on and on about eschewing gluten, adopting periodic veganism, their belief that certain foods caused them to have inflammation, and how terrified they were of various ingredients. Meanwhile, they all drink a lot of alcohol (including gluten-free beers) and several are smokers. None have any of the symptoms of celiac disease or inflammatory conditions.
7
My sister has celiac disease. It nearly killed her. Further exposure to gluten could still kill her. She is the mother of two young children. Mr. Cohen should be forced to eat this essay.
15
I'll shred it and feed it to him with a fork......
Yes its probably exaggerated but there are those of us for whom its real. Before being diagnosed with Celiac's years ago my blood cell count went so awry that I became emaciated and could no longer feel either my fingers nor feet. The prescribed gluten free diet returned me to full health. As to the Lobster vs. shellfish comment, I am extremely allergic to shrimp and only shrimp... bring on the lobster, crawfish etc.. and I have no negative reaction. So yes, gluten and other specific allergies are possible and real when diagnosed by a proper specialist.
Now Roger, about Italy and gluten free diets: I had a splendid time in Italy a year ago and good chefs were happy to serve me gluten-free pastas. Was I surprised? Yes and very pleasantly so.
To the naysayers I say "try it out and you will feel better". To the marketers I say "be honest" though I realize that is like asking Congress to act maturely.
Now Roger, about Italy and gluten free diets: I had a splendid time in Italy a year ago and good chefs were happy to serve me gluten-free pastas. Was I surprised? Yes and very pleasantly so.
To the naysayers I say "try it out and you will feel better". To the marketers I say "be honest" though I realize that is like asking Congress to act maturely.
5
When you can buy gluten-free shampoo and gluten-free pet food (as you now can) you know that products that initially addressed a real problem i.e. celiac disease, have now just become a fad.
10
Shampoo and conditioner containing gluten can find their way from hair to mouth -- causing problems for those with celiac disease. Even when obvious GI symptoms don't occur from gluten ingestion, those with celiac disease can undergo silent damage to bones, neurological systems, any part of the body.
Actually some people have allergic skin reactions when they come in contact with gluten. I recently met a chef whose wrists and hands become red and inflamed after touching flour after many years of baking.
The article correctly points out that most consumers of gluten-free and other trendy food are affluent and part of the "narcissistic generation." However, it’s also worth pointing out this generation is disproportionately more affected by allergies, including allergies that present later in life and are not life threatening.
Millennials grew up knowing there was a peanut-free table in the cafeteria so students who would suffer anaphylaxis when consuming nuts could feel safe. Most though didn't anticipate that rashes, headaches, or gastrointestinal symptoms could present in our twenties as a result of food.
Relearning how to eat in a way that optimizes health is a journey, and understanding a body that is changing as a result of later-in-life allergies can take time. No one benefits from criticizing each other as we work to figure that out, nor should we say only certain degrees or types of allergy symptoms are valid.
However - the main and most important point of this article, I think - part of adapting to new allergies includes adopting habits to help maintain a social life while also caring for the body. This should include learning to bring snacks to social gatherings in case there is no suitable food, offering to organize so you can choose menus, and being mindful that there will just be some occasions where the decision is eat something bland or go hungry.
Millennials grew up knowing there was a peanut-free table in the cafeteria so students who would suffer anaphylaxis when consuming nuts could feel safe. Most though didn't anticipate that rashes, headaches, or gastrointestinal symptoms could present in our twenties as a result of food.
Relearning how to eat in a way that optimizes health is a journey, and understanding a body that is changing as a result of later-in-life allergies can take time. No one benefits from criticizing each other as we work to figure that out, nor should we say only certain degrees or types of allergy symptoms are valid.
However - the main and most important point of this article, I think - part of adapting to new allergies includes adopting habits to help maintain a social life while also caring for the body. This should include learning to bring snacks to social gatherings in case there is no suitable food, offering to organize so you can choose menus, and being mindful that there will just be some occasions where the decision is eat something bland or go hungry.
7
Please do not join the bandwagon of people deriding those who suffer autoimmune reactions to food. This is a REAL problem and getting worse. The reason why elderly people might be more able to tolerate a wider range of food is NOT because they are unaffected by 'fads.' It's because they were probably raised with purer, more diverse, less chemically adulterated food to begin with,as well as less antibiotic use (which can damage the intestinal flora which helps us digest), etc. Further, those who are old are by definition those who MADE IT to that age, those who were the healthiest of their cohort. It is sophistry to use them to disprove anyone else's health challenges. I wish people would stop bashing the very real movement to sensitize us all to the role of environment, especially nutrition, in disease. The worst thing to do is ridicule and stigmatize those of us who need to be careful with our diets. It's hard enough as it is to avoid things that might make many of us quite ill.
15
You completely miss the point. The way food, especially grains like wheat & corn, are grown in the US today includes spraying with some of the most noxious chemicals ever created. Italian wheat may be OK but people may be having negative reactions to food here because in the name of weed & pest control our food is being poisoned. I'm a gardener & a recent problem has arisen with organic gardeners. The compost made from animal waste of animals fed on US grains contain enough herbicide to poison a garden for up to three years. When I say poison: not even weeds will grow in it never mind organic vegetables. We are all being used as lab rats for whatever new herbicide or insecticide comes to market. No wonder food allergies are increasing geometrically.
15
Celiac disease and pesticides and herbicides have nothing to do with each other. Celiac disease is determined by a special test to see if your body reacts to the protein in wheat. We do have problems with chemicals on our crops, but that's not the source of gluten insensitivity.
The correlation between the number of hospital discharge diagnoses of celiac disease and glyphosate applications to wheat between 1990 and 2010 is extremely strong (R=0.9759; Interdisciplinary Toxicology 2013; Vol. 6(4): 159–184. doi: 10.2478/intox-2013-0026). The amount and diversity of toxins we are exposed to, many of which is used extensively in industrial agriculture, has increased dramatically in the last several decades. I find it difficult to believe that these have no detrimental effects on human health.
6
Several months ago Jimmy Kimmel did one of his "man on the street" segments where they asked people if they were on a gluten-free diet. Many said "yes." Then they were asked what gluten was....and a great majority did not know! Going gluten-free has become somewhat of a fad. I'm not saying celiac disease is not real, but some folks just latch on to anything as a diet fad. Gluten-free is a current fad. And going overboard on "organic" is another pet peeve of mine. Organic isn't always better, but it is always more expensive.
4
Thanks a million for giving your partial blessing to celiac disease.
I am sure everyone who suffers, and the word IS suffer, will sleep better knowing the affliction sort of has your approval as sort of being legitimate.
There is this thing called ‘ the internet? ‘
Use it. Educate yourself.
I am sure everyone who suffers, and the word IS suffer, will sleep better knowing the affliction sort of has your approval as sort of being legitimate.
There is this thing called ‘ the internet? ‘
Use it. Educate yourself.
some have suggested, the result of a bored immune system looking for new targets.
In today's modern, chemical and synthetic laden environment, I suspect it's probably just the opposite of "boredom" . . . more like being overwhelmed and completely unable to cope. Since our immune systems are being assaulted on every imaginable level and front it seems only logical it would shut down first on one of the most primary and prevalent substances it has to deal with, like gluten, because that eliminates the largest stress amount it has to handle.
In today's modern, chemical and synthetic laden environment, I suspect it's probably just the opposite of "boredom" . . . more like being overwhelmed and completely unable to cope. Since our immune systems are being assaulted on every imaginable level and front it seems only logical it would shut down first on one of the most primary and prevalent substances it has to deal with, like gluten, because that eliminates the largest stress amount it has to handle.
Add to "over the top" the endless array of quick weight loss diets, which essentially shock the body, and cannot be followed long term. Changing dietary habits, eating healthy, cutting back on calories, exercising more? Boring. So the young, many who do exercise and some who truly eat healthy (and normal), are vulnerable to slick marketing of fads. Quick weight loss is quick getting rich by those who promote them. Sorry, but the proven diets are those adapted by the American Dietetic Association, similar to Weight Watchers. But, I'd still avoid their gimmick brands. Check out the ingredients; similar to less expensive, and less glamorous, products.
As a cardiac nurse, I do a lot of nutritional education. the whole gluten thing I think is mainly hogwash. A small percentage of the population has issues with gluten,the rest have fallen victim to a trend. there are gluten free isles in many grocery stores, but my patients have to search all over for low sodium foods
( that a huge population of people should be eating.). I guess low salt is just not sexy enough to draw the attention that the gluten free folks have received.
( that a huge population of people should be eating.). I guess low salt is just not sexy enough to draw the attention that the gluten free folks have received.
5
The gluten free hypochondria was driven by a Peter Gibson's study showing a possible correlation of gluten and some health issues and a massive marketing campaign by a man named Walter Davis, who has made a small fortune off of his "wheat belly" empire with the irresponsible support of trusted media figures like Dr. Oz and Oprah. It should not be surprising that the uncritical American public finds it credible. Even though Gibson and his team have redone their studies with better design so that they refute any correlation a $30 billion industry has grown out of the lemming like nutritional gluten hypochondria.
Lots of people are sensitive to lots of things in reality. The difference between the 80 year olds and the 25 year olds seems to be not one of physiology but one of gracelessness. What a pity. A friend who gives glamorous dinners wears herself to a frazzle every time she has to deal with seven different food taboos. Last year she began explaining the value of Tupperware to here invitees.
Lots of people are sensitive to lots of things in reality. The difference between the 80 year olds and the 25 year olds seems to be not one of physiology but one of gracelessness. What a pity. A friend who gives glamorous dinners wears herself to a frazzle every time she has to deal with seven different food taboos. Last year she began explaining the value of Tupperware to here invitees.
8
My friend Megan contacted Peter Gibson about his study of IBS patients and what the results meant. He sent us this in reply:
Dr. Gibson's response:
Dear Megan In place of a video, I will address your queries by email.
You are right in that our study has been misinterpreted and criticised presumably because the results did not fit preconceived ideas or was seen to support other ideas (like ‘it is all in your head’).
The study was not designed to determine whether gut symptoms in the participants were real or not – the ‘all-in-your-head’ concept is way beyond its use-by date and has little credence these days. The study was about trying to identify what specific component of wheat might be triggering the symptoms. We looked directly at the protein content of wheat (mostly gluten) and indirectly at FODMAPs. We found in this small group of people who believed it was the gluten causing the problems that gluten was indeed not causing the gut symptoms, but in another report (I have copied it for you perusal) that gluten might be causing current feelings of depression. The latter finding needs confirmation. It all had nothing to do with determining whether the symptoms were real or not! We believe that the fructans (FODMAPs) in the wheat might be a more likely trigger of the gut symptoms as all participants had improved symptoms when they reduced the FODMAP intake (from all sources).
Dr. Gibson's response:
Dear Megan In place of a video, I will address your queries by email.
You are right in that our study has been misinterpreted and criticised presumably because the results did not fit preconceived ideas or was seen to support other ideas (like ‘it is all in your head’).
The study was not designed to determine whether gut symptoms in the participants were real or not – the ‘all-in-your-head’ concept is way beyond its use-by date and has little credence these days. The study was about trying to identify what specific component of wheat might be triggering the symptoms. We looked directly at the protein content of wheat (mostly gluten) and indirectly at FODMAPs. We found in this small group of people who believed it was the gluten causing the problems that gluten was indeed not causing the gut symptoms, but in another report (I have copied it for you perusal) that gluten might be causing current feelings of depression. The latter finding needs confirmation. It all had nothing to do with determining whether the symptoms were real or not! We believe that the fructans (FODMAPs) in the wheat might be a more likely trigger of the gut symptoms as all participants had improved symptoms when they reduced the FODMAP intake (from all sources).
1
(Gibson's reply continued)
So the bottom line from these studies is that gluten is unlikely to be the trigger of gut symptoms in the people studied, but that gluten might be making them feeling more depressed. This in no way means that gluten does not cause gut symptoms in people without coeliac disease – but just not in this 37. The implication is that gluten is not a common cause of gut symptoms as some people believe. I do hope this has answered your questions. Regards Peter Gibson
So the bottom line from these studies is that gluten is unlikely to be the trigger of gut symptoms in the people studied, but that gluten might be making them feeling more depressed. This in no way means that gluten does not cause gut symptoms in people without coeliac disease – but just not in this 37. The implication is that gluten is not a common cause of gut symptoms as some people believe. I do hope this has answered your questions. Regards Peter Gibson
1
@jlockley:
You should read those Gibson studies more closely. _hey successfully cured non-celiac IBS patients on a _wheat-free diet._ Then they reintroduced purified gluten to no effect. Wheat is more than just gluten, obviously something else in the wheat was causing the IBS symptoms.
You should read those Gibson studies more closely. _hey successfully cured non-celiac IBS patients on a _wheat-free diet._ Then they reintroduced purified gluten to no effect. Wheat is more than just gluten, obviously something else in the wheat was causing the IBS symptoms.
Like many celiacs I had been horribly sick before diagnosis and then it took me two years to recover and then, finally to feel normal again. But unlike most celiacs I could accidentally eat gluten and not feel sick if it there is but a little of it in the food. So mildly cross-contaminated foods don't affect me. My biggest problem right now is reading labels in the food market. Did you know that there is no labeling requirement to mark for gluten present? It would make my life extremely better to require foods to label contains gluten when any one of their ingredients actually do contain gluten. Then many like me would be able to quickly find edible foods without reading for every blinking ingredient on every label, every blinking time at the market!
7
Dear Roger:
I, as well as many of my immediate and extended family members, am a Celiac. The disease is known to be genetic.
My mother's grandmother--my great-grandmother--died after a long battle with colon cancer. My mom firmly believes that her grandmother was an undiagnosed Celiac. A long-term side effect of Celiac's disease is intestinal cancer.
We are lucky today that doctors know more about Celiac's and are diagnosing it more commonly than ever before. That just wasn't the case for older generations. It is very well possible that my early diagnosis at the age of 17 has saved me from developing colon cancer later in life.
I don't think eating gluten-free to prolong my life is "individualistic," "anxiety-ridden," or "narcissistic." Rather, I would call myself "proactive."
I, as well as many of my immediate and extended family members, am a Celiac. The disease is known to be genetic.
My mother's grandmother--my great-grandmother--died after a long battle with colon cancer. My mom firmly believes that her grandmother was an undiagnosed Celiac. A long-term side effect of Celiac's disease is intestinal cancer.
We are lucky today that doctors know more about Celiac's and are diagnosing it more commonly than ever before. That just wasn't the case for older generations. It is very well possible that my early diagnosis at the age of 17 has saved me from developing colon cancer later in life.
I don't think eating gluten-free to prolong my life is "individualistic," "anxiety-ridden," or "narcissistic." Rather, I would call myself "proactive."
17
I am on the FODMAP diet, which is more restrictive in some ways than the diet a Celiac patient must follow. I have to avoid onions, garlic, wheat (but not gluten), dairy (but I can and do eat lactose-free yogurt), most fruit, and several veggies. I am also unable to digest most of the fillers and "stuff" they put into prepared foods. There are other things, but as you can see, this diet is very difficult to follow and I mainly eat only things I prepare at home.
Do I do this out of fussiness? Or am I just narcissistic? No, I have lost 40 pounds, I am not constantly bloated, and I seldom go through cycles of gastrointestinal distress and embarrassing gas eruptions. Restaurants that advertise that they at least TRY to accommodate my poor health get my business.
Do I wish I could eat watermelon, corn chips, salsa, avocados, garlic, onions, and more? Of course, but I can't.
Do I do this out of fussiness? Or am I just narcissistic? No, I have lost 40 pounds, I am not constantly bloated, and I seldom go through cycles of gastrointestinal distress and embarrassing gas eruptions. Restaurants that advertise that they at least TRY to accommodate my poor health get my business.
Do I wish I could eat watermelon, corn chips, salsa, avocados, garlic, onions, and more? Of course, but I can't.
7
Thank you, Mr. Cohen, for writing this column. Somebody should have been making the points you do a long time ago!
No doubt celiac disease is a serious health issue for sufferers and requires fastidious and constant monitoring of one's diet.. However, I share your belief that a lot of the gluten free mania is simply a search for attention and a need to feel special. It all reminds of a recent flight I took from San Francisco to Atlanta. Before boarding an announcement was made that no peanuts would be served on the flight because of a passenger with a serious peanut allergy - frequent fliers will know the airline of which I speak. Given this airline is the only one of the major carriers that still serves peanuts, why would somebody with such an allergy even book a flight on this carrier? The argument that they couldn't have know cuts no muster with me. If one's allergy to peanuts is SO severe, one should know not to fly this airline - besides which the announcement was made before boarding. As an aside, I checked and there were two other airlines flying the same route at approximately the same time - one with a lot cheaper fare. Another case of somebody inflicting their "specialness" on us?
No doubt celiac disease is a serious health issue for sufferers and requires fastidious and constant monitoring of one's diet.. However, I share your belief that a lot of the gluten free mania is simply a search for attention and a need to feel special. It all reminds of a recent flight I took from San Francisco to Atlanta. Before boarding an announcement was made that no peanuts would be served on the flight because of a passenger with a serious peanut allergy - frequent fliers will know the airline of which I speak. Given this airline is the only one of the major carriers that still serves peanuts, why would somebody with such an allergy even book a flight on this carrier? The argument that they couldn't have know cuts no muster with me. If one's allergy to peanuts is SO severe, one should know not to fly this airline - besides which the announcement was made before boarding. As an aside, I checked and there were two other airlines flying the same route at approximately the same time - one with a lot cheaper fare. Another case of somebody inflicting their "specialness" on us?
I admit it: I'm not special like you. So I'll ask: WHICH AIRLINE?
I'm not intolerant of much, except coyness.
I'm not intolerant of much, except coyness.
1
You must really like peanuts to have gone through all that trouble of researching the other available flights. The nerve of that person with the deadly peanut allergy to take away your one ounce of salted legumes!
Well, I know that sometimes Delta still serves peanuts.
I was in the Peace Corps for two years. I spent the next 12 years living in the "Third World". During the next ten years, I spent about a third of my time abroad. During that time I met no people at all who claimed food allergies. One had people over ... everybody ate ... nobody required emergency care because the skillet used to cook their chicken had once been occupied by a peanut, or because the knife that had chopped their cabbage had once sliced wheat bread.
I know that some people do have such low-probability allergies ... I think that they are very, very, very rare.
Americans have become ... I think the word is "Wusses."
I know that some people do have such low-probability allergies ... I think that they are very, very, very rare.
Americans have become ... I think the word is "Wusses."
6
Sorry I too worked in a third world country. The truth is with high infant and child mortality nobody knew about allergy survivors. An American scientist with a food allergy tells about growing up in a third world country. Every time he would hives, sneeze and wheeze his mother would give him lime paste (similar to the kind used for corn masa) and strip him off his clothes and make him stand in the sun. It was only later in adulthood in 1960s he realized his symptoms were related to food allergy and the offending allergen was at last revealed after his wife had called 911 and he was rushed to a hospital in Cambridge. He now realizes that the Calcium in the lime bound the toxin and stripping him expose to UV rays somehow helped him heal while under allergy attack. He had renewed respect for his mom's quick thinking.
3
I live in Boulder, Colorado. When I take a woman out for a meal it can take her 10 minutes to place her order and it often completely exhausts the waiter or waitress. "Did the hen who laid the eggs get to listen to Mozart?" is not that far-fetched a question.
When it's my turn to order I say, "I'll have the #5."
When it's my turn to order I say, "I'll have the #5."
7
Roger, I suggest you stick to political reporting. You're way out of your league here.
Numerous studies have linked undiagnosed/untreated celiac with a sharp increase (in some studies, up to 100%) in the likelihood of developing malignant lymphoma, small intestinal cancer, and esophageal cancer.
