Truth Bomb: Celiac Disease is not a Lifestyle Choice

I was hoping to save my ranting for later, once I had well-established the blog as a positive and happy place, and ingrained in my readers' minds that I am a stable and kind person who is entitled to the occasional ill mood (aren't we all?). Unfortunately, I couldn't wait very long for this, but then again, impulse control has never been one of my strong suits. I expect this post will ruffle some feathers, but this is my blog, so I can say what I want.

To set the stage for this rant, let's take a quick step back to my childhood, which took place largely in the 1990's.  It was a simpler time. Bill Clinton was hooking up with his white house intern, we were all dancing the Macarena, and the "hashtag" was still just the "pound sign". You had to choose between talking on the phone and going on the internet, and it was the golden age of Brett Favre. Notably, almost no one in this majestic era had ever even heard of  a little protein called "gluten".

Flash forward about 17 years. Now, it seems that not a day goes by where health magazines, the media, and such well-respected health authorities as Miley Cyrus and Dr. Oz  extoll the virtues and (dubious) health benefits of a gluten-free diet. Self-diagnosed "gluten-intolerant" folk have become nearly as vocal (and obnoxious) as we used to make fun of vegans for being. Quite predictably, these frequently self-righteous and often ill-informed types have unintentionally reduced what is a legitimately serious medical condition for a very small percentage of the population, into an oft ridiculed diet fad. We can see the pervasiveness of society's collective irritation with the "gluten-free diet" in late-night comedy clips:

 it also takes the form of creepy Reddit posts by psychologically unsound waitstaff.


Almost no one who avoids gluten by choice realizes how hard it actually is to have Celiac disease. In fact, news of my diagnosis was frequently met with remarks of, "I've been gluten-free for (3 months, 6 months, 2 years, etc) and it's just SO EASY!" or even better, "You're going to lose so much weight!" Because the gluten-free by choice people probably don't know this, I will inform them: most of those restaurants with "gluten friendly" menus are not suitable for Celiacs, because of issues with cross-contamination in the kitchen. I can't eat french fries unless they're cooked in a dedicated gluten-free fryer (which the majority of restaurants don't have). I can't buy gluten-free baked goods unless they're made in a dedicated gluten-free facility. I can't even wear make-up that contains gluten, or I break out in a horrible rash that was misdiagnosed for years as eczema.  I am not sharing this information because I am seeking pity. In fact, I don't consider it to be that much of a burden anyway. However, I want people to know what it's really like for me and for thousands of other Celiacs. A truly gluten-free diet is a genuine challenge, and anyone who thinks it is "easy" or "fun" is more than likely not actually following one.

The gluten-free diet fad belittles my legitimate condition and