I tested positive for celiac even though I was symptom free. We discovered the illness in my family when my mother developed colon cancer - likely a result of decades of undiagnosed celiac. Of course I eliminated gluten completely from my diet. Why increase my risk of developing a life-threatening illness?
My decision to live gluten-free has everything to do with health, and nothing to do with naricissism, self-indulgence, politics, fads, or "affluenza."
Numerous studies have linked undiagnosed/untreated celiac with a sharp increase (in some studies, up to 100%) in the likelihood of developing malignant lymphoma, small intestinal cancer, and esophageal cancer.
I tested positive for celiac even though I was symptom free. We discovered the illness in my family when my mother developed colon cancer - likely a result of decades of undiagnosed celiac. Of course I eliminated gluten completely from my diet. Why increase my risk of developing a life-threatening illness?
My decision to live gluten-free has everything to do with health, and nothing to do with naricissism, self-indulgence, politics, fads, or "affluenza."
11
He is taking a sabbatical from putting his foot in his political mouth. He really needed to take a break from warmongering.
1
My partner and I like to make jokes every time we see "gluten free" chicken breasts, "gluten free" coffee beans and the best one I've seen so far "gluten free" shampoo.
Nice to know there isn't wheat protein in my fresh coffee beans, or god forbid...my shampoo. Just in case my hair has celiac disease, I guess.
I'd hazard a guess that very few people know what gluten *actually* is. Celiac disease is serious, but if you talk to sufferer, they can tell you what gluten is, and why they can't eat it. Other than that, its just manufacturers taking advantage of the general ignorance of Americans nowdays.
Humans have been eating gluten mor tens of thousands of years. Unless you suffer from celiac disease, there is absolutely no reason (but the current fad) you shouldn't be eating it.
Nice to know there isn't wheat protein in my fresh coffee beans, or god forbid...my shampoo. Just in case my hair has celiac disease, I guess.
I'd hazard a guess that very few people know what gluten *actually* is. Celiac disease is serious, but if you talk to sufferer, they can tell you what gluten is, and why they can't eat it. Other than that, its just manufacturers taking advantage of the general ignorance of Americans nowdays.
Humans have been eating gluten mor tens of thousands of years. Unless you suffer from celiac disease, there is absolutely no reason (but the current fad) you shouldn't be eating it.
4
People who have dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) (a severe, itchy, blistering skin manifestation of celiac disease) need shampoos and soaps that are gluten free. Otherwise they'll break out in a rash. That's why they sell gluten free shampoo.
http://www.celiaccentral.org/Celiac-Disease/Related-Conditions/Dermatiti...
http://www.celiaccentral.org/Celiac-Disease/Related-Conditions/Dermatiti...
4
My doctors who are professors of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, would disagree with you that only those who have celiac disease need a gluten free diet.
People who have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, IBS and even muscular dystrophy are prescribed the diet by physicians. Some people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have found relief by following the diet.
If your physician recommends it I would suggest giving the diet a try. It certainly made a world of difference for me. My ulcerative colitis has gone into remission on the diet. Before I tried it they were discussing removing my colon. None of the medications worked for me.
I'm very happy with the results of the diet.
People who have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, IBS and even muscular dystrophy are prescribed the diet by physicians. Some people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have found relief by following the diet.
If your physician recommends it I would suggest giving the diet a try. It certainly made a world of difference for me. My ulcerative colitis has gone into remission on the diet. Before I tried it they were discussing removing my colon. None of the medications worked for me.
I'm very happy with the results of the diet.
2
Gluten is a common cross contaminent, and as Celiacs is an auto-immune disease even the slightest exposure can cause a cascade, hence labeling on things like shampoo.
Case in point: I took my son to the dentists the other day and sure enough both the toothpaste and flouride treatments that they wanted to administer contained gluten (in the flavourings).
Case in point: I took my son to the dentists the other day and sure enough both the toothpaste and flouride treatments that they wanted to administer contained gluten (in the flavourings).
6
A someone who, after life-long illness and digestive problems, has been diagnosed with celiac disease, am extremely thankful for this trend, as such awareness allows me to eat in restaurants that otherwise do not provide me with options. Albeit, I have encountered restaurants and wait staff who roll their eyes when I inquire as to "gluten-free" options, they still allow me to go out with friends and engage the world without having to make myself something to eat before hand.
This author should have at the very least addressed that celiacs disease has been largely underdiagnosed, and awareness has only recent penetrated public awareness. Yes, there are people in their 70s without diagnosed food allergies, but how many of those people have been diagnosed with IBS or suffer from chronic diarrhea?
If you'd like to rant on food trends you find stupid, why not something that ACTUALLY harms you (Atkins), or can harm young children (raw, paleo). Please don't pick on me for being annoying and disrupting your aesthetic.
This author should have at the very least addressed that celiacs disease has been largely underdiagnosed, and awareness has only recent penetrated public awareness. Yes, there are people in their 70s without diagnosed food allergies, but how many of those people have been diagnosed with IBS or suffer from chronic diarrhea?
If you'd like to rant on food trends you find stupid, why not something that ACTUALLY harms you (Atkins), or can harm young children (raw, paleo). Please don't pick on me for being annoying and disrupting your aesthetic.
4
It seems difficult for most Americans, including physicians, to believe that the sole treatment for a serious or life-threatening illness could be a dietary restriction, rather than surgery or drugs. As a result, celiac disease and food allergies and intolerances are misunderstood and treated with lightness or contempt.
Even journalistic standards seem lower for articles about gluten-related disorders and food allergies and intolerances, as evidenced by this opinion piece that is strikingly similar to many other rants about people with dietary restrictions. The article does not contain the kind of thoughtful insights one would expect from the New York Times.
One of the primary roots of the problem lies in the American medical community, which continues to overwhelmingly fail at diagnosing and treating celiac disease and food intolerances, leading to self-diagnosis, vulnerability to quacks and fraudulent online labs, and poorly supported attempts at elimination diets.
Most people on restricted diets have medical symptoms, often so debilitating that in addition to symptoms that are not resolved by treatment they must endure substantial inconvenience, added expense and difficult situations daily at work, at school and in social settings. They need appropriate medical care, not judgment and ridicule.
Even journalistic standards seem lower for articles about gluten-related disorders and food allergies and intolerances, as evidenced by this opinion piece that is strikingly similar to many other rants about people with dietary restrictions. The article does not contain the kind of thoughtful insights one would expect from the New York Times.
One of the primary roots of the problem lies in the American medical community, which continues to overwhelmingly fail at diagnosing and treating celiac disease and food intolerances, leading to self-diagnosis, vulnerability to quacks and fraudulent online labs, and poorly supported attempts at elimination diets.
Most people on restricted diets have medical symptoms, often so debilitating that in addition to symptoms that are not resolved by treatment they must endure substantial inconvenience, added expense and difficult situations daily at work, at school and in social settings. They need appropriate medical care, not judgment and ridicule.
9
This article was obviously written by someone who has never had to deal with food allergies on a person level or with a loved one! It has been poorly written and i take offence to them saying food allergies might be imagined, WOW how rude!! And its not only those under 25 who have more food allergies, im 47 and have numerous ones, i have had ER visits due to having accidentally eaten an allergen. Please make your writers be more informed by those who have or are going thru what your stories are about. You all didnt do much research on food allergies or this article would have been better written. SMH
8
In medicine the wise man advice is , approach every resolutions with utmost caution. Recently FDA declared whole milk is not bad for blood fat levels.
Food, in todays world is a thing , complexity is well beyond comprehension.
We all knew very well how our world is polluted, yet last 20 years the word Organic food become a fetish. hey entire planet is laden with industrial pollutants and claiming that the food is organic.
Food related ailments should be perceived very cautiously because we never eat food in purest form, that is not exist anymore, this is not Gobeklitepe 10000 BC.
Claiming one agents culpability needs in Medicine Class 1 level research study and that is not enough , it should persist in long time under same level studies again and again, until that everything is subjected to change.
Food, in todays world is a thing , complexity is well beyond comprehension.
We all knew very well how our world is polluted, yet last 20 years the word Organic food become a fetish. hey entire planet is laden with industrial pollutants and claiming that the food is organic.
Food related ailments should be perceived very cautiously because we never eat food in purest form, that is not exist anymore, this is not Gobeklitepe 10000 BC.
Claiming one agents culpability needs in Medicine Class 1 level research study and that is not enough , it should persist in long time under same level studies again and again, until that everything is subjected to change.
I was born in a tiny mining town in West Virginia. We ate what was available-and were happy to get it. I'm sure i'll catch hell for my opinion but really? I suspect there are a few folks with genuine intolerances. I suspect there are a lot of semi- hysterical types who are looking for any reason (but themselves) for their problems.
11
Does the wheat grown in the U S have a higher protein ( gluten ) content than what is produced in other countries, specifically the Eurozone? I believe GMO's are not permitted throughout the European Union.
Is that a factor in the increase in gluten intolerance? Just a thought.
Is that a factor in the increase in gluten intolerance? Just a thought.
3
At least gluten has a real basis to avoid by a small minority. The anti GMO movement, on the other hand, has become like a medieval with hunt; another reason to hate corporations. People are ignoring the fact that if there were no GMO foods available, millions of people in third world countries would be starving.
Food fads come and go. In the movie Sleeper, when Woody Allen is thawed out after being frozen for 100 years, they give him a cigarette and a cream puff. "This will kill me" he exclaimed, and was told "No, we found out that these are good for you." In 100 years they may determine that kale and acai form a deadly combination that will shorten your life.
Food fads come and go. In the movie Sleeper, when Woody Allen is thawed out after being frozen for 100 years, they give him a cigarette and a cream puff. "This will kill me" he exclaimed, and was told "No, we found out that these are good for you." In 100 years they may determine that kale and acai form a deadly combination that will shorten your life.
5
Cue the indignation! For those whose food sensitivities are an affectation of entitlement rather than real, part of the payoff is taking umbrage at anyone who would dare question whether their malady was more psychological than physical.
11
As the Southern French and Italians have done for centuries, eat everything in small amounts, drink wine, enjoy family and friends, and be happy during your short time on earth. As an aging Italian/American, it's what I have come to appreciate during my 70 plus years.
12
Even exposure to a small quantity of an allergen can trigger life threatening reactions. I know people who take 3 weeks to recover fully after being exposed to tiniest amount of gluten.
2
From his photo, I suspect Roger Cohen is close to my age. Thus, he probably remembers that food allergies were relatively rare when we were children. That is not the case today and I think we need to find out what is causing the increase. What we can give up is complaining about people with food allergies being "picky eaters". It's too glib and too smug an explanation.
When Cohen and I were young, autism was caused by "cold" mothers, as was schizophrenia. And, women with symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis were sent to psychiatrists because, well, everyone just knew women who fell down often were either lazy or hysterical. Need I mention that homosexuality was "caused" by dominating mothers and weak fathers? No one with a shred of scientific knowledge would make such claims today and I suspect we might yet find that "picky eaters" have real reasons to be so.
When Cohen and I were young, autism was caused by "cold" mothers, as was schizophrenia. And, women with symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis were sent to psychiatrists because, well, everyone just knew women who fell down often were either lazy or hysterical. Need I mention that homosexuality was "caused" by dominating mothers and weak fathers? No one with a shred of scientific knowledge would make such claims today and I suspect we might yet find that "picky eaters" have real reasons to be so.
21
A few years ago I took a american children's chorus on a singing tour to Switzerland and its neighboring country's.I got a list with 64 allergies form the parents etc.I checked the list and decided to see what develops ,in 2 weeks they eat all the foods on the table,except when they wanted to try a swiss Mc Donald's they bitterly complaint about the quality off the food..........
so much for allergies.
so much for allergies.
6
I don't think Mr. Cohen is denying the real problems some people have with food allergies, as many comments seem to suggest. Rather, he's suggesting that much of this is fad and not based on any real evidence. Just like the anti-GMO and anti-vax crowd who get their information from quacks like the Food Babe and Stephanie Seneff (a computer scientist at MIT who is a self-proclaimed expert on food, GMOs and glyphosate, despite having done no original research in these areas) many of these claims just have no basis in evidence.
It's the liberal's answer to climate change denial.
It's the liberal's answer to climate change denial.
7
The annoying fad aspects of food issues notwithstanding, the serious question is why there has been such a large increase in the incidence of celiac disease--and apparently other food allergies. I see these as comparable to the two or three percent increase in the rate of autism spectrum disorders--the real increase after you factor out changes in diagnostic criteria. How in the world do you change the incidence of something that we think is genetic (celiac) or develops during the prenatal period with possible genetic factors involved (autism)? My daughter who suffers from non-imaginary celiac disease thinks we've been messing with the wheat, but I find that implausible--it looks like the same gluten. With autism, pollution involving chemicals used in making plastics that are potent hormone disrupters have been nominated, and I find that more plausible, but not proven. What would make sense in both cases is the increase of something in the environment that is triggering novel responses from the immune system. I hope somebody figures out what is going on in my lifetime; I really want to know.
9
I commented on this earlier (and I mangled the numbers a bit, so let me give the right ones. (USA)
In 1940, childhood mortality was 62/1000 live births.
In 1960, 30/1000
In 1980, 15/1000
As with the old folks in the story about the party, there may simply be a process of selection at work. I don't doubt that there are environmental factors that play a part, but maybe an unstable immune system makes one more susceptible to early death, or maybe other diseases mask symptoms, and so on.
Of course, it is a tough problem to find correlations like these for obvious reasons. But it may be the best first choice as an explanation. Certainly, it makes sense for the octogenarians+ who have good appetites and no food issues.
Perhaps someone with actual expertise can contribute something more than my speculation.
In 1940, childhood mortality was 62/1000 live births.
In 1960, 30/1000
In 1980, 15/1000
As with the old folks in the story about the party, there may simply be a process of selection at work. I don't doubt that there are environmental factors that play a part, but maybe an unstable immune system makes one more susceptible to early death, or maybe other diseases mask symptoms, and so on.
Of course, it is a tough problem to find correlations like these for obvious reasons. But it may be the best first choice as an explanation. Certainly, it makes sense for the octogenarians+ who have good appetites and no food issues.
Perhaps someone with actual expertise can contribute something more than my speculation.
3
No small part of the increase in celiac is due to increased awareness and better tests. Seriously, 30 years ago there was very limited awareness of the disease and many people unknowingly suffered from it. They just had a 'bad stomach' or colitis or some other vague diagnosis. Now, when someone faces persistent digestive distress celiac or gluten intolerance/sensitivity generally tops the list of possible causes. Increased awareness leads to increased testing leads to increased diagnosis as previously hidden incidences are brought to light.
1
Chris,
Yes, that's right for many issues, like autism. The question remains though as to how "right" the diagnosis is, and how much it is influenced by fashion. It is extremely difficult to make any comparison with the past; I don't think there are registries of "bad stomach" to help us with that.
It may be that the best answer is "most of the above", but attribution of the increase in some condition to a particular environmental cause is problematic-- witness vaccines and autism.
Yes, that's right for many issues, like autism. The question remains though as to how "right" the diagnosis is, and how much it is influenced by fashion. It is extremely difficult to make any comparison with the past; I don't think there are registries of "bad stomach" to help us with that.
It may be that the best answer is "most of the above", but attribution of the increase in some condition to a particular environmental cause is problematic-- witness vaccines and autism.
Mr. Cohen makes some excellent points in this column. For those of you criticizing his column because you or a family member suffer from a food allergy, step back a moment to examine what Mr. Cohen is really being critical of. Many people who do not suffer from food allergies are now requesting gluten-free food, even though they are not actually allergic to gluten, and this has led to a chain reaction of opportunistic food manufacturers and restaurants jumping on this bandwagon, and a culture of picky eaters; he is not minimizing the severity of those who truly suffer from food allergies. Mr. Cohen's article might have been better served by placing more emphasis on the fact that gluten and sugar-based foods became staple parts of our diet over the past 30 or so years, and it was the replacement of nutritious, "real" foods such as pasture raised beef and organic vegetables and fruits (the ones our parents and grandparents were raised on) with the vastly nutritionally inferior processed and chemically treated food products that now line our shelves that has caused an obesity epidemic and is a major contributing factor to most of the "Western" diseases that now rack developed countries. I highly recommend the book "Eat the Yolks" to anyone who wants to learn more about how our modern diet is destroying our bodies, and what foods we should be eating. Full disclosure and be forewarned: pasture raised beef and eggs are at the top of the list.
15
So what? Anytime somoene requests gluten free food--whatever the reason--they create a safer environment for my child. You have no idea how painful it is to live with Celiac's.
Indeed, gluten-free is now associated (for whatever reason) with all things artisinal, hipsterish, etc. And due to that association, folks want to jump on the G-F bandwagon.
Nowadays it's extremely common for business events and even invitations to people's homes, to ask about food preferences or food intolerances.
Somewhere there needs to be a happy medium. Whatever happened to being GRATEFUL for someone else cooking for you and feeding you? And if for whatever reason you can't eat it, you just politely say so like a grownup?
But now it's gotten to the point (political correctness run amok?) where people feel indignation if there every dietary whim is not offered up and accommodated by all in-home hosts, restaurants, event managers, etc. People need to get over themselves.
Nowadays it's extremely common for business events and even invitations to people's homes, to ask about food preferences or food intolerances.
Somewhere there needs to be a happy medium. Whatever happened to being GRATEFUL for someone else cooking for you and feeding you? And if for whatever reason you can't eat it, you just politely say so like a grownup?
But now it's gotten to the point (political correctness run amok?) where people feel indignation if there every dietary whim is not offered up and accommodated by all in-home hosts, restaurants, event managers, etc. People need to get over themselves.
8
Good advice. Why not take it?
3
My mother suffered from colitis from the time she was 16. There were literally years of her life when she couldn't leave the house because she couldn't be away from a bathroom. Not one doctor ever suggested that maybe she was gluten sensitive. It is my belief that because she didn't absorb the nutrients in her food, she had health issues that left her practically totally blind and deaf. When I eliminated gluten from my diet, I found it what it was like to have a normal digestive system but I was never able to convince my mother to try. Even though doctors don't take any nutrition classes in medical school, she would have trusted a doctor if any of them had had the brains to suggest it.
13
This opinion piece shows a ack of research and understanding of food allergies, Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity. These individuals who follow the gluten-free fad should not be seen as the norm and grouped together with individuals, like me, who live with Celiac Disease. The symptoms are debilitating. The autoimmune response to gluten can cause serious and permanent damage. By treating "gluten-free" like an imagined disease or fad, you are perpetuating a stigma that is, quite frankly, ableist. You fail to separate two completely different groups.
You also treat Celiac Disease as if it is primarily American. Perhaps the fad is, but again, you neglect to take seriously a very real medical condition. If you did your research, you would see that in Italy, the statistics regarding how many individuals are diagnosed with Celiac are about on par with the rest of the world. Many restaurants in Italy do provide gluten-free options, but because they care about the health and well being of individuals who need to be accommodated.
The final issue is that there are many theories for the rise in those who claim to have allergies or adopt gluten-free diets. Again, I am not saying there are not individuals who do so as a part of a fad. However, the rise in allergies is often attributed to medical advancement and increased awareness, toxins in our foods, and a number of other potential factors. Our allergies are not imaginary. My years of extreme pain would prove otherwise.
You also treat Celiac Disease as if it is primarily American. Perhaps the fad is, but again, you neglect to take seriously a very real medical condition. If you did your research, you would see that in Italy, the statistics regarding how many individuals are diagnosed with Celiac are about on par with the rest of the world. Many restaurants in Italy do provide gluten-free options, but because they care about the health and well being of individuals who need to be accommodated.
The final issue is that there are many theories for the rise in those who claim to have allergies or adopt gluten-free diets. Again, I am not saying there are not individuals who do so as a part of a fad. However, the rise in allergies is often attributed to medical advancement and increased awareness, toxins in our foods, and a number of other potential factors. Our allergies are not imaginary. My years of extreme pain would prove otherwise.
6
I used to date a celiac, and now run a small restaurant so I see both sides of this. Yes, it's a pain to accommodate picky eaters— but bottom line, you have to remember this is the HOSPITALITY business. That's because we are hospitable, not because we send people to the hospital.
How can you argue with someone's medical needs? And even the ones who seem needlessly fussy— the ones who order egg white omelets (a fussy, time consuming dish that strips your body of vitamin B and is a busy kitchen's bête noire) are honestly trying to understand their bodies and what they need to be truly healthy.
How can you argue with someone's medical needs? And even the ones who seem needlessly fussy— the ones who order egg white omelets (a fussy, time consuming dish that strips your body of vitamin B and is a busy kitchen's bête noire) are honestly trying to understand their bodies and what they need to be truly healthy.
13
My mother is 70 and has lived since her teens with type I diabetes. I can never remember anyone in her generation accusing her of being narcissitic for asking lots of questions about the menu or reminding hosts at dinner parties that she has special dietary needs.
Recently my mother was having some health problems and was eventually diagnosed with celiac disease. Since celiac is genetic, I was tested too. My blood had very high levels of antibodies against gluten and a biopsy revealed damage to my small intestine. While I did have minor stomach symptoms before my diagnosis, I had not suspected that I could have celiac. Now that my intensines are healing my health has improved but I have to be very careful about ingensting gluten as now I get very sick when I eat cross-contaminated food.
So I am very grateful for increased diagnosis and awareness of food related diseases such as celiac. If not for it, I would probably would have gone on eating gluten until I encountered one of the serious potential side effects of un-treated celac such as increased risk of lymphoma.
As more people are diagnosed with these real conditions, awareness has increased and perhaps there are more people who falsely claim to have them. This article only focuses on the downside of how this inconveniences some people with out these conditions. It does not address at all the potential public health benefits of more people understanding they have allergies or diseases such as celiac.
Recently my mother was having some health problems and was eventually diagnosed with celiac disease. Since celiac is genetic, I was tested too. My blood had very high levels of antibodies against gluten and a biopsy revealed damage to my small intestine. While I did have minor stomach symptoms before my diagnosis, I had not suspected that I could have celiac. Now that my intensines are healing my health has improved but I have to be very careful about ingensting gluten as now I get very sick when I eat cross-contaminated food.
So I am very grateful for increased diagnosis and awareness of food related diseases such as celiac. If not for it, I would probably would have gone on eating gluten until I encountered one of the serious potential side effects of un-treated celac such as increased risk of lymphoma.
As more people are diagnosed with these real conditions, awareness has increased and perhaps there are more people who falsely claim to have them. This article only focuses on the downside of how this inconveniences some people with out these conditions. It does not address at all the potential public health benefits of more people understanding they have allergies or diseases such as celiac.
7
Actually the article isn't about people with celiac inconveniencing those those without it. This article is about people who shamelessly use the suffering of people *with* celiac for the own benefit. Like the people who jump on the GF bandwagon not because they have to but because they think it will give them some magical health benefit. People who then turn around and proclaim they are allergic (even though they are not) so everyone else will cater to their chosen dietary constraints.
This is an annoying column, about as annoying as the recent anti-breastfeeding piece. Why don't all of you who DO NOT have celiac or who have not tested positive for gluten sensitiviy just shut up and mind your own business? Keep eating your inflammatory aging crap. Healthy eating is so much more than gluten free. We ingest too much sugar, too much food, too few vegetables, and too much animal protein. I am gluten free (per testing) but does that not mean I run around eating "gluten free." I don't substitute with little packages marked GF, but then my knowledge of healthy nutrition (and general IQ) is about 100 times the average person. Which is why at 65, I look 20 years younger than my peers. So really I don't care what the rest of you eat -- Have at your aging American diet, but don't make fun of what I eat, because I am light years ahead of the rest of you and way healthier.
17
Wow. Little angry there aren't you?
Hi Leonora! OK, maybe your diet is fine, but I were going around sounding as much like Donald Trump as you do . . . I would be a tad concerned about that.
; - )
; - )
1
I just wanted to share that my grandmother died of complications from celiac disease. She had lived with it undiagnosed for years and was finally diagnosed in the late 90's when she was in her 70's. By that time she had severe and irreversible complications from it and eventually died from them. She was born in Appalachian Kentucky to Irish immigrants, so I'm pretty sure there was no affluenza happening. Perhaps the reason none of the older guests at that octogenarian's party had any food requests was because all the people who had food related allergies or autoimmune diseases had already died for lack of treatment, perhaps even in childhood. Do you think that a child born in the 20's or even 50's with severe peanut allergy survived their first anaphylactic reaction? Probably not, so its not really a fair comparison. I get that there are people out there who are annoying about what they will and will not eat, but I don't understand why it is so so difficult for people not to conflate those people with the millions of other people who have celiac or crohns or food allergies. It's not rocket science.
25
Well said. I have not been diagnosed with celiac disease but found out accidently (adkin's diet) that not only did I feel better AND lose weight, but as a classical songer, my body produced a LOT LESS mucus, thereby making difficult musical passages much easier!!! Do I need proof of celiac disease to know that avoiding gluten has made my life better? NO.
3
I was sick with undiagnosed Celiac'' disease for many years. I couldn't get through a night's sleep without vomiting more than once. I developed early onset arthritis due to the vitamin deficiency associated with the disease, and who knows what other issues that remain undiagnosed. To me, it is not narcissism, it feels like a handicap. When I was first diagnosed about 7 years ago, I became depressed. I hated going out with friends and explaining to waiters or talking to chefs about how to properly prepare my food. I couldn't fathom not eating Pizza or Pasta. There were no options at restaurants or in the supermarkets. I became 100% gluten free and my body started to repair itself. Today, I'm pleased to see how our groceries and restaurants have embraced "gluten-free". I don't care if its a fad or some narcissistic adventure for others, it has helped create an food industry and sensitivity to my situation, and frankly, I appreciate it. I can eat safely without worrying if I'm going to vomit all night.
Could it be that the younger generations of people are simply more physically sensitive, and not, as you write, narcissitic or impressionable and scared? Why the vitriol?
8
Unlikely to be the case. Human physiology is incredibly robust. It is *highly* unlikely that you would see such a drastic change in such an incredibly brief period of time.
Thank you for this article. I have so many friends in the Bay Area who are now Gluten-free, not because of an actual allergy, but because they think it is healthier and/or want to lose weight. It's getting a bit ridiculous out here. Meanwhile, those with a real issue are lumped in together with those just being trendy . . . a total shame.
14
I was diagnosed Celiac about three years ago. I, too, thought it was a fad and fought my doctor on her suspicions initially. Subsequent testing left me with little to fight. In the time since my official diagnosis, I have come to appreciate the fad because it is creating a more diverse market for those who need to eat gluten free for medical reasons. In just the time since I was diagnosed I have noticed more and more options in the grocery stores and at restaurants. While going gluten free really doesn't do much for folks who simply opt-in, it has proven to be quite supportive for those who do. I also appreciate the GF label because it takes a lot of risk out of just looking over the ingredients. I will always choose a product that is labeled GF over one that is not. In cases where I am not sure, I skip the product entirely.
7
Could it be that elderly omnivores are genetically more robust gastroenrological specimens than deceased members of their age cohort? I.e., perhaps the only elderly omnivores left are those who have not been done in by pasta?
8
When I was 18 I developed food allergies, and I found out because I suddenly developed a rash all over my body and my lungs were so inflamed that I couldn't sleep because I felt that my ribs were broken. Now I know (after an allergy skin test) that there are foods that I shouldn't be eating, especially in combination with each other. I later worked at the allergy clinic that I was diagnosed at and saw thousands of patients with the same problems. Stop pretending like this isn't a real issue. Yes, it is annoying when people follow a trend even though it is unseemly (tights are not pants). But do you continually have to denigrate people with issues they wish they didn't have? I'm seriously sick and tired of reading these articles.
16
Caro Ana, loved your aside TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS!!! I am still smiling at that!
Our son was diagnosed with Celiac's at 8 years old. When he was diagnosed, he was underweight and noticeably mal nourished. So many years later, you would never confused the healthy young man with the sickly little boy. Every fever, every cold would eventually land him in the hospital. That is what happens when a young body cannot absorb nutrients.
Living without gluten is not something I would wish on anybody. Our approach with our son has been that it's our responsibility to plan his meals. We don't ever expect for others to compensate for what is his issue.
Still--it is a very difficult road. We are lucky he likes salads,but salads don't always satisfy a growing boy. Traveling is fraught with risk. We chose Costa Rica after reading how g/f friendly it was---he came home and got sick and stayed that way. The diagnosis? A form of Celiac related rash and a vitamin D deficiency. It took months of careful diet management to get him back to good health.
It's not hard for an Italian restaurant to accomodate g/f meals. Our favorite places either take our pasta or keep their own; boil it in its own pot and add marinara. Done. Not only do those places get our business, but they allow us to have a night of relative normalcy.
Sometimes I am sad to realize the relief I feel when we dine out alone. How sad for my boy that the thought even crosses our minds.
Columns like yours only serve to further marginalize a true illness that can easily be accomodated with a few tweaks.
Living without gluten is not something I would wish on anybody. Our approach with our son has been that it's our responsibility to plan his meals. We don't ever expect for others to compensate for what is his issue.
Still--it is a very difficult road. We are lucky he likes salads,but salads don't always satisfy a growing boy. Traveling is fraught with risk. We chose Costa Rica after reading how g/f friendly it was---he came home and got sick and stayed that way. The diagnosis? A form of Celiac related rash and a vitamin D deficiency. It took months of careful diet management to get him back to good health.
It's not hard for an Italian restaurant to accomodate g/f meals. Our favorite places either take our pasta or keep their own; boil it in its own pot and add marinara. Done. Not only do those places get our business, but they allow us to have a night of relative normalcy.
Sometimes I am sad to realize the relief I feel when we dine out alone. How sad for my boy that the thought even crosses our minds.
Columns like yours only serve to further marginalize a true illness that can easily be accomodated with a few tweaks.
11
As a father of a 7 year old daughter with celiac (diagnosed at 3.5) and the son of a celiac mother, and grandson of a celiac grandmother I say bravo to your comment. I feel heartbroken at times knowing what a challenge this lifelong gluten free diet will be for my daughter. It's not made any easier by ignorant columns like this one.
Basically, Mr. Cohen, your argument is that because octogenarians don't complain about food allergies and younger people do, there's something wrong with the younger people? I'm sure a roomful of millennials would have more to say about climate change than a roomful of octogenarians would, so does that make the millennials a bunch of whiners?
I suffer from a gluten intolerance that causes horrible sinus problems, and my wife can also trace her switch to a gluten-free diet to our ability to have kids. Now we have three. We're not alone. Millions of people complain of gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder, which places it in the same category of diseases as AIDS, but it is the only such disease in that category that is completely controllable, via diet.
For thick-headed people like your Venice restauranteur and apparently you, it's a fad. I'm sure many are jumping on the bandwagon simply because they see it as a trend and they are trying however they can to eat healthy, in a world where we increasingly don't know what goes into our food. (Food additives and Monsanto have been around for only a tiny part of your "10 millennia.") We should support all these people. Far worse than any diet fad is the intolerance caused by small-minded people looking for easy targets, when they have a platform for addressing real problems in our nation and our world. Congrats on contributing to the world of attack fluff.
I suffer from a gluten intolerance that causes horrible sinus problems, and my wife can also trace her switch to a gluten-free diet to our ability to have kids. Now we have three. We're not alone. Millions of people complain of gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder, which places it in the same category of diseases as AIDS, but it is the only such disease in that category that is completely controllable, via diet.
For thick-headed people like your Venice restauranteur and apparently you, it's a fad. I'm sure many are jumping on the bandwagon simply because they see it as a trend and they are trying however they can to eat healthy, in a world where we increasingly don't know what goes into our food. (Food additives and Monsanto have been around for only a tiny part of your "10 millennia.") We should support all these people. Far worse than any diet fad is the intolerance caused by small-minded people looking for easy targets, when they have a platform for addressing real problems in our nation and our world. Congrats on contributing to the world of attack fluff.
12
I have no medical training, but I don't think any autoimmune disorder (there are many) can or should be placed in the same "category" as Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome.
I think Mr. Cohen's comment about the outward attention turn inward onto bodies may be a salient point. There's some research showing oppressed minorities, enslaved, or colonized peoples turn their anger inwards in much higher percentages than others. Like eating disorders, a sense of powerlessness and lack of control over one's own life can lead to fixations with food, piercings, tattoos, and/or cutting.
Could this be, even in part, a response to the growing sense of disenfranchisement as the corporate-political class increasingly ignores the issues that concern younger Americans?
Could this be, even in part, a response to the growing sense of disenfranchisement as the corporate-political class increasingly ignores the issues that concern younger Americans?
3
Ummm . . . actually, no.
Amen! Let's hope that the Venetian restaurant sign is the Shot Heard Round The World.
6
I am 100 % Italian. I grew up eating pasta and pizza. But I was always sick, gassy and bloated after I ate those products. After I got married, it got so bad, I finally went to a doctor who took a blood test and yes indeed, I was allergic to wheat. I do not know if I am a Celiac, but going to to their meetings and getting on their mailing list was a God send. I try not to eat wheat at home, but if I go out, I sometimes indulge, but I know I will get a stomach ache, become bloated and not feel well. I am so happy to have discovered my allergy, and that it wasn't in my head. I am very happy that some American restaurants cater to Gluten Free people like me and I am so glad, there is a big department in most grocery stores that cater to that. I am not sure what you are getting at. Do you think people like me are making this all up?
10
life is hard when your consumer base is more educated...
1
Good for you that you can eat anything you want and not get sick. Many people wish they were so lucky.
9
Do your research, New York Times! Food allergies and intolerances are on the rise worldwide, across all socioeconomic borders. To imply that they are playthings of a whiny American middle class is irresponsible, and detrimental to those whose lives are threatened by them. Shame on you.
12
Imagination is a powerful thing. If you believe certain foods are making you sick, they probably will. If you believe certain foods will make you well, they probably will. Taking a stand for evidence-based information can be dangerous if you want to keep your friends.
3
Why does the NY Times give people like you the opportunity to put down folks who need and/or want to eat gluten free? And, why do you want the opportunity to do the same? If restaurants are part of the hospitality industry, why are you happy to see inhospitable conduct by a restaurateur? Live and let live, and eat and let others eat what they see fit. It really shouldn't matter all that much to you.
12
Another New York Times writer might beg to differ.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html
3
Mr. Cohen, I understand your assessment of Gluten free here in this column regarding the restaurant in Italy. Yes, these restaurants have their right to establish their Gluten policy as they see fit! Please always remember how many people suffer from gluten related illnesses and do require a non-contaminated Gluten Free preparation area as well as gluten free food to be cooked and served! You have a loud and strong voice and I would hope you would be fair to the many people (my 27 year old daughter included) who need this option. Many thanks!
5
Gluten-free is the new organic.
6
Ignorance is the new normal.
1
All this pays out on a spectrum of scientific ignorance that either falsely minimizes real risks or imagines them when there are none. Add a uniquely American passion for self-introspection and oversharing and you have a situation that is alternately ripe for satire and terrifying.
Some people, a tiny, tiny minority, have real issues with certain foodstuffs. Studies show no increase in the population incidence of (e.g.) celiac disease but a huge increase in the amount of "self-reported celiac". When the latter group dominate the conversation we not only have to hear how they felt rough after consuming a sandwich (oy veh, do we have to listen to you kvetching?!) but we belittle the real problems of the people in the first group who have a genuine problem.
My personal belief is that if you eat real food in moderation your membership of the second group will melt away. Bread you make yourself has flour, yeast, water and a little salt/sugar. Bread you buy from the store has all kinds of magical chemicals. It's hardly surprising that the second category makes you feel rough. And then to go out and buy *processed* gluten-free food? Oy!
Some people, a tiny, tiny minority, have real issues with certain foodstuffs. Studies show no increase in the population incidence of (e.g.) celiac disease but a huge increase in the amount of "self-reported celiac". When the latter group dominate the conversation we not only have to hear how they felt rough after consuming a sandwich (oy veh, do we have to listen to you kvetching?!) but we belittle the real problems of the people in the first group who have a genuine problem.
My personal belief is that if you eat real food in moderation your membership of the second group will melt away. Bread you make yourself has flour, yeast, water and a little salt/sugar. Bread you buy from the store has all kinds of magical chemicals. It's hardly surprising that the second category makes you feel rough. And then to go out and buy *processed* gluten-free food? Oy!
3
JAPAN VS. AMERICA
They do rice, we do wheat.
They do fish, we do meat.
They do rice, we do wheat.
They do fish, we do meat.
2
They do whale, in weight we fail.
1
Roger Cohen, this article is smug, arrogant, and clearly written by someone who does not suffer from an auto immune disease. With AI illnesses on the rise, to include debilitating diseases such as Crohn's disease, MS and RA, both of which have links to gluten, it is no wonder that younger generations of Americans are leery of what they put into their bodies. You call it privilege, and it is a privilege to have the choice of what to consume. But instead of a passe, dated rant against millennialism, why don't you actually be a journalist and investigate why the hell we are all getting so sick?
13
It's really crazy to see Coke, fruit, meat etc with gluten free labeling.
How dumb do food manufacturers think we are we?
That being said, best to stay away from anything made in a factory......manufactured chemical laden frankenstein food.
No wonder so many people have digestive problems. The digestive system is not designed to recognize these "things" as food, can not digest them which leads to leaky gut which gets the ball rolling for all sorts of problems.
And as one commenter mentioned the proliferation in the use of antibiotics is also a major culprit in the destruction of the digestive system.
Best to learn to cook at home with fresh local ingredients if possible.
Here's to good health for all.
How dumb do food manufacturers think we are we?
That being said, best to stay away from anything made in a factory......manufactured chemical laden frankenstein food.
No wonder so many people have digestive problems. The digestive system is not designed to recognize these "things" as food, can not digest them which leads to leaky gut which gets the ball rolling for all sorts of problems.
And as one commenter mentioned the proliferation in the use of antibiotics is also a major culprit in the destruction of the digestive system.
Best to learn to cook at home with fresh local ingredients if possible.
Here's to good health for all.
I'm more and more convinced that the rise in food allergies and intolerances are linked to the overuse of broad spectrum antibiotic use and the detrimental effect that has on our internal flora and the delicate balance between naturally occurring bacteria and our immune systems. It completely explains the huge spike in intolerances starting with generation Y. Roger Cohen, read 'Missing Microbes' by Martin Blaser and get back to us.
1
I know people who have serious digestive disorders, who have suffered for most of their lifetimes until their personal physicians suggested a diet that is gluten-free and sometimes free of all grains. Through testing, some were diagnosed with Celiac's Disease, a genetic condition that has no prescriptive cure except to completely stop eating foods that contain gluten. This is not some fad for them, like a tattoo or a miniature dog carried in a designer bag-- it's very real and they do take it seriously without any drama.
They never expect anyone or any restaurant to adjust to their dietary needs as they usually come prepared by carrying a few g-free crackers, g-free soy sauce to an Asian restaurant or, quite often, they will just eat at home. If, by chance a host or a restaurant offers gluten-free options, then they are genuinely thrilled and appreciative without feeling entitled to any special treatment. G-free foods are much more expensive in grocery stores and restaurants and be a strain on people with tight budgets.
Most of us naturally want to be with our friends and family without the fuss.
Who wants to be labeled "high maintenance" and ostracized for their diet ? And that's the whole point. Like this article and many of the comments to it, it's the people who do not have a gluten sensitivity or food allergy-- probably misinformed if not ignorant about both-- that for some odd reason are the first to be annoyed. If it's not your issue, why make it so?
They never expect anyone or any restaurant to adjust to their dietary needs as they usually come prepared by carrying a few g-free crackers, g-free soy sauce to an Asian restaurant or, quite often, they will just eat at home. If, by chance a host or a restaurant offers gluten-free options, then they are genuinely thrilled and appreciative without feeling entitled to any special treatment. G-free foods are much more expensive in grocery stores and restaurants and be a strain on people with tight budgets.
Most of us naturally want to be with our friends and family without the fuss.
Who wants to be labeled "high maintenance" and ostracized for their diet ? And that's the whole point. Like this article and many of the comments to it, it's the people who do not have a gluten sensitivity or food allergy-- probably misinformed if not ignorant about both-- that for some odd reason are the first to be annoyed. If it's not your issue, why make it so?
10
I have celiac disease, and am therefore allowed to be gluten-free by your standards. I was diagnosed 20 years ago when celiac disease was still barely known in the US. Until my primary care doctor decided I should have an endoscopy, most doctors thought I was a paranoid whiner looking for sympathy. Your attitude reminds me of those doctors. In a way I was lucky; my sister suffered from a form of colitis for 30 years before it was defined, tests were devised, and a treatment protocol recommended.
One possible explanation for the gluten-free "fad" is that the people eating this food don't feel well. They don't feel well in their stomachs or intestinal tracks and medical science does not yet have a way to detect what is wrong, and doctors don't know how to help. They try gluten-free food and maybe it really helps, or maybe they hope it will help over time. (The guts of someone with celiac disease take over a year to heal completely after prolonged exposure to gluten.) What your diagnosis is missing, with respect to gluten-free food is that no one would eat it if they didn't believe or hope that it was helping them feel better. It's not yummy, it always costs more, and it's a lot of extra work, particularly if you want some nutrition in your food.
Your column strikes me as being more about you then about me, or anyone eating gluten-free.
One possible explanation for the gluten-free "fad" is that the people eating this food don't feel well. They don't feel well in their stomachs or intestinal tracks and medical science does not yet have a way to detect what is wrong, and doctors don't know how to help. They try gluten-free food and maybe it really helps, or maybe they hope it will help over time. (The guts of someone with celiac disease take over a year to heal completely after prolonged exposure to gluten.) What your diagnosis is missing, with respect to gluten-free food is that no one would eat it if they didn't believe or hope that it was helping them feel better. It's not yummy, it always costs more, and it's a lot of extra work, particularly if you want some nutrition in your food.
Your column strikes me as being more about you then about me, or anyone eating gluten-free.
11
I have sympathy for how difficult it must be to provide gluten free foods in restaurants. However -- providing nothing? That means over 1% of the population can eat nothing in that restaurant. It stinks to be travelling and restricted to the granola bars in your pocket while everyone else eats steaks. If it's too difficult, make a limited, dedicated menu, but don't make it so people literally can't eat.
1
It is complicated as you point out.I think its fair to say that food intolerances can be imagined or real, allergic or simply unpleasant. It is all mixed together with fads, selfies, marketing and our neurotic self focused culture. Sure, some have terrible real food allergies. Dare I say it? SO what. We live in a world where children do not have enough to eat, corporations guide our politics based on financial gain not the good of humanity and the planet. People take themselves way to seriously and need to chill
1
I started feeling my food allergies after menopause. I think estrogen must have had a protective effect. I developed an autoimmune problem for which I had to take corticosteroids for five years. I got off those horrible, horrible pills by withdrawing foods from my diet. Every time I found another food that was causing problems, and took that out of my diet, I was able to lower my dose of steroids without triggering a flareup.
This process took a long time. But now having gone through it I can say with certainty that wheat gives me a problem. Corn and soy and nuts also give me problems. As do any cosmetics that contain lavender or pthalates.
Gluten-free flour made from rice flour and potato starch does not give me any problems. And I am extremely grateful that the supermarkets are stocking so much of it now.
This process took a long time. But now having gone through it I can say with certainty that wheat gives me a problem. Corn and soy and nuts also give me problems. As do any cosmetics that contain lavender or pthalates.
Gluten-free flour made from rice flour and potato starch does not give me any problems. And I am extremely grateful that the supermarkets are stocking so much of it now.
1
I was diagnosed with celiac 10 years ago. Prior to that, I just accepted as a way of life having bowel movements 5, 10, 15 times a day, sometimes to the point of dehydration, necessitating a hospital visit to get hooked up for hydration by doctors who were baffled by the cause.
Once I got diagnosed and went on a gluten-free diet, that all disappeared.
If faddish narcissism means taking care of myself, so be it. That is your label.
My label is survival. Deal with it.
Once I got diagnosed and went on a gluten-free diet, that all disappeared.
If faddish narcissism means taking care of myself, so be it. That is your label.
My label is survival. Deal with it.
9
Your comments show a remarkable lack of information that reflects your own "self-indulgence and narcissistic fussiness." Italy, more than any other country in Europe, has demonstrated an understanding of and empathy for the problem of celiac disease. Children in Italy are routinely tested for celiac before kindergarten, people with celiac disease receive a stipend from the government to buy gluten-free food, and pharmacies in Italy are required to sell gluten free food because it is considered medicine. In reality, it takes very little for restaurants to carry gluten-free pasta and bread, and the vast majority of restaurants in Venice (where we are currently traveling in part because they are so sympathetic to my wife's celiac disease) provide gluten-free products. In contrast, most places we have eaten in Italy have had gluten free pasta, and those that don't are very apologetic.
While there are many people who are "gluten-free" out of a misguided belief that wheat is bad for you, and many more who claim allergies or sensitivities when they are really just picky or neurotic, your diatribe on gluten is sadly misguided and reflects an intolerance of the realities of medical advances. Remember, in the 1900s, people with multiple sclerosis were considered neurotic, and people considered insane were actually suffering from tertiary syphilis. Just because celiac wasn't around when you were young doesn't make it a made-up illness.
While there are many people who are "gluten-free" out of a misguided belief that wheat is bad for you, and many more who claim allergies or sensitivities when they are really just picky or neurotic, your diatribe on gluten is sadly misguided and reflects an intolerance of the realities of medical advances. Remember, in the 1900s, people with multiple sclerosis were considered neurotic, and people considered insane were actually suffering from tertiary syphilis. Just because celiac wasn't around when you were young doesn't make it a made-up illness.
7
Gluten-free is a catch-all including 3 distinct categories:
1) CELIAC -Serious medical allergy that can result in anaphylactic shock or death. Gluten-free kitchen preparation is paramount, very few commercial kitchens can meet these standards.
2) Gluten-intolerant (my malady) in which the colon cannot process gluten, and the gluten abrades the lining of the colon. It is very painful if gluten intake is not seriously reduced or eliminated. We can tolerate accidental 'glutening' occasionally. There are other maladies that also respond to low-gluten and gluten-free diets and many kids with ADD/ADHD seem to respond well to gluten-free diets.
3) Health-conscious folks who feel better with limited or no-gluten for a variety of reasons. These are the ones that tend to drive restauraunteers crazy because they will ask for GF then order something with gluten.
It is hard for restaurant chefs & servers to know which category they are serving and part of their service should be to ask which category the customer is. If they choose not to address the issue, they are losing not just the gluten-free customer but the friends and relatives that eat with them.
Restaurants may not be able to serve celiacs well but they can keep the other s. Gluten free people can imbibe potatoes and rice easily - please don't order french fries that are coated with flour (an amazing number of them are) or do silly things such as combine rice with vermicelli. We are quite adaptable if there are pure foods.
1) CELIAC -Serious medical allergy that can result in anaphylactic shock or death. Gluten-free kitchen preparation is paramount, very few commercial kitchens can meet these standards.
2) Gluten-intolerant (my malady) in which the colon cannot process gluten, and the gluten abrades the lining of the colon. It is very painful if gluten intake is not seriously reduced or eliminated. We can tolerate accidental 'glutening' occasionally. There are other maladies that also respond to low-gluten and gluten-free diets and many kids with ADD/ADHD seem to respond well to gluten-free diets.
3) Health-conscious folks who feel better with limited or no-gluten for a variety of reasons. These are the ones that tend to drive restauraunteers crazy because they will ask for GF then order something with gluten.
It is hard for restaurant chefs & servers to know which category they are serving and part of their service should be to ask which category the customer is. If they choose not to address the issue, they are losing not just the gluten-free customer but the friends and relatives that eat with them.
Restaurants may not be able to serve celiacs well but they can keep the other s. Gluten free people can imbibe potatoes and rice easily - please don't order french fries that are coated with flour (an amazing number of them are) or do silly things such as combine rice with vermicelli. We are quite adaptable if there are pure foods.
2
Celiac is not an allergy. It is an autoimmune disease.
1
" CELIAC -Serious medical allergy that can result in anaphylactic shock or death."
No it is not an allergy and cannot result in anaphylactic shock . It's an auto immune disease that has one treatment: a lifelong gf diet. Untreated the sufferer shill have a small intestine with completely blunted villi which will lead to any number of serious conditions over time
No it is not an allergy and cannot result in anaphylactic shock . It's an auto immune disease that has one treatment: a lifelong gf diet. Untreated the sufferer shill have a small intestine with completely blunted villi which will lead to any number of serious conditions over time
My bet is the increase in celiac diagnosis is tied to the relatively recent advent of the tTG-IgA blood test. With 98% accuracy, the prior limiter of 3 endoscopy diagnostic exams is no longer precluding positive diagnosis. Consequently, it may well be that the true percentage of celiac population isn't expanding as much as it is becoming known. And it only makes sense for food manufacturers respond to that market.
8
When I turned 40 a mysterious rash broke out on my arms. A few month later it traveled to my hips and my outer thighs. I was seen by at least 3 dermatologists and no one knew what it was. After steroidal creams and cortisone shots and birth control pills and numerous other efforts failed, my daughter's allergist suggested I go Gluten Free. After 6 weeks the rash was completely gone for the first time in 7 years. I don't know why wheat gives me a rash. I have eaten wheat my entire life. No stomach issues but the rash is red, raised, itchy and will get worse and worse until I curb my diet.
It must be a pesticide or an additive or something...but clearly I am not the only one with a new intolerance. I am sure our friends at Monsanto know something
It must be a pesticide or an additive or something...but clearly I am not the only one with a new intolerance. I am sure our friends at Monsanto know something
9
Did those dermatologists you consulted rule out dermatitis herpetiformis, the skin manifestation of celiac disease? Most people who have it experience no intestinal symptoms of celiac disease, but they have it just the same.
http://celiac.nih.gov/Dermatitis.aspx
http://celiac.nih.gov/Dermatitis.aspx
It's one thing to have an opinion based on evidence, but Mr. Cohen presents nothing to indicate this the growth of food allergies and sensitivities is without medical basis. His argument is based on his experience that people with numerous food sensitivies annoy him because they appear to be persnickety. As a physician who sees patients with medically verifiable food allergies all the time, this whining about people who can't eat the way he would like them to seems very childish.
I think Mr. Cohen is reacting more to the sense of entitlement or rudeness of people who "demand" that their dietary idiosyncrasies be addressed. If so, I think his feelings are understandable, but this has more to do with his reaction to rudeness than with dietary problems per se. His solution seems to have become equally rude by trying to invalidate their reactions to food.
His column this week thereby reveals more about his intolerance for others than about food allergies.
I think Mr. Cohen is reacting more to the sense of entitlement or rudeness of people who "demand" that their dietary idiosyncrasies be addressed. If so, I think his feelings are understandable, but this has more to do with his reaction to rudeness than with dietary problems per se. His solution seems to have become equally rude by trying to invalidate their reactions to food.
His column this week thereby reveals more about his intolerance for others than about food allergies.
12
A country divided not only by wealth and intellect but by BMI!
It's a much more serious issue than income inequality because obesity leads directly to anger and general discontent.
Most of the fat folks are in The Red States and the fallout is palpable!
It's a much more serious issue than income inequality because obesity leads directly to anger and general discontent.
Most of the fat folks are in The Red States and the fallout is palpable!
1
The modern pharmaceutical industry has created a generation that is uniquely medicated in profound and intrusive ways like none before it.
Birth control, antibiotics, anti-depressants/anti-anxiety, painkilling drugs, all of these system altering incursions are ingested like candy by large swaths of the population. Not to mention immunization (Won't go there, but worthy of thought.)
A few thoughts:
Maybe we do not understand how the systems of our bodies are interrelated. Perhaps the subtle effects of messing with one system only show up in a different system, or part of that system many years, even generations, later.
Secondly. Maybe some of the ways we think we can supersede the bodies systems are really taking advantage certain purposeful long-term species protection, vs individual members protection trade-offs. What I mean is that the body might not have produced it's own "modern day medicine" equivalents because even though it would have helped a few lucky (greedy?) generations, in the long term it would weaken the species as a whole. Antibiotics with the resulting super-bugs and immunization are relevant to this idea.
Finally, why is it that every part of our body is perfect. You won't walk into a class of 4th graders and see half the kids in crutches or hearing aids. And yet... when it comes to eyes G-d just couldn't get it right? The majority are wearing glasses. Slightest vision weakness= Get 'em dependent when their young= $$$
Birth control, antibiotics, anti-depressants/anti-anxiety, painkilling drugs, all of these system altering incursions are ingested like candy by large swaths of the population. Not to mention immunization (Won't go there, but worthy of thought.)
A few thoughts:
Maybe we do not understand how the systems of our bodies are interrelated. Perhaps the subtle effects of messing with one system only show up in a different system, or part of that system many years, even generations, later.
Secondly. Maybe some of the ways we think we can supersede the bodies systems are really taking advantage certain purposeful long-term species protection, vs individual members protection trade-offs. What I mean is that the body might not have produced it's own "modern day medicine" equivalents because even though it would have helped a few lucky (greedy?) generations, in the long term it would weaken the species as a whole. Antibiotics with the resulting super-bugs and immunization are relevant to this idea.
Finally, why is it that every part of our body is perfect. You won't walk into a class of 4th graders and see half the kids in crutches or hearing aids. And yet... when it comes to eyes G-d just couldn't get it right? The majority are wearing glasses. Slightest vision weakness= Get 'em dependent when their young= $$$
2
Old-fashioned history books used to attribute the early deaths of various famous figures to "surfeits" of this or that. I wonder if many of them were not due to allergic reactions.
2
Today is national Elections day in Canada and it is an apt reminder that all decisions in life are about apparent choices. I wrote apparent but for some of us, intolerances/allergies are a way of life, not a choice.
I applaud those of you who have decided to make a lifestyle change to exclude gluten from your diet, as it is not an easy thing to do. I do not applaud, however, comments made by many of you that this "fad" may be exaggerated. Try living in our shoes, successfully (without gettin sick that is), for a week.
I find it odd that Mr Cohen, a very thoughtful writer about the very complicated world of international affairs, who brings nuances in his columns where none are apparent, can be so uncouth about the simpler things in life.
Food for thought: if I may be so bold to suggest that were Mr Cohen to bring his usual level of nuance to this topic, perhaps we would all be a bit better enlightened for it.
I applaud those of you who have decided to make a lifestyle change to exclude gluten from your diet, as it is not an easy thing to do. I do not applaud, however, comments made by many of you that this "fad" may be exaggerated. Try living in our shoes, successfully (without gettin sick that is), for a week.
I find it odd that Mr Cohen, a very thoughtful writer about the very complicated world of international affairs, who brings nuances in his columns where none are apparent, can be so uncouth about the simpler things in life.
Food for thought: if I may be so bold to suggest that were Mr Cohen to bring his usual level of nuance to this topic, perhaps we would all be a bit better enlightened for it.
3
I've decided the best way to solve it all,with no dietary restrictions, is to eat as close to kosher as possible. (Actually, I'm having so much fun learning about all of the little kosher symbols.). And, to my surprise, when I asked the gal at the kitchen store I have visited for years, about Jewish food, I learned one of the other gals I had come to know, is Jewish -- now I am learning all kinds of new things about my food, and I hope she does a class!
I've only read the first paragraph so far, but you're wrong about Italy. I don't know why that Venetian restaurateur had that sign, but Italy has a high rate of celiacs, and is generally extremely accommodating to gluten-free demands. In fact, the Italian government pays a little something extra to celiacs, to help them afford their more expensive diet.
9
Roger Cohen, Italy has one of the highest diagnosis rate for Celiacs in the globe, including a screening program in elementary schools. The pharmacies are filled with gluten free food products, because this is a medical necessity. There is not only a national celiac association in Italy, there are national organizations for gluten free restaurants, pizzerias and gelaterias - these restaurants have a sign with an emblem in their window. Italy is a country the US needs to look TOWARD when setting up support systems and official health and government policies regarding food labeling. You have shown yourself to be horribly ignorant with this column.
15
Exactly. Italy is a world leader in celiac awareness and catering to those who need to eat gluten free.
That Cohen's lede is this anamolous Venetian menu note says all you need to know about the deep research he's done for this smug and narcissistic waste of column inches.
That Cohen's lede is this anamolous Venetian menu note says all you need to know about the deep research he's done for this smug and narcissistic waste of column inches.
As someone with Celiac, let's not overlook the fact that this so-called overblown fad has revolutionized the amount and quality of options for sufferers of this disease. The options for bread, cereals, pastas, etc. etc..were completely non-existent or, at the very least, much more expensive and of lesser quality, just a couple years ago.
3
I think you may be missing a point. Gluten is not only associated with celiac disease. I gave up gluten a year ago to see if it had an effect on a problem I have had and actually feel a lot better. The problem I had has now gone away and not eating toast for breakfast, different kinds of pasta, and different kinds of pizza has actually resulted in weight loss. I feel a lot better. There are plenty of foods to eat in an Italian restaurant that do not require pasta.
1
Here is the link to the NYT July 2014 travel article which mentions some of Italy's public health policies regarding celiac disease and the provision of gluten-free fare. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/29/travel/gluten-free-dining-in-italy.html
4
Too bad the Times' own columnist did not read this when forming his opinion piece.
Cohen almost got this right. People over 80 can eat anything because, unlike their 25 year old counterparts, they were not born into a world full of commercial food.
Our parents and grandparents ate simpler foods that did not contain a bunch of weird additives. Gluten in bread - ok, in liquorice or chocolate - not ok. The amount of crap that food inc. adds to simplify manufacturing and alter mouth feel is staggering. There was never a need for trans-fats until food inc. wanted to make a profit.
The first FDA approved genetic modification to apples is prevent them from oxidizing - not to make them healthier!
The epidemic of food intolerance is something we've brought upon ourselves. Just because Cohen doesn't like it doesn't mean its not real or that he should bury his head in the sand.
Our parents and grandparents ate simpler foods that did not contain a bunch of weird additives. Gluten in bread - ok, in liquorice or chocolate - not ok. The amount of crap that food inc. adds to simplify manufacturing and alter mouth feel is staggering. There was never a need for trans-fats until food inc. wanted to make a profit.
The first FDA approved genetic modification to apples is prevent them from oxidizing - not to make them healthier!
The epidemic of food intolerance is something we've brought upon ourselves. Just because Cohen doesn't like it doesn't mean its not real or that he should bury his head in the sand.
1
If allergies are not enough to worry about, what about the fear of offending God by drinking a glass of milk with chicken salad, but it's OK with scrambled chicken eggs. Then there is no pork for Muslims and no cow beef for Hindus.
I once argued with my Dad about not being able to eat shellfish just seafood with scales were allowed he said. Why I asked. They eat dirty stuff from the sea he explained. But Flounder are bottom feeders as well I said. Enough of this talk he demanded, eat your Bagel.
Picky eaters, please stay away from my table.
I once argued with my Dad about not being able to eat shellfish just seafood with scales were allowed he said. Why I asked. They eat dirty stuff from the sea he explained. But Flounder are bottom feeders as well I said. Enough of this talk he demanded, eat your Bagel.
Picky eaters, please stay away from my table.
2
I don't know the science on it all, but, what was once viewed as a religious thing, may be a scientific thing, also, that we have yet to consider. Milk in our digestive tract on top of meat or vice versa may impede or disrupt the digestive tract and its well being. (Maybe you should listen and consider your father!)
Italians were way ahead of us in their awareness of celiac disease. This is largely because the land of pasta also happens to have a high percentage of folks with a genetic tendency to gluten intolerance. I don't know about the particular restaurant Cohen speaks of, but celiac disease is a very real presence in the lives of many Italians. Once again, Cohen holds forth on an Italy he seems to know very little about. Why on earth does the Times keep him?
4
Recent scientific evidence is indicating that changes in our environment may be increasing food allergies and intolerances. These include overuse of antibiotics and excessively clean environments in the home, e.g. from use of antibacterial soaps and cleaning products. These substances destroy our body's good bacteria along with the bad, and can negatively affect our immune systems. That may be a reason why the group of people in the 80s and 90s didn't have any intolerances, whereas many in the group in their 20s and 30s had them.
1
Can't vs won't seems to be the operative distinction here. I can tell you from personal experience that eating the flesh of animals has a nasty and immediate effect on my digestive system. I wish it weren't so, but it is. However my need for a true vegetarian diet does not cause me to wish it on anyone else. If I were lactose intolerant I would be sad, but could not imagine denying others the joy of ice cream!
Have you noticed that fats are now OK? The entire dietary establishment of the United States is a massive fraud. If they can get a simple thing like fat wrong, as a physician I urge you not to believe anything else they say. Gluten sensitivity is going through a current phase of popularity. the great mass of people who currently think they are gluten sensitive are not. Every day you see recommendations in the press or on television concerning what you should or should not eat. You should ignore all of them.
1
I pity your patients. It is the attitude of doctor's like you that contributes toward very sick people spending many many years trying to get medical help. The average number of years someone spends sick in the US before being diagnosed w Celiac is still 11 years! 11 years of being increasingly sick and going from doctor to doctor. If more doctors were educated and open minded, this would not take 11 years.
1
I think the growth of food intolerance is in part just greater awareness that not every food affects different people the same way, and may have ill effects ranging from mild to severe, but also in part a combination of less traditional preparation of foods (e.g. bread dough that is no longer fermented over a period of days but produced in a matter of minutes in a factory) and changes in the microbiomes in our GI tracts. The latter especially could account for differences across generations, as these microbiomes are greatly affected even as adults by what we are exposed to in our infancy. We are only beginning to understand this, but it could help account for, say, why scientific studies have shown that millenials have a harder time losing weight than older generations when controlling for diet and exercise. One would expect the opposite.
1
This column is so off-base that it is hard to comment on. To make sarcastic comments about people with potentially life-threatening food allergies is not what I would expect from this columnist. We should be encouraging people with food allergies to come forward, not minimizing the problem and congratulating those who simply tell them to go elsewhere. There are many people with health problems who are simply not aware that the problems may be due to food allergies or sensitivities, and a column like this does them no service. Peanut allergies, nut allergies, fish allergies, gluten sensitivity, milk sensitivity, these are not a fad, but conditions that require our concern and respect.
12
Strangely, I find myself not able to eat wheat. Do I have celiac disease? No. Do I have gluten intolerance? Probably not, because barley doesn't bother me. But, strangely, when I eat wheat, my blood pressure skyrockets. My endocrinologist suggested that I test foods in my diet, informally. My cardiologist laughed, until I brought him a month's worth of tracking the impact of wheat on my bp. For example, a piece of coffee cake that I'd baked, with all salt removed: 190/100. Or, one day a shrimp louis for lunch, after lunch: 128/80. Same salad the next day, with half a cup of croutons, 140/90. Sandwich on French roll: 165/100.
In my experiments on myself, it didn't matter if it was white bread, wheat bread, organic, spelt, dense coarse whole grain, pasta, or any other manifestation. My body recognizes it as an agent for inflammation.
These days, there is no wheat in my house, including processed food like canned soups or frozen dinners where wheat is a hidden ingredient, and it's pretty easy to order around it in restaurants. I don't think I'm the only person in the country who has this problem, but I bet I'm one of the few lucky enough to identify it.
In my experiments on myself, it didn't matter if it was white bread, wheat bread, organic, spelt, dense coarse whole grain, pasta, or any other manifestation. My body recognizes it as an agent for inflammation.
These days, there is no wheat in my house, including processed food like canned soups or frozen dinners where wheat is a hidden ingredient, and it's pretty easy to order around it in restaurants. I don't think I'm the only person in the country who has this problem, but I bet I'm one of the few lucky enough to identify it.
1
Having worked in the restaurant industry I fully understand the rage associated with Gluten Free and all other fad trends of late.
However, I also have a mother who was diagnosed with celiacs before it was cool, who broke down and cried in the grocery store when I was trying to show her what she could and couldn't eat. And I myself have allergies and intolerances and I HATE going to restaurants because of the disdain I feel from waitresses and their establishments. I am a firm believer in checking out the menu before going and making sure there is something there I can get with ease instead of inflicting my allergies on someone else.
But even if someone just has an intolerance instead of an allergy why would you ever tell them they have to eat something because it is easier and more convenient for you? If something makes them sick or feel bad, and they've figured out what it is, then it should be avoided at all costs.
And people like you, Roger, who haven't had to experience it are really unfair to those who already have a hard time figuring out where they can and can't eat and what they can and can't have. I wouldn't wish on anyone the experiences myself and my mom have had asking to make sure something that was listed without our particular allergy be prepared without it, having it confirmed and then being so ill a few hours later we can't be around others or have to go to the doctor.
It's not always LOOK AT ME, sometimes it's just, PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME SICK
However, I also have a mother who was diagnosed with celiacs before it was cool, who broke down and cried in the grocery store when I was trying to show her what she could and couldn't eat. And I myself have allergies and intolerances and I HATE going to restaurants because of the disdain I feel from waitresses and their establishments. I am a firm believer in checking out the menu before going and making sure there is something there I can get with ease instead of inflicting my allergies on someone else.
But even if someone just has an intolerance instead of an allergy why would you ever tell them they have to eat something because it is easier and more convenient for you? If something makes them sick or feel bad, and they've figured out what it is, then it should be avoided at all costs.
And people like you, Roger, who haven't had to experience it are really unfair to those who already have a hard time figuring out where they can and can't eat and what they can and can't have. I wouldn't wish on anyone the experiences myself and my mom have had asking to make sure something that was listed without our particular allergy be prepared without it, having it confirmed and then being so ill a few hours later we can't be around others or have to go to the doctor.
It's not always LOOK AT ME, sometimes it's just, PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME SICK
11
At least the Venetian in Las Vegas is more "tolerant" and responsive to people's culinary needs.
3
Although gag, I heard its owned by Evil Adelson. Oh well it takes all kinds of people to make up the world and there's room for everyone.
Here, here!!
1
Articles like this are so unhelpful. People like me with celiac disease have a severe, life-long, potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease. For the NYTimes to waste column on the opinions of Roger Cohen, an absolute dilettante in the areas of health and nutrition,who chooses to reflect on his Roman Holiday by vilifying those restricted to gluten-free diets - or those who choose them for whatever reason - is ridiculous. For people with celiac disease, it is a great boon that many others also avoid gluten, because it means that we have some food options in the stores that did not exist for us in previous years. Fad or no fad, I need that food to live, so thank you faddists for creating a richer gluten-free market!
8
Since when did having ailments become "cool"?
2
How did you leave out the topic of GMO foods that are finally being discovered to cause problems? And add to that that many of the Europeans are saying no way to them. Americans may not be as picky as you may think... maybe, just maybe they are being slowly poisoned.
7
The comparison of the over 80s crowd with the under 25 crowd is spot on. The conversation is nauseating at so many dinners as the food is torn apart for problems and the younger ones overshare their gastro issues, while the older family enjoy without comment - except to say thank you.
Many ask for gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and then I see them 'indulging' in a cheeseburger and I'm told "I deserve it". What? Food is a reward to be earned, but not enjoyed every day?
So it's not always medical, but often a lifestyle choice by which to distinguish oneself as warranting attention - as you say. Or a way to say that they are superior in being informed about the workings of their digestive systems. I have no problem with it, just eat what you can and be quiet about the rest of us.
Many ask for gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and then I see them 'indulging' in a cheeseburger and I'm told "I deserve it". What? Food is a reward to be earned, but not enjoyed every day?
So it's not always medical, but often a lifestyle choice by which to distinguish oneself as warranting attention - as you say. Or a way to say that they are superior in being informed about the workings of their digestive systems. I have no problem with it, just eat what you can and be quiet about the rest of us.
6
I used to sneer at the food faddist (Portland is full of them) and over-generalizers, until, well into middle age, I started losing weight while eating like a teenager, experiencing severe gastric upset, etc. - and was finally, after several miserable years, diagnosed with celiac. No more sourdough bread, fondue, cheesecake, etc. And in answer to a reader who commented on food that never had anything to do with gluten - you'd be surprised. Soy sauce. Liquorice for heaven's sake. I quickly learned to read every label, clear to the end. I'm lucky - trace contamination in the kitchen doesn't make me sick - but a light dusting of flour on a piece of meat to reduce the shininess will.
And now I am grateful to the food faddists and over-generalizers. Thanks to them, every major store and most restaurants in this city can provide me with a satisfying, enjoyable meal that won't ruin the next day. Yes, it is annoying to have insensitive folks like Mr. Cohen berate me for "me-ism" and other forms of narcissism, and to have to explain repeatedly that it is emphatically not a life-style choice, but a real medical condition with potentially life-threatening consequences -- but without the food faddists, there is no way 1% of the population could support a market for a diverse and tasty array of gluten-free dishes. Thank you, food faddists!
And now I am grateful to the food faddists and over-generalizers. Thanks to them, every major store and most restaurants in this city can provide me with a satisfying, enjoyable meal that won't ruin the next day. Yes, it is annoying to have insensitive folks like Mr. Cohen berate me for "me-ism" and other forms of narcissism, and to have to explain repeatedly that it is emphatically not a life-style choice, but a real medical condition with potentially life-threatening consequences -- but without the food faddists, there is no way 1% of the population could support a market for a diverse and tasty array of gluten-free dishes. Thank you, food faddists!
39
There are other reasons someone may need to be gluten-free besides celiac disease. I live with Hashimoto's Disease, an auto-immune disorder that causes serious damage to the thyroid. The molecular structure of gliadin, the protein portion of gluten, closely resembles that of the thyroid gland. When gliadin breaches the protective barrier of the gut, and enters the bloodstream, the immune system tags it for destruction. These antibodies to gliadin also cause the body to attack thyroid tissue. Hashimoto's causes severe fatigue, brain fog, depression, hair loss, muscle fatigue, inflammation in the joints, and weight challenges. I didn't ask for this disease and certainly don't enjoy the attention I draw to myself at restaurants and through invitations to people's homes. I seriously doubt the millions of others who suffer from this disease enjoy the attention either.
Your column is not only unhelpful and inaccurate, it is harmful and dangerous. I hope after reading comments from those of us who deal with food-related health issues you might be willing to eat your gluten-free words -- you will be a better and wiser person for it.
Your column is not only unhelpful and inaccurate, it is harmful and dangerous. I hope after reading comments from those of us who deal with food-related health issues you might be willing to eat your gluten-free words -- you will be a better and wiser person for it.
31
It brings to mind the Great Marketing Opportunity of slapping Fat Free on everything from nylons to oranges. It was sickening. Meanwhile, there is a real issue with wheat (and yeast too) for many people and I think it's a great thing that g-f baked goods and other formerly, wheat based products have made it easier for people to find alternatives.
But certainly, there has always been that attention seeking element that views whatever they are choosing to do as The Right Thing - the Only Thing. These people are insufferable and will be regardless of their Raison du Jour. But just because something is getting a lot of press these days, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Both dairy and wheat need to be viewed not through the eyes of our grandparents but with 21st century knowledge that our food supply has changed in many ways for the worse and we are suffering as a result.
But certainly, there has always been that attention seeking element that views whatever they are choosing to do as The Right Thing - the Only Thing. These people are insufferable and will be regardless of their Raison du Jour. But just because something is getting a lot of press these days, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Both dairy and wheat need to be viewed not through the eyes of our grandparents but with 21st century knowledge that our food supply has changed in many ways for the worse and we are suffering as a result.
1
I live in a community where every discomfort and illness is either caused by a food intolerance or immunizations. I've met people who are "lactose" intolerance, "Ceriac" disease or "Lyme' Disease or some other ailment but have absolutely no symptoms. While there are many peopel who actually do have food intolerances, many people who claim them are doing so for "political" reasons.
5
I'm really confused, if they have no symptoms then how do they know/find out they have the ailment?
Having digestive problems when I eat wheat products, I am thankful that so many "narcissists" feel the need to eat gluten free foods. But as a big fan of good food, I hate the fact that I have to eat this way. Anyone jumping on this bandwagon without a need to is a fool, in my opinion. There's a good reason chefs don't often reach for non-wheat flours by choice.
But I don't know if you can just blame this on a fad. Though I have no proof, I believe my digestive issues are related to being given powerful antibiotics "just in case," as well as for a couple of nasty infections I've had.
But I don't know if you can just blame this on a fad. Though I have no proof, I believe my digestive issues are related to being given powerful antibiotics "just in case," as well as for a couple of nasty infections I've had.
2
And someone mentioned witch hunts? Here's a link to a PBS article on ergotism:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/witches-curse-clues-evidence/1501/
"LSD is a derivative of ergot, a fungus that affects rye grain. Ergotism — ergot poisoning — had indeed been implicated in other outbreaks of bizarre behavior, such as the one that afflicted the small French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951.
But could ergot actually have been the culprit? Did it have the means and the opportunity to wreak havoc in Salem? Caporael’s sleuthing, with the help of science, provided the answers."
But me, I figure it's not ergotism, it's an overdose of Roundup, doing most of the damage. Till we know for sure, taking a 2-week break from all grains and seeing what our bodies tell us--feel MUCH better? No difference?--makes the most sense to me. (And bring a non-gluten dish to the party; don't expect your poor hostess to change her menu.)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/witches-curse-clues-evidence/1501/
"LSD is a derivative of ergot, a fungus that affects rye grain. Ergotism — ergot poisoning — had indeed been implicated in other outbreaks of bizarre behavior, such as the one that afflicted the small French town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in 1951.
But could ergot actually have been the culprit? Did it have the means and the opportunity to wreak havoc in Salem? Caporael’s sleuthing, with the help of science, provided the answers."
But me, I figure it's not ergotism, it's an overdose of Roundup, doing most of the damage. Till we know for sure, taking a 2-week break from all grains and seeing what our bodies tell us--feel MUCH better? No difference?--makes the most sense to me. (And bring a non-gluten dish to the party; don't expect your poor hostess to change her menu.)
I live in Los Angeles which is filled with people with fussy food issues. A few observations I have made: The GF crowd is overwhelmingly white. I do not have a single Asian, Hispanic, Black or Persian (like myself) friend who has a gluten allergy, they are always skinny white women who not only are allergic to gluten but shun soy, sugar, non-organic, non-GMO and whatever food we are supposed to be afraid of, which makes me think it is a mental eating disorder more than a true food allergy. Yes there are those who swear it causes digestive issue and fine, I will agree to a certain percentage having those problems but when the overwhelming majority are white women it makes me wonder. Also, I have two GF friends yet when they travel they allow themselves croissants, pasta, bread etc. and say they will pay the price. Discomfort does not equal allergy-allergy means you will not eat it no matter what.
8
Celiac disease has a genetic component, and it occurs far more often in some ethnic populations than others.
So, are you suggesting some kind of cap on the number of people with celiac disease?
I know someone who spent 10 years with horrible intestinal problems before ditching wheat and seeing all that pain vanish almost immediately. Maybe we should be looking for the underlying cause or would that upset the food industry and wheat lobbyists?
I can tolerate gluten just fine, but people who can't need to stay away from it like the plague.
Otherwise, thanks for the cranky geezer column., Now go stuff your pie hole in Italy and quit acting like you know anything about medicine.
I know someone who spent 10 years with horrible intestinal problems before ditching wheat and seeing all that pain vanish almost immediately. Maybe we should be looking for the underlying cause or would that upset the food industry and wheat lobbyists?
I can tolerate gluten just fine, but people who can't need to stay away from it like the plague.
Otherwise, thanks for the cranky geezer column., Now go stuff your pie hole in Italy and quit acting like you know anything about medicine.
14
I had celiac disease 60 years ago and I have it today. It isn't that it didn't exist 60 years ago, it was simply misdiagnosed. And those who were misdiagnosed for life didn't make it to the age where they attended birthday parties for 96 year-old compatriots.
Italians are very aware of celiac disease and have been at the forefront of detecting it. The gluten-free pasta is there for Italians, not just American tourists.
Finally, it's easy to tell who has celiac disease and who is living the "gluten free lifestyle": Those with celiac disease are quietly ordering the Risotto instead of proclaiming their need for second-rate pasta.
Italians are very aware of celiac disease and have been at the forefront of detecting it. The gluten-free pasta is there for Italians, not just American tourists.
Finally, it's easy to tell who has celiac disease and who is living the "gluten free lifestyle": Those with celiac disease are quietly ordering the Risotto instead of proclaiming their need for second-rate pasta.
18
Roger Cohen hits the nail right on the head. I grew up eating everything and continued to eat all sorts of ethnic and exotic foods as I travelled to other parts of our country and overseas. I am now 64 and can still eat anything I want. Exposure builds immunity.
Once you go down that road, there's no end to it. I am willing to have a variety of foods and snacks for my guests, willing to leave the meatballs off someone's plate or provide different salad dressings or beverages. But more than that and I look to be their dinner guest instead
As we used to say in New York, it's Mamma Nicastro's spaghetti sauce: if you don't like it - that it!
Chevy
South Hadley, MA
Once you go down that road, there's no end to it. I am willing to have a variety of foods and snacks for my guests, willing to leave the meatballs off someone's plate or provide different salad dressings or beverages. But more than that and I look to be their dinner guest instead
As we used to say in New York, it's Mamma Nicastro's spaghetti sauce: if you don't like it - that it!
Chevy
South Hadley, MA
3
Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease whereby your immune system mistakes gluten for a foreign invader and actually attacks your body. Even this lousy author points this out in the article. No one is "building their immunity" against Celiac or any auto-immune disease. That is medically and scientifically impossible. You complain about others but feel the need to make such an ignorant and ill-informed comment.
1
Coincidentally, yesterday's Sunday Boston Globe Magazine had a bitter article about how the allegedly-allergic are gaming the system to the detriment of restaurants in general. It's expensive and intrusive to build a custom meal. A common complaint from the restaurants: people who claim to be dairy-allergic or -intolerant for their main course (no butter, please) and proceed to order ice cream for dessert.
3
I didn't choose to have celiac disease. I didn't even want to be tested. My doctor ordered the test when my calcium was a little low. Even when I had the biopsy and the antibody serology to confirm the disease, I denied it. A little GI upset was worth being able to eat what I wanted. It wasn't until my electrolytes and vitamin levels tanked and my doctor begged me to go glutten free that I admitted I have the disease.
Glutten-free isn't a fad to make me feel special. I don't feel any better avoiding foods based with wheat. My grocery shopping time doubles checking all the labels. My grocery prices are up 50%. I have to spend much more time doing my own cooking because I can't buy most meals that are prepared. And I feel like a drag on all my friends when I say no to a restaurant because the only thing I can eat there is dry salad (many dressings have glutten).
I nearly cried with joy when Cheerios went glutten-free. I love the fact there are whole grocery aisles I can shop in without fear. An when I went to the farmer's market and found food boothes with glutten free entrees, I finally felt welcome.
Thank your restaurant owner friend for at least marking his products, but he should know that it's not only my business he's lost, it's my family and friends business too. Friends and family are an older tradition than any recipe, and mine support me when we eat together. And they do not call my illness a self-obsessed fad.
Glutten-free isn't a fad to make me feel special. I don't feel any better avoiding foods based with wheat. My grocery shopping time doubles checking all the labels. My grocery prices are up 50%. I have to spend much more time doing my own cooking because I can't buy most meals that are prepared. And I feel like a drag on all my friends when I say no to a restaurant because the only thing I can eat there is dry salad (many dressings have glutten).
I nearly cried with joy when Cheerios went glutten-free. I love the fact there are whole grocery aisles I can shop in without fear. An when I went to the farmer's market and found food boothes with glutten free entrees, I finally felt welcome.
Thank your restaurant owner friend for at least marking his products, but he should know that it's not only my business he's lost, it's my family and friends business too. Friends and family are an older tradition than any recipe, and mine support me when we eat together. And they do not call my illness a self-obsessed fad.
8
I'm perfectly capable of deciding what I want to eat and what I don't want to eat, as long as I have the information to decide. Too often, restaurant servers don't know what ingredients are in the food they are serving. If one dish has objectionable ingredients, I can choose another dish. Too many people assume that if I don't want what I asked about the first time, then, well, I don't know what they think. I think I can choose something else. Either way, I want to know what is in my food.
I tend to view these concerns -- and they come and go, and cover everything from what foods do what to whether or not electrical wires cause disease -- as just expressions of what an older time just called "neurosis."
Being neurotic is a "functional" mental imbalance, and is likely harmless, except when it erupts into wholly irrational fears and panics.
By the way, never buy that chewing gum that contains a juicy center when you bite into it. I hear someone found a spider inside it once!
Being neurotic is a "functional" mental imbalance, and is likely harmless, except when it erupts into wholly irrational fears and panics.
By the way, never buy that chewing gum that contains a juicy center when you bite into it. I hear someone found a spider inside it once!
4
Nothing says "effete coastal" like gluten-free eating.
Has anyone noticed that gluten-intolerance does not seem nearly as prevalent in "The Heartland" as along the coasts?
I wonder why that is?
Has anyone noticed that gluten-intolerance does not seem nearly as prevalent in "The Heartland" as along the coasts?
I wonder why that is?
4
I'm sure some of the cause stems from greater affluence and influence from media/fads. I am also certain, from personal experience, that a great deal of it stems from much lower quality medical care.
1
@Kevin Hill:
It's just as prevalent, just under-diagnosed.
It's just as prevalent, just under-diagnosed.
1
I cringe when I see these articles. I spent my whole life eating whatever I wanted, but suddenly my stomach starting gotten really out of whack. I eliminated wheat, and I feel so much better. I wish people would stop saying it's in my head, and wake up to the fact that there is something fundamentally wrong with our food.
7
I catered a large luncheon last year; no hot food. I made food suitable for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. One woman requested kosher meat, steamed vegetables, and something else. I told the organizer that I couldn't satisfy her and that she should bring her own food to the event. Geez. When I am having a dinner party I have always asked if there was something my guest didn't like or couldn't eat. Now I have to remember this one doesn't eat red meat or dairy, that one doesn't eat gluten, or pork,, and is on a low salt diet. It's getting more complicated all the time.
3
You are a caterer! You are paid to provide the food requested by the person who hired you! You have some nerve.
You mean that supplying food for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores wasn't enough? I am not a kosher caterer, and other than deli meat, there was no meat on the menu. Her request was so different from the food being offered, that it was not possible. If she had such specific requests, she should know to bring her own food. When one is catering for 100, and 99 of those people will be satisfied with what is offered, how is it nervy to not be able to satisfy the one? And, PS, this was a luncheon where the per person cost was $15, not a gourmet meal.
To Roger Cohen: You are fortunate that you must "IMAGINE" what it's like to have food allergies and you don't actually have them. It's unfortunate that you are using your column's reach to call food allergies an "IMAGINED" trend. You are lucky to be able to enjoy dining and travel without concerns that you or your child will end up in the emergency room after a meal.
12
Unless someone has celiac disease or a specific allergy, there is no reason to avoid gluten. People can spin any symptom into an indictment against a perceived villain—typically sans any scientific evidence. (I never blamed the foods that I was allergic to over the years as being evil—just avoided them and kept an inhaler available.) Perhaps this most recent fad will fade similar to various in vogue diets. The half-life for such is typically about 18 months.
Coincidentally, I finished baking some very gluten laden babka this morning…great with coffee.
Coincidentally, I finished baking some very gluten laden babka this morning…great with coffee.
1
I am fully cognizant that some people have life-threatening food allergies. This comment is not for them. This is for the people who have decided that they just "feel better" if they don't eat a certain food. This makes potluck dinners a nightmare. Because one person has decided that s/he's a vegan, and another "feels better" if s/he doesn't eat wheat, the entire potluck crew has to figure out new ways to cook to accommodate those preferences. I bake a killer pie. Many people love my pies. But because of the the vegan and the wheat person, the entire crew is deprived of my amazing apple pie (from local, organic, sustainable apples, wheat, and butter). Well, I've had it. I will bring whatever my kitchen can produce and let the wheat person and the vegan decide for themselves, and not for the whole crew.
9
@Blue Mtn Sophie:
I think you have misunderstood the concept of a "potluck" dinner. Having food allergies myself, I would never host or attend a potluck expecting to be able to eat every dish. I simply make and bring a dish I know I can eat...
I think you have misunderstood the concept of a "potluck" dinner. Having food allergies myself, I would never host or attend a potluck expecting to be able to eat every dish. I simply make and bring a dish I know I can eat...
1
Made me smile to read this. I am one of those older persons who is amazed at what many younger people eat today.
2
autism seems like it is on the rise because it is now more broadly defined (see: autism spectrum) and it is something we actively screen for...this is why it seems like it is proliferating. as for allergies, most, not all, children who are exposed to nuts and eggs and strawberries early on do not have allergies. it is the delaying of introducing these foods (an overparenting technique gone awry) that causes the allergy (see: the LEAP study). celiac disease is a real thing for a small segment of the population but, once again, we have started to measure gluten intolerance on a spectrum, which is why it seems that so many people have a gluten allergy. as for GMO's, it's insane that we keep having to have this debate every few years but there is NOT ONE (so i can't cite it) case that proves GMO's have harmed anyone. And please, if you try to refute this, spare me your woo websites with poor fonts and lame layouts. my point is not that NO ONE is dealing with allergies and life threatening illnesses, my point is that it only seems on the rise because of how we are looking at it and dealing with it. we've changed our behavior and now want answers so we point fingers and anything and everything so we can try and have some illusion of control over the situation.
2
I am with you on this one. Marketing has had a hay day with this and folks are sucking it up.
6
Having returned last night from 10 days in Berlin/Vienna with my 40 year old daughter who has Celiac disease I think your opinion is based on lack of knowledge. It is every restaurants prerogative to accommodate GF or not. We were able to find GF meals in every restaurant we dined in and everyone was very accommodating. Of course thick sauces and preservatives usually contain gluten so a restaurant offering only fresh unpreserved food would be GF. Perhaps if the 80 year old population you spoke of ate GF their dependency on all the pills they take would not be eliminated. The Hotel Am Stephansplatz in Vienna served the best GF bread I have ever eaten.
1
I agree. Recently I saw a display of gluten free drinking water. And gluten free oranges and peaches. T
1
Typical conservative, if you don't suffer from the problem, then it doesn't exist, it's just liberals making stuff up. Good luck with that Cohen -- statistically, it is possible that one of your grand kids will suffer from some sort of intolerance. At that point, maybe you could make yourself useful by learning how to use an Epi-Pen on them.
11
Oh, please. I learned a long time ago that many food stocks produced on a small scale exceed the quality of mass produced food stocks. I may not be vegetarian but I'll order the vegetarian meal to get food prepared with more care and attention.
I once read a story about a study on chocolate allergies where, through the experimental controls, the researchers found hardly anyone had an actual allergy to chocolate. What most people were allergic to were contaminates that find their way into mass produced foods.
Our food system is a trust game and, when vendor practices are in doubt, people trust what they have some amount of control over. The difference between the over 80 crowd and the under 25 crowd is how much vendors are messing with the prepackaged food marketed to each group. The big food companies have traded on people's trust for years with their "new and improved" product lines. People caught on to what that means really means.
The supposed dysfunction that you are calling out is simply a reasonable response to unsavory vendor practices. It's a too often ignored call for quality and genuine efforts to win the consumer's trust.
I once read a story about a study on chocolate allergies where, through the experimental controls, the researchers found hardly anyone had an actual allergy to chocolate. What most people were allergic to were contaminates that find their way into mass produced foods.
Our food system is a trust game and, when vendor practices are in doubt, people trust what they have some amount of control over. The difference between the over 80 crowd and the under 25 crowd is how much vendors are messing with the prepackaged food marketed to each group. The big food companies have traded on people's trust for years with their "new and improved" product lines. People caught on to what that means really means.
The supposed dysfunction that you are calling out is simply a reasonable response to unsavory vendor practices. It's a too often ignored call for quality and genuine efforts to win the consumer's trust.
1
The underlying assumption that Mr. Cohen makes regarding a Venetian restaurant owner's reaction to his description of narcissistic American tourists is likely flawed in an of itself. Italy is much more advanced than the U.S. in testing for Celiac disease. Perhaps this restaurant is simply trying to inform patrons that they cannot provide a "Celiac safe" food experience. In any event, the conclusion that this is generational evidence of entitlement and misinformed consumers is insulting, to say the least, to those of us who suffer from Celiac disease and are burdened by societal critique of a genuine medical condition.
2
I find it ironic that Mr. Cohen opens his piece with an anecdote about gluten free eating in Italy, a country that views Celiac Disease as a travesty and provides sufferers with funds to defer the increased costs of specialty foods, so they can enjoy things like pasta and bread. Apparently, he doesn't read anything else in the NY Times.
Beyond that, perhaps this piece would be more helpful if, instead of chalking it up to Prima Donna attitudes and the "me" culture, he did some actual research and provided us with something, anything, concrete. I realize this is an opinion piece, and he is entitled to his, but opinions should be grounded in sound reasoning, not just a frustration with 18-24 year olds. Personally, I'd love to have more information about how genetically modified crops have affected the microbiome of the gut, and how this has increased the prevalence of Celiac Disease. But hey, I'm just an idiot with celiac who, while frustrated with the backlash against the gluten free lifestyle, appreciates that there are more options for me because it has become a fad diet.
Beyond that, perhaps this piece would be more helpful if, instead of chalking it up to Prima Donna attitudes and the "me" culture, he did some actual research and provided us with something, anything, concrete. I realize this is an opinion piece, and he is entitled to his, but opinions should be grounded in sound reasoning, not just a frustration with 18-24 year olds. Personally, I'd love to have more information about how genetically modified crops have affected the microbiome of the gut, and how this has increased the prevalence of Celiac Disease. But hey, I'm just an idiot with celiac who, while frustrated with the backlash against the gluten free lifestyle, appreciates that there are more options for me because it has become a fad diet.
7
There is a cheese that makes my eyes hurt and weep till they close and I can't open them. Soy, which I loved and enjoyed at one time, now makes me break out in face boils and gives me horrific bowel symptoms. Gluten can give me a variety of smaller symptoms, mostly gastrointestinal. My daughter has a bad allergy to dairy and can suffer extreme stomach pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and migraines, as her father does. Our afflictions are not life-threatening but they are real. I have immense sympathy for any parent with a sick child who can't enjoy some of the same things other children do, like class parties. I can't even imagine if I'd had to worry about death. How filled with hubris you are Mr. Cohen. You don't suffer, so everyone else is making it up. There are medical facts mentioned in many letters befor this one so I won't repeat. But it seems to me some research is in order. Also you should have a discussion with one of the people here on their life-threatening illnesses. A dose of empathy wouldn't hurt you either. --Cynthia
2
I have a 13 y.o. son who was diagnosed with celiac when he was less than a year old and was horribly sick. Now he's a strapping young athlete and scholar. I know other celiacs who won't even share a toaster. My son, fortunately, is not that sensitive and the hard part is all the "social" eating out with friends etc. While he loves the (expensive) gluten free ravioli or cookies, there are lots of foods that were "born" gluten free - chicken, potatoes, rice, apples, green vegetables, flourless chocolate cake, milkshakes etc. There's no need to be a total prima donna about the whole thing......I guess unless sharing a toaster with your husband is enough to make you sick.....
7
A very uninformed and unwelcome piece. My husband has celiac disease and we were pleasantly surprised to find that through our travels in Europe he had a much easier time finding gluten free food than he does in the U.S. Mr. Cohen's negative attitude must stem from ignorance and off-the-cuff observations, because if he truly understood the issue he would not have written this piece. People with true food allergies are done a huge disservice when the rest of the world thinks that they are just being "picky." Like it or not, this is the reality and you can mock it if you choose, but it just makes you look ignorant and mean.
7
Mr Cohen, I'm so happy you have a great immune system/gut--many of us are not so lucky. I am non-celiac gluten sensitive, as diagnosed by a doctor after food elimination testing. I am fairly certain that I am sensitive to either certain strains of wheat or the pesticides used in wheat production. The antibiotics I was fed non stop as a child probably didn't help either.
That being said, I hate being gluten free, because it is a total PITA. It inconveniences everyone, is expensive, etc. But you know what is worse? Being sick all the time with terrible IBS from gluten. But since my sensitivity isn't life threatening, I am my own food police. I make smart choices, and I eat what I know I can. It isn't anyone's problem but my own.
That being said, I hate being gluten free, because it is a total PITA. It inconveniences everyone, is expensive, etc. But you know what is worse? Being sick all the time with terrible IBS from gluten. But since my sensitivity isn't life threatening, I am my own food police. I make smart choices, and I eat what I know I can. It isn't anyone's problem but my own.
6
I think the author meant to say "alleged food intolerance." Celiac disease is not an eye-of-the-beholder thing, and it's sad that a solution to a very real autoimmune disorder has been hijacked as a foodie fad.
1
This author unfortunately fails to acknowledge that not only have our preparation techniques/ baking methods for wheat changed drastically over the years but so has the actual wheat itself which is now a genetically modified hybrid of what once was. Moveover, the elderly people who are eating wheat have a variety of symptoms that could be merely accounted for as aging when wheat could be a major culprit.
The fact is that the way we grow, process and eat it is entirely different now. However, "Gluten Free" has absolutely become a junk food for the most part disguised as a health food. And, there are still some good quality non-gluten free wheat products out there such as those made by Food for Life (Ezikiel Bread) which is organic and sprouted, thereby being easier to digest, minimally processed and not containing any artificial ingredients. Unfortunately, most of the white bread you eat is not only bleached, but all of the important fiber that was once/ needed for the body to properly digest it is taken out. And by the way, when it says that it is "enriched" with vitamins, these are vitamins of the synthetic form which are put on it by the manufacturer. Your food should be naturally replete with vitamins.
Roger Cohen specializes in international affairs and diplomacy. Sorry to not be diplomatic here, but there are plenty of people with gluten sensitivities without celiac disease.
The truth? Gluten aside, modern day wheat products- gluten free or not- are mostly junk.
The fact is that the way we grow, process and eat it is entirely different now. However, "Gluten Free" has absolutely become a junk food for the most part disguised as a health food. And, there are still some good quality non-gluten free wheat products out there such as those made by Food for Life (Ezikiel Bread) which is organic and sprouted, thereby being easier to digest, minimally processed and not containing any artificial ingredients. Unfortunately, most of the white bread you eat is not only bleached, but all of the important fiber that was once/ needed for the body to properly digest it is taken out. And by the way, when it says that it is "enriched" with vitamins, these are vitamins of the synthetic form which are put on it by the manufacturer. Your food should be naturally replete with vitamins.
Roger Cohen specializes in international affairs and diplomacy. Sorry to not be diplomatic here, but there are plenty of people with gluten sensitivities without celiac disease.
The truth? Gluten aside, modern day wheat products- gluten free or not- are mostly junk.
2
Mr. Cohen, reading the responses to your op-ed this morning proves your point that " the epidemic of food intolerance has gone way over the top." Very entertaining stuff if one is not required to cook for any of them.
10
My wife is a cancer survivor so we eat a lot of organic and small producer foods. Pesticides and herbicides are carcinogenic.
There is so much more taste and goodness from these foods they are worth the extra price we pay.
I have to believe that some of the current traumas associated with food are due to the factory mindset of so much food production.
And the overuse of high fructose corn syrups. In Europe, I believe, it is not legal to use h.f.c.s. in food manufacturing. Not very much obesity over there, as well.
There is so much more taste and goodness from these foods they are worth the extra price we pay.
I have to believe that some of the current traumas associated with food are due to the factory mindset of so much food production.
And the overuse of high fructose corn syrups. In Europe, I believe, it is not legal to use h.f.c.s. in food manufacturing. Not very much obesity over there, as well.
1
For information:
Organic foods still are grown using pesticides....bugs are just too good at their respective crop eating jobs. In addition, they are not necessarily heathier or more flavorful.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/httpblogsscientificame...
Organic foods still are grown using pesticides....bugs are just too good at their respective crop eating jobs. In addition, they are not necessarily heathier or more flavorful.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-sushi/httpblogsscientificame...
Or, as my allergist theorized, it's because our diets have changed. To make bread whiter and fluffier in the 50s, firms bred a high-gluten wheat. We eat a lot more processed foods than our grandparents do, or than they probably do in Venice. Many of these foods contain wheat and/or whey solids. Read the labels some time. You'll be surprised. In addition, he told me increased exposure to chemicals in products from paint to pressed boards "loads" our immune system to the point that they start to react to harmless foods. There are reasons for the rise. And we've created many of them. In addition, many of the people who feel better on a gluten-free diet probably do not suffer from celiac disease--it's actually fairly rare. They may, however--like me--be mildly allergic to wheat. I say "mildly" because I'm fortunate enough to be able to eat it on occasion without problem. But a steady diet brings them right back. It's one reason I avoid processed foods and read labels. And I have for 30 years--way before it became trendy.
2
I am now in my late 70s. In my early 30s I developed some debilitating symptoms that the doctor was unable or unwilling to diagnose. Eventually, faced with medical ignorance, lack of concern and, sometimes, hostility, I self diagnosed. I tried going on a very strict elimination diet. It turned out wheat, barley, rye, and eggs were causing my symptoms. I also found I was lactose intolerant. Returning to any one of these foods still brings back the symptoms. There are many people who sneer when they see the label "gluten free", not understanding that cross contamination and additives can be a problem. There are many additives, which at certain levels, the food industry is not required to identify. Some of these additives are derivatives of allergy causing foods.
Those of us who do have food sensitivities wish we could be like the rest of you and eat anything. It would make life so much simpler.
Those of us who do have food sensitivities wish we could be like the rest of you and eat anything. It would make life so much simpler.
1
>
Americans are neurotic. This gluten free nonsense is just another immortality complex. I'm so sick of these picky neurotic people. They're always holding up some line you're in with their nonsense......
"My way or the highway. If you don’t like my pasta the way la Mamma has always made it, try someplace else."
Normal people of the world unite!!!!
Americans are neurotic. This gluten free nonsense is just another immortality complex. I'm so sick of these picky neurotic people. They're always holding up some line you're in with their nonsense......
"My way or the highway. If you don’t like my pasta the way la Mamma has always made it, try someplace else."
Normal people of the world unite!!!!
5
The big problem with celiac conditions, peanut-aversion and the like is that those who suffer from them (or think they do) are very often like vegans, vegetarians and animal rights activists in that they proselytize for protection from their conditions or to the imminent death of chickens to the point where it seems to take 'rights' away from the rest of us. I'm told that many airlines and schools ban peanut products outright because of the deleterious effects they may have on a very small percentage of the population. (Mr. Cohen's article indicates that about 1% of that population is in any way adversely affected by gluten, yet to walk into a supermarket or some restaurants, you'd think we're in the middle of a wholesale epidemic of Legionaire's Disease!). Every time I attend any kind of group lunch or dinner of, say, ten or more people, the person running it usually seems to be running a gauntlet, with myriad food choice exceptions to be made to keep about a third of the attendees for foaming at the mouth and dying at the table. And these are not all young people, but seem to be from every age group! Then, of course, there are the lawyers. It's surely only a matter of time before some animal rights representative launches a lawsuit against someone for feeding peanuts to a squirrel without first running a standard annual physical examination of the rodent in question to ascertain his tolerance for such things (multiple damages for sinister intent). Right on, Mr. Cohen!
2
There are many with food allergies, but many who think that others' allergies give them the permission to demand catering to their own preferences.
Once upon a time and what is lamented here I think; food was an offering of generosity, love, and community. To refuse it is a rejection of that offering. I don't mind fixing a special dish for a guest who has a bonafide allergy. But I find those who can't accept my gift of a well prepared meal without their "preferences" as a condition, destroy the joys of eating in community.
Once upon a time and what is lamented here I think; food was an offering of generosity, love, and community. To refuse it is a rejection of that offering. I don't mind fixing a special dish for a guest who has a bonafide allergy. But I find those who can't accept my gift of a well prepared meal without their "preferences" as a condition, destroy the joys of eating in community.
8
I agree with you. But there's also another side of the coin which is people becoming insulted or irritated when someone can or will not eat a certain type of food (c.f. the comment from the grandmother above who was annoyed at not being able to bake birthday cakes. In other words, it's all about her).
Good column. I agree. Between marketing and narcissism (via social media, mostly) among the young, the "I'm special" trend has become both annoying and comical. Fortunately in our family, while we can afford to eat well, the rule through generations and across cousins is: eat what is served and clean your plate. We hear our grandparents; our grandchildren hear us. We grow seasonal vegetables, we buy from the local butcher, and we support our local farmers market as much as we can. Probably the biggest point about good eating is we avoid processed foods as much as we can. Perhaps research will show the over processed foods, especially breads, does the damage. We'll see. Until that time, what's for dinner?
3
I'm sick of people trying to foist their dietary needs on others. I'm a vegetarian and a very picky eater. If I go to someones house and they are serving something I don't want to eat I simply don't eat it. I always tell people I'm a vegetarian but please don't fuss to accommodate me I'm sure there will be something I can eat. After all if I'm still hungry afterwards I can always go get myself something to eat somewhere else.
Bottom line-take care of your own needs and don't force it on others.
Bottom line-take care of your own needs and don't force it on others.
10
It's quite possible to eat gluten free without being annoying to restaurateurs or buying the processed products advertised as "gluten free." Most "gluten free" imitations of glutenous foods are unhealthy and taste bad. Here's what you do instead: learn what gluten is, and don't eat the foods that contain it.
6
Cleay you've never heard of cross contamination
I'm astonished at the number of commenters who interpreted this column as not differentiating between those who suffer from serious diagnosed medical conditions and those people who surf the food intolerance waves. I thought Mr. Cohen was quite clear in distinguishing the two.
18
part of the new norm...as we live lives of noisy desperation (thoreau updated for the new age) in a search for identity, some form anchor, as we're swept along in a tide of hype and noise, forecast but unheeded, even when widely proclaimed in such public forms as film, (the hucksters in 1948, for example, and reiterated with even more sound and fury in elia kazan's 1957 "a face in the crowd") and popular print, neil postman's "amusing ourselves to death" comes most quickly to mind.
the tendency to display badges of disadvantage, only trivializes the predicament of those who actually have celiac disease or are actually, (to cite another popular malade du jour), dislexic....and so on.
the tendency to display badges of disadvantage, only trivializes the predicament of those who actually have celiac disease or are actually, (to cite another popular malade du jour), dislexic....and so on.
3
Cohen isn't saying that everyone who has Celiac disease is making it up. He's saying there are a whole lot of people who self diagnose Celiac, food allergies, food intolerances that don't actually have them, who then demand anyone serving food to them must conform to their diets. This happens. It is the equivalent of people who make a habit of going to restaurants to harass the wait staff and kitchen by complaining and sending food back for imagined problems. They do it to boss people around and make themselves feel important. Claiming food allergy, etc is just another form of that. This behavior makes it difficult for people who actually have such diseases and conditions to be taken seriously.
10
He limps them all together and starts his article with complete ignorance of how Italy handles celiac
"I can't eat shellfish but I do eat lobster."
I know what the woman means by this. For some reason the English word "shellfish" lumps crustaceans like lobster and shrimp with mollusks like muscles and clams, even though they are miles apart on the evolutionary tree.
I can eat crustaceans but I cannot eat mollusks without becoming sick.
The widely used term of "shellfish" is simply too broad.
I know what the woman means by this. For some reason the English word "shellfish" lumps crustaceans like lobster and shrimp with mollusks like muscles and clams, even though they are miles apart on the evolutionary tree.
I can eat crustaceans but I cannot eat mollusks without becoming sick.
The widely used term of "shellfish" is simply too broad.
1
As someone who needs an Epi-Pen and a call to 911 when exposed to certain foods, I can tell you there is a huge difference between a true anaphylactic allergic reaction and a "food intolerance".
4
I think it is worth noting that Italy is was of the most celiac "friendly" countries there is. I believe they even go so far as to test all children in school. Guess they found the exception in Venice.
1
Mr. Cohen, As a fan of your op-ed pieces, I look forward to reading them. While I understand your frustration with "picky eaters" (as they were called when I was growing up), you seem to not understand that some allergies are real. Personally, I love crab, shrimp and lobster. But the other shellfish that I adore, namely bivalves, produce rashes and headaches. Even cosmetics created with "shellfish" shells for luster and color will produce a reaction, including swelling and irritation. So, please do not dismiss individual claims, as your example doesn't hold water. On the other hand, there are petty despots present at every dinner table who like to control everything that everyone eats. Those are the folks that you should be railing against!
5
It's rather interesting to read the NYtimes picks. A lot of them are very defensive and make use of exaggerated scenarios and emotional appeals. Phrases like "loved ones" and "imagine" are used a lot. Clearly, the author doesn't mean to diss people who have real issues and allergies but these people must be a small minority. On their coattails, though, we have entire populations of fad followers for whom following a fad is a substitute for any real meaning to their lives. Surely the well educated, critical readers of the times can distinguish between the two. And on the issue of "judging others' dietary habits", I say why not? It's after all a lot of fun. We all do it in one form or the other and we all extract pleasure out of it. The archetypical liberal reader of the times loves to judge the religious habits of their conservative brethren. Why? Because it's a lot of fun.
2
I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to make up a fake food allergy. All I know is that if my four year old mistakenly ingests anything with gluten or eggs in it, he throws up. Doesn't matter how small it is. We don't know yet what peanuts will do to him but those allergy numbers are off the charts, so that could quite possible be deadly. Let's focus a little more on why are kids are going through this rather than on the few people who are just trying eat healthy, or whatever you are accusing them of here. Food allergies are real, and they're dangerous, and we need to find answers for them.
16
It would be nice if a columnist with Mr. Cohen's platform actually did some research instead of basing his central point on his own impressions, assumptions and anectodes. It would also be nice if he spent less time worrying about how and what others eat when it has absolutely no impact on his life. And it would be especially nice if he didn't use his platform to trivialize the very real food allergies many face that can literally kill them. Perhaps when he has to administer an epi-pen to a loved one in the throes of anaphylaxis -- one caused by improper labeling, or perhaps a food preparer who thinks this "epidemic" of allergies are "imagined" -- he'll then write an article trying to suss out why there has been such a huge increase in allergies, food intolerances, inflammatory diseases, obesity and more; and whether those afflictions might have something to do with the overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, sugar and, yes, even gluten. Now that would be an article worth reading.
10
So the NYTimes and other media regularly hector us - particularly women - over obesity and bad health habits, but when people make a single change to improve their weight and health, it's "intolerance" or "faddish food particularism." Great reporting!
7
I have nothing against gluten filled foods it just so happens though that anytime I eat one I fall asleep within 10 mins of doing so (same thing happens to my brother). So I try to avoid them when I can't afford to sleep my day away other wise I'm all up for a yummy goat cheese, tomato, arugula sandwich on a French baguette. I try my best to stick to either a vegan diet or at the very least vegetarian mostly raw but I love soups and chili (veggie of course). However my household (and my extended families households as well) has cut our processed food intake by a great deal and I think we are all better off because of it.
Gluten is at the top of the list for the new diet fad. It is created when two molecules glutenin and gliadin come into contact and form a bond. It gives bread its chewy texture. Humans have been eating gluten for 10,000 years. It is thought about 1% of the population may be allergic to gluten. Up until 10 years ago gluten was not important except to those with celiac disease. A book published a number of years ago created the gluten fear. It became the number one cause of many illnesses. 1/3 of the population is now excluding gluten from their diet. Sale of gluten free products are at over 15 billion dollars.
Genetic studies have shown that wheat itself has had no change in its genes in hundreds of years. Studies do not show changes in wheat genes to be related to the sudden gluten problem. Also, our human genes have not changed in its ability to digest wheat products.
However, many people with vague symptoms of irritable bowel seem to get relief from a gluten free diet. There are very complex carbohydrates (FODMAP's) found in many foods in our diet. Honey, apples, mangoes, dairy products and others have these. These foods are osmotic, they pull water into the bowel and can cause bloating, gas, nausea etc. People placed on a diet with these complex carbos and gluten restricted had relief of their symptoms.
Genetic studies have shown that wheat itself has had no change in its genes in hundreds of years. Studies do not show changes in wheat genes to be related to the sudden gluten problem. Also, our human genes have not changed in its ability to digest wheat products.
However, many people with vague symptoms of irritable bowel seem to get relief from a gluten free diet. There are very complex carbohydrates (FODMAP's) found in many foods in our diet. Honey, apples, mangoes, dairy products and others have these. These foods are osmotic, they pull water into the bowel and can cause bloating, gas, nausea etc. People placed on a diet with these complex carbos and gluten restricted had relief of their symptoms.
Even though the genetics of wheat haven't changed isn't it possible that there are epigenetic reasons for us being more intolerant of gluten?
1
@Richard Head:
The wheat of today is genetically, chemically, and physically very different from wheat of the past through extensive hybridization. It went from 14 chromosomes to 40+ chromosomes, so I'm not sure how you found a study that claimed there is no genetic change through hybridization.
Additionally, people eat much more wheat today, on average, and in more processed forms than a few decades ago.
Agreed that FODMAPs may be a culprit in digestive symptoms.
The wheat of today is genetically, chemically, and physically very different from wheat of the past through extensive hybridization. It went from 14 chromosomes to 40+ chromosomes, so I'm not sure how you found a study that claimed there is no genetic change through hybridization.
Additionally, people eat much more wheat today, on average, and in more processed forms than a few decades ago.
Agreed that FODMAPs may be a culprit in digestive symptoms.
I read this article carefully looking for mention of the use of RoundUp just prior to harvest. RoundUp is toxic and may be what we are reacting to. I find it distressing that this is opinion carries a blame the victim stance while the food
processors seem to get a unilateral pass on what the put on supermarket shelves.
processors seem to get a unilateral pass on what the put on supermarket shelves.
2
The significance of the Venice restaurant NOT serving GF food makes more sense within the Italian system. Celiac is so widespread there and so well-known, the scientist who discovered the leading blood test for gluten sensitivity is Italian and a Celiac sufferers food needs are covered in part by their medical insurance. In addition, this nation-wide understanding and appreciation means that many restaurants do provide accommodations. Many Celiac writers note that Italy is the best place to travel if you can't tolerate gluten. So, for a restaurant to herald its unwillingness to alter recipes or follow special protocols, they are going against much of what the country and its medical community endorses. As I understand it. As a person who cannot tolerate gluten, I am excited to travel to Italy and know that I can find many restaurants and gelato shops / stands that will willingly attend to my need to eat senza glutine.
3
Everyone who has raised children knows that eating is as mental as it is physical. I'm beyond trying to understand why a child says "I don't like it" on sight alone, but the young one isn't kidding.
Many people, including my spouse, who know they do NOT have celiac disease (an actual physical issue) nevertheless find that they feel better eating gluten free products rather than the wheat, barley, or rye based equivalents. Is that conclusion a consequence of some physical issue that is less serious than celiac disease, or is it completely mental? Would knowing the answer make any difference?
I'll eat anything that won't eat me first, including gluten free food. In recent years, manufacturers of corn or rice (or both) based pasta have created food that is, for practical purposes, indistinguishable from the gluten versions.
Folks who do not have celiac disease who insist on gluten free may be a bit eccentric, but if it makes them happy, I don't see any need to get worked up about it.
Many people, including my spouse, who know they do NOT have celiac disease (an actual physical issue) nevertheless find that they feel better eating gluten free products rather than the wheat, barley, or rye based equivalents. Is that conclusion a consequence of some physical issue that is less serious than celiac disease, or is it completely mental? Would knowing the answer make any difference?
I'll eat anything that won't eat me first, including gluten free food. In recent years, manufacturers of corn or rice (or both) based pasta have created food that is, for practical purposes, indistinguishable from the gluten versions.
Folks who do not have celiac disease who insist on gluten free may be a bit eccentric, but if it makes them happy, I don't see any need to get worked up about it.
3
Of course, for those who actually have celiac disease gluten is to be avoided. But specious claims about how products with gluten make someone 'feel' is tied into the narcissism of today.
Recently we went out to eat to a Japanese restaurant with a friend who claimed to have a bad reaction to gluten- it makes him tired, it makes him bloated, etc. He spent minutes determining interrogating the waiter as to whether each dish had any gluten in it.
He then proceeded to order and drink two beers- loaded with gluten.
Recently we went out to eat to a Japanese restaurant with a friend who claimed to have a bad reaction to gluten- it makes him tired, it makes him bloated, etc. He spent minutes determining interrogating the waiter as to whether each dish had any gluten in it.
He then proceeded to order and drink two beers- loaded with gluten.
1
Spot on, Mr. Cohen.
This gluten-free business is nutty. Yes, it is a problem for a very few people (my son, actually, included) and its good that gluten-free alternatives are available for them, but for the rest of us its a great protein source. It makes wheat a far healthier option than grains such as rice and corn, which are low in protein. Not only that, you can make really delicious stuff from wheat and barley, including two of my favorites: bread and beer. How dull life would be without them!
Domestication of wheat and related grains stands as one go the greatest engineering achievements in the entire history of our species. That trick enabled civilization - without it, we would still be living in caves.
This gluten-free business is nutty. Yes, it is a problem for a very few people (my son, actually, included) and its good that gluten-free alternatives are available for them, but for the rest of us its a great protein source. It makes wheat a far healthier option than grains such as rice and corn, which are low in protein. Not only that, you can make really delicious stuff from wheat and barley, including two of my favorites: bread and beer. How dull life would be without them!
Domestication of wheat and related grains stands as one go the greatest engineering achievements in the entire history of our species. That trick enabled civilization - without it, we would still be living in caves.
5
@Bill:
Gluten is a terrible protein source. It is difficult to digest, and lacking in essential amino acids, compared to other proteins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Corrected_Amino_Acid...
Wheat (and other grains) produced civilization by virtue of being cheap, easy to grow, and easy to store/transport forms of calories, not by virtue of being nutritious compared to other foods.
Gluten is a terrible protein source. It is difficult to digest, and lacking in essential amino acids, compared to other proteins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein_Digestibility_Corrected_Amino_Acid...
Wheat (and other grains) produced civilization by virtue of being cheap, easy to grow, and easy to store/transport forms of calories, not by virtue of being nutritious compared to other foods.
Perhaps the real problem is how often people eat out rather than cooking at home where they can control the ingredients and the preparation. This is a sign of affluenza. Rather than forcing restaurants to cater to so many diverse dietary needs, people could stay at home and create a much-needed social event called a home-cooked meal with the family and friends.
4
Some people want gluten, some people don't.
This gets a column in the NYTimes?
This gets a column in the NYTimes?
3
It's rare to meet poor people anywhere in the world with food allergies.
2
Mr. Cohen. One can be allergic to bivalves (that is oysters, scallops, etc.) and not allergic to crabs and lobsters. So your scorn is undeserved. Maybe if you knew more about a subject your columns could be more useful.
3
This Opinion column is not a worthwhile contribution to the public discussion on food allergies or celiac disease.
The author correctly defines celiac disease (in a minor victory for celiac patients everywhere) and then, mind-blowingly, concludes that the increase in diagnosis of this true disease and other food allergies is due to narcissism!
Celiac disease is not narcissism, nor is it a middle-class problem as the article implies. The author could better spend his time thinking on and writing about the likely millions of undiagnosed celiac kids, who can't concentrate, sleep, play, learn or grow due to their numerous and diffuse symptoms, than to label these youngsters as individualistic and anxiety ridden.
The author correctly defines celiac disease (in a minor victory for celiac patients everywhere) and then, mind-blowingly, concludes that the increase in diagnosis of this true disease and other food allergies is due to narcissism!
Celiac disease is not narcissism, nor is it a middle-class problem as the article implies. The author could better spend his time thinking on and writing about the likely millions of undiagnosed celiac kids, who can't concentrate, sleep, play, learn or grow due to their numerous and diffuse symptoms, than to label these youngsters as individualistic and anxiety ridden.
9
My girlfriend avoids gluten not because of celiac disease but because even small amounts of gluten trigger serious migraine headaches. At least some subset of "gluten-intolerant" people who do not suffer from celiac disease may have a legitimate reason for avoiding the ingredient.
1
It's amazing to me how many articles are trying to debunk the gluten intolerance of many us by calling it a fad. Even in this article, Cohen quotes the Mayo clinic in saying that a significant increase in celiac sufferers exists. And yet he goes on into the article to create a pseudo-argument that the need to go gluten free must be a fad.
Whether it is a fad or a choice is not for anyone to judge. As science has progressed we have learned that increased flatulence which was dismissed when we were young, can in fact be lactose intolerance. So we come to this realization at a later age, but it is in fact no less true. And today's youth has been subjected to the hormones, and antibiotics, and genetic engineering and cross pollination that is the American food industry since birth and not without its consequences as they age. I could enter my story here but it is not the point.
Gluten free may be choice for some and a necessity for others. I can tell you it is not a fun choice. There is NO good dish of pasta which is gluten free. Nor a good bread. It would be nice, however, in this intolerant world if the restaurants who can would offer an option so we who HAVE to eat gluten free would be able to frequent those restaurants with friends without having to feel unwelcome. Bringing bread to a table is great. Why not also bring some crudite? Or perhaps this article is just one more example of our intolerant world.
Whether it is a fad or a choice is not for anyone to judge. As science has progressed we have learned that increased flatulence which was dismissed when we were young, can in fact be lactose intolerance. So we come to this realization at a later age, but it is in fact no less true. And today's youth has been subjected to the hormones, and antibiotics, and genetic engineering and cross pollination that is the American food industry since birth and not without its consequences as they age. I could enter my story here but it is not the point.
Gluten free may be choice for some and a necessity for others. I can tell you it is not a fun choice. There is NO good dish of pasta which is gluten free. Nor a good bread. It would be nice, however, in this intolerant world if the restaurants who can would offer an option so we who HAVE to eat gluten free would be able to frequent those restaurants with friends without having to feel unwelcome. Bringing bread to a table is great. Why not also bring some crudite? Or perhaps this article is just one more example of our intolerant world.
11
I don't dispute that a lot of people suffer from real and significant food allergies. But I do wonder what is actually going on. I find it hard to believe that gluten, a major component of a foodstuff we as humans have been cultivating & eating for thousands of years, has suddenly become deadly poison all by itself. Where is the research on how modern farming methods, including the pesticides used on so many industrially farmed foods, affect the people eating them? My hunch is that it is not gluten itself, but what is used to produce it, that is causing the vast majority of the dietary woes of children & younger adults. I would be willing to bet that most of these allergies do not arise in a population that eats organically farmed food.
The most unfortunate result of the gluten-free fad currently gripping the US is that it tends to downgrade rare & serious health conditions like celiac disease into 'just another person whining for special treatment.'
The most unfortunate result of the gluten-free fad currently gripping the US is that it tends to downgrade rare & serious health conditions like celiac disease into 'just another person whining for special treatment.'
6
A gluten-free column... and pretty much fact-free too, unless we count the two charming anecdotes. Rich in irony though - to write a column in the New York Times basically saying "This thing? I'm no expert, but I think it's overblown... and these people are narcissistic." Are they now.
12
I definitely think there are people who have issues with
gluten and are better off without it. However, sometimes those
folks turn into evangelists for a "gluten free" lifestyle.
This becomes tiresome and irritating.
gluten and are better off without it. However, sometimes those
folks turn into evangelists for a "gluten free" lifestyle.
This becomes tiresome and irritating.
4
I used to mock those who claimed "I can't eat that." Now I am that person, though I don't expect the world to accommodate me. My breakfast used to consist of 2 donuts and a cup of coffee (yes, I miss those days). I had a number of annoying health issues: severe dermatitis, joint pain, migraines, digestive issues, hot flashes and the beginnings of psoriatic arthritis. Over years I changed my diet and those problems simply went away. Some days now I'm just walking along and my joints don't hurt, I'm not scratching some itch, and I don't have to run to find a bathroom. Call me a whiner if you want, but I'm not complaining!
2
Yep, Yep to this column! This coming from a woman who became a vegetarian nearly 40 years ago. Back then, lard was in every type of cookie and cracker (except Aki Mak and Rye Crisps), tortillas, most canned beans and other food stuffs.
Early on I actually decided to keep my head low, and not pronounce my eating preferences to most people. I usually could make do at parties and restaurants without much todo, and usually just offered to "bring the salad" so I always had something to eat.
Fast forward 40 years, and I was who planned the menus this summer for a 16 person, 16 day Grand Canyon river trip. There were endless food issues.
Gluten free for 6 people (none who had celiac disease), no night shade plants (garlic/onions) for one, no dairy for another, no peppers for another, low oxalate diet for a kidney stone former (no spinach, almonds, sesame, etc.), and 5 people who eat "pyleo" who needed meat protein "at every meal". Last, was one AHA "DASH" follower for heart disease, and me the veghead. I did not even consider my non-meat eating an issue - I just worked around. The company that purchased and packed our order said we were the hardest group that they had ever organized for.
Eating "preferences" have become a real fad issue, VERY different from food allergy, lactose intolerance and celiac disease (I have 2 celiac cousins). I might start telling meal guests, "this is what we are having, if you can't eat that make something and bring it". It what I used to do.
Early on I actually decided to keep my head low, and not pronounce my eating preferences to most people. I usually could make do at parties and restaurants without much todo, and usually just offered to "bring the salad" so I always had something to eat.
Fast forward 40 years, and I was who planned the menus this summer for a 16 person, 16 day Grand Canyon river trip. There were endless food issues.
Gluten free for 6 people (none who had celiac disease), no night shade plants (garlic/onions) for one, no dairy for another, no peppers for another, low oxalate diet for a kidney stone former (no spinach, almonds, sesame, etc.), and 5 people who eat "pyleo" who needed meat protein "at every meal". Last, was one AHA "DASH" follower for heart disease, and me the veghead. I did not even consider my non-meat eating an issue - I just worked around. The company that purchased and packed our order said we were the hardest group that they had ever organized for.
Eating "preferences" have become a real fad issue, VERY different from food allergy, lactose intolerance and celiac disease (I have 2 celiac cousins). I might start telling meal guests, "this is what we are having, if you can't eat that make something and bring it". It what I used to do.
26
The social data presented here suggests a rising trend of food intolerance, but it's only personal anecdotes that move to the broad generalizations that this movement is mostly youth focused and is resulting in an "epidemic of food intolerance." Cohen's article touches on some broader themes, but the argument overall would be strengthened by more rigorous analysis.
1
Over a third of US births are now by cesarean section - up from 4.5% in 1965. Infants born by C section miss out on a coating of immune-boosting microbes, compared with babies born vaginally whose intestines are more likely to have early colonizations of beneficial bacteria. Is it possible that this is a cause in the sudden increase in food allergies?
4
If the author had a food allergy, he wouldn't have written the article. Lots of crap added to food these days, especially wheat.
1
Who but the proverbial "ugly Usans (= Americans)" would demand food that should be gluten-free? Next would be sugar-free, free of not in our time sea-harvested salt, and wine alcohol-free, followed by the dietetic preferences of phytophagous and mycophagous (vegetarian and mushroom eating) clients.
All such should follow the old adage, "stay put and prosper", or when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
All such should follow the old adage, "stay put and prosper", or when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Several cousins had very severe allergies for their first few years. While still allergic and at family dinners, their parents brought food they were able to handle (just in case), we always had vegetable salads and nobody made a big fuss. I was vegetarian for 6 years and was always able to manage on salads and bread. Eventually somebody asked if I had become vegetarian. I do remember several occasions where people who were eating meat at lunch became vegetarian at dinner because they preferred the vegetarian entree. That's annoying. Ditto with allergies that are not allergies and that require hosts to do back flips.
Real allergies are one thing. Personally, I will go out of my way to accommodate. Fads and trends and attention getting are another. I know too many people who simply do it to see the waiter hop, then go home and eat a pastrami on rye.
Real allergies are one thing. Personally, I will go out of my way to accommodate. Fads and trends and attention getting are another. I know too many people who simply do it to see the waiter hop, then go home and eat a pastrami on rye.
8
Roger Cohen writes, "...and it’s going on most conspicuously in the most aggressive, competitive, unequal, individualistic, anxiety-ridden and narcissistic societies, where enlightenment about food has been offset by the sort of compulsive anxiety about it that can give rise to imagined intolerances and allergies."
'Nuff said...
'Nuff said...
1
I'm already chuckling, M. Cohen, and I've only read 3 paragraphs.
My high school friend, whose Mama stuffed me with her Northern-Italian-Cooking, is appalled by the I-don't-know-what-to-call-it craze foisted upon Americans, by Americans.
"My way ... No Highway option." (Vin Diesel, Can't remember the movie name)
My high school friend, whose Mama stuffed me with her Northern-Italian-Cooking, is appalled by the I-don't-know-what-to-call-it craze foisted upon Americans, by Americans.
"My way ... No Highway option." (Vin Diesel, Can't remember the movie name)
1
More than 50 years ago, diet gurus were touting what was called a "gluten-enriched diet" to promote weight loss. There were gluten-enhanced breads, pastas, cookies. During that time there were, to my knowledge, no reports of spikes in celiac disease.
How come?
How come?
@Dochoch:
Lots of people were sick, it was just misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
Lots of people were sick, it was just misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
These days we all create our own Kosher.
1
No one wants to have to avoid gluten. Being gluten-free is the pits!
Auto-immune issues are not adequately addressed or understood by the medical profession -- I know this from having an auto-immune condition and being told that there is nothing I can do about it. Avoiding gluten and some other foods really helps. There are so many others like me. We aren't being spoiled brats, but rather taking control of our health.
Yes, people shouldn't expect to be accommodated at a restaurant or someone's house, but what's so bad about inquiring?
Auto-immune issues are not adequately addressed or understood by the medical profession -- I know this from having an auto-immune condition and being told that there is nothing I can do about it. Avoiding gluten and some other foods really helps. There are so many others like me. We aren't being spoiled brats, but rather taking control of our health.
Yes, people shouldn't expect to be accommodated at a restaurant or someone's house, but what's so bad about inquiring?
14
Hi,
After having gluten reactions due to autoimmune responses, I have now developed the same reactions to dairy, oats, corn, rice flour and rice, potato flour, almonds (much almond flour substituting), and now limit my "flour" to coconut and my grain to quinoa. I am experimenting with the original wheat (non GMO) from when I was a child (70 years ago) and like others am finding it is not as bad a trying to eat today's wheat. Have you tried that? Also, I tell people not to try to provide gluten free for me because they invariably use a product that has substituted corn flour, rice flour, potato flour, and I cannot eat it anyway. I make my own and bring it if needed, or better still stick to fish, meat and vegetables with no sauces. Most restaurants accommodate.
After having gluten reactions due to autoimmune responses, I have now developed the same reactions to dairy, oats, corn, rice flour and rice, potato flour, almonds (much almond flour substituting), and now limit my "flour" to coconut and my grain to quinoa. I am experimenting with the original wheat (non GMO) from when I was a child (70 years ago) and like others am finding it is not as bad a trying to eat today's wheat. Have you tried that? Also, I tell people not to try to provide gluten free for me because they invariably use a product that has substituted corn flour, rice flour, potato flour, and I cannot eat it anyway. I make my own and bring it if needed, or better still stick to fish, meat and vegetables with no sauces. Most restaurants accommodate.
As a 40+year long vegetarian & of late gluten-free consumer, I wish I knew why so many are threatened by my choices. I do not proselytize & do not criticize other choices of diet. All I ask is to leave my food selection to me. If gluten free wasn't popular, do you really think that so many stores & restaurants would have it? I don't need to explain why I eat what I do, so please, Mr. Cohen: "LEAVE FOOD CHOICES TO THE INDIVIDUAL".
6
I dont have celiac disease but I do get severe dry eye and dry mouth from eating wheat as a delayed response not allergy. I discovered the link after reading that modern wheat is not our grandmother's wheat (and it may not be Europe's 00 wheat either). Modern wheat gluten causes leaky gut syndrome and triggers a host of reactions in susceptible people. Thyroid problems have skyrocketed (I have Hashimoto's disease) and modern wheat glutens play a role here. Certainly marketers have jumped on the bandwagon with a host of unhealthy processed foods, but losing 8 pounds of belly fat and getting a massively better response to dry eye than expensive Restasis could give me, and I say "hold the wheat". Something is seriously wrong with it today.
1
Well, well, well, what we probably have here is a writer who obviously has had little to no experience with an auto immune disease. Try living with thyroid disease where fatigue is all you know and live with that disease long enough to discover that what's behind it besides genetics and stress are food allergies. Have your symptoms turn into chronic ones like rheumatoid arthritis dishes out, especially if you don't remove the food culprits. I believe the reason the elder people don't care about what they eat is because they ate cleaner food over their lifetimes hence stronger immunities. Genetically modified foods have become the mainstay in recent decades, not to mention over processed foods. My grandparents lived to be 92 and 102 and for most of those years they had an organic garden from which they "canned" a lot of their own food. These days it's just labels with lists and no knowledge of where the food came from and what was used in the growing process. So it's not really apples for apples and auto immune diseases are on the rise.
7
this article is so pointless. And I guess undernourished (and narcissistic) toddlers diagnosed with celiacs are just playing into this fad? is this what reporting has turned into these days. you see a message at an italian restaurant and just opine on the topic with no actual reporting on the issue. perhaps its the genetically modified wheat they started serving us in the 70's affecting your ability to focus and write a real article on this topic.... BTW in Italy they never genetically modified wheat so I bet that would be an angle for a REAL story.
2
Apparently you have never read a newspaper before so let me explain. This is an opinion column. Mr. Cohen is an opinion columnist. The job of an opinion columnist is to opine. It is perfectly legitimate to criticize his opinions, but it is not legitimate to criticize him for expressing them. That's what he is paid to do.
3
I think there are a lot of people who don't feel well, yet don't have the money to go to the doctor to get tested for any allergies. They read things online and talk to friends, and they decide to try their own elimination diets. I did some of this for awhile, and finally bit the bullet. I tested positive for allergies to wheat and almonds and cashews, and a few other things. The tests showed that my immune response is not huge for the few allergies that I had, but to wheat it was more significant. I do not have celiac disease, but when I eat wheat, I start breaking out, and I get bloated and gassy within a few hours. It's extremely uncomfortable and lasts for a day or so. I choose to not eat wheat products because I feel better when I don't, and for people who are so fortunate to not have these reactions - or who don't realize yet that they are having reactions - to be judgmental is disappointing. It's my own opinion that if I'd been raised on a whole-foods diet, I wouldn't have these issues, but I'm just working with what I have now.
4
My wife was diagnosed with celiac at the age of two. Bread, pasta, beer and related products are toxic for her. Our younger son, age 25, inherited the same condition. Fortunately, the range of products now available is much wider than ever, meaning that both of them can enjoy something which feels like a normal diet but which does not poison them. At the same time, when they eat out, they both are defensive about asking for gluten-free food and feel the need to explain that the request does not relate to a health fad, but a genuine health concern. Trust me, they would both be happy to eat regular food and would not request special treatment if it weren't necessary to avoid pain and significant harm to their digestive systems.
5
I for one have recently joined the ranks of sensitivity to foods. I feel the older people who will 'eat anything' lucked out with not having poison on their food for most of their life, particularly when their body was developing. As this issue is newer, the cause must be newer. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put poison on our food prior to eating it? And who with half a brain could possibly think that the poison would not have an effect on health, you are what you eat. There is no imagined sensitivity here, my body now revolts at many foods, wheat included (gluten? chemicals? both?) and it is very uncomfortable. It is unfortunate that food that is laden with chemicals does not glow......if it did, the visual would make the issue all the more real to everyone and people would definitely think twice about putting it in their mouths. And genetically modified, well the nutrients get altered and reduced. The nutrients are natural elements that create healthy bodies, fight against diseases (yes, food is medicine). To think that denying our bodies of healthy food will not harm our health is ludicrous. It is simple really, is what has been done to our food in the best interest of the consumers health? If not, it needs to change.
7
When I was a little girl my great grandmother taught me how to make homemade pasta, and ravioli among many other things, like "La Mamma" brought up in this article. Problem is today's world has taken convenience to a new level and everything is highly processed. As this processed food has grown, more and more maladies seem to haunt more and more people. Myself included. As a type 1.5 diabetic(auto immune), and on to see a Rheumatologist next week to figure out why suddenly I have swollen, achy, painful joints throughout my body, deep fatigue, extreme deep muscle pain etc this article is offensive. There is nothing narcissistic about my need to want food to nourish me, not damn me to hell. As far as I know I don't have celiac disease, but going gluten free isn't just about Celiac's. For some with Lupus, RA, Fibromyalgia, Psoriatic Arthritis to name a few, its about going grain and gluten free to help stop the debilitating inflammation in their bodies. Maybe just maybe if as a world we had continued to do things like "La Mamma", this wouldn't be the case and this pretentious rude article dripping with disdain for a large percentage of truly sick people wouldn't have been written.
26
Prior to a transplant, I had to follow a highly restricted diet because of kidney disease -- as do millions of diabetics and those who have actually been medically (not self) diagnosed with celiac. At least now the celiac sufferers have some commercial choices. I have a sneaking suspicion that parents raising their children on gluten free diets to avoid all that "poison" might correlate highly with the anti-vaccine cohort. After 68 years, I have learned, through pain and observation, two important truths. Everything causes cancer, and life causes death.
2
Yes, there is some aspect of fad, but it's more likely businesses see marketing opportunities. That said, recent research shows the genetically modified wheat strains grown today are very different from the wheat of our parents, and would be unrecognizable to our farming grandparents. The increase of food allergies may be trumpeted for financial reasons, but it is real. Our food is a profit center for corporations, and any alteration that increases profit must be good--even when the alteration isn't.
Just one question: is it possible that some GMO process has, unbeknownst to us, engineered genes into today's wheat from something else -- like peanuts?
Food fads come and go... low-fat, no butter, no carbs, whatever. This column, though, contributes to the dismissive attitude that people with real diseases often have to deal with.
One of my children is newly diagnozed as having celiac disease. Intestinal damage and all. We are grateful to have gluten-free versions of my teen's favorite foods at the stores. It is very hard even for an easy-going kid to adjust to saying no to a lot of foods around, and to endure side glances from people who think that this kid just wants apecial treatment for no good reason.
This attitude is not new. I had lots of food allergies when I was young. So many people assumed that my allergies were imagined and tried to make me eat food that was bound to make me sick. Luckily for me, I outgrew most of my allergies, and can now enjoy foids that I previously could not eat. You cannot outgrow celiac disease, though.
One of my children is newly diagnozed as having celiac disease. Intestinal damage and all. We are grateful to have gluten-free versions of my teen's favorite foods at the stores. It is very hard even for an easy-going kid to adjust to saying no to a lot of foods around, and to endure side glances from people who think that this kid just wants apecial treatment for no good reason.
This attitude is not new. I had lots of food allergies when I was young. So many people assumed that my allergies were imagined and tried to make me eat food that was bound to make me sick. Luckily for me, I outgrew most of my allergies, and can now enjoy foids that I previously could not eat. You cannot outgrow celiac disease, though.
6
Celiac Disease. It is only since 1997 that a blood test (the anti-endomysial antibody (EMA) test) was developed to assist people in the diagnosis of celiac. While this test alone does not confer a diagnosis of Celiac (a biopsy of the small intestine is needed), it does make it easier for many more people to move toward a diagnosis. The arrival and easy availability of this blood test was a game changer in the diagnosis of Celiac disease. It is one of the reasons for the increase numbers of people getting diagnosed.
According to the Mayo Clinic, undiagnosed celiac disease can quadruple the risk of death (http://www.mayo.edu/research/discoverys-edge/celiac-disease-rise).
While small intestine cancer is rare - it is most often found in people with undiagnosed Celiac.
I have no problem with Roger Cohen eating Gluten - I do have a problem with him seeming to take issue with people who can not.
According to the Mayo Clinic, undiagnosed celiac disease can quadruple the risk of death (http://www.mayo.edu/research/discoverys-edge/celiac-disease-rise).
While small intestine cancer is rare - it is most often found in people with undiagnosed Celiac.
I have no problem with Roger Cohen eating Gluten - I do have a problem with him seeming to take issue with people who can not.
23
I am deathly allergic to fish.
But there is no way that I would avoid a restaurant the serves fish to its customers...
There is always something on the menu that I can select that allows me to eat around my allergy.
...And anyway, it's MY allergy, not theirs.
But there is no way that I would avoid a restaurant the serves fish to its customers...
There is always something on the menu that I can select that allows me to eat around my allergy.
...And anyway, it's MY allergy, not theirs.
1
Look, all of us are entitled to our food preferences because we don't like the taste, or texture, or cost, or for religious or ethical reasons. Some of us have to modify our diet due to health concerns. The vast majority, however, have made a fetish of their own particular (and usually contrived) food persona. Poor them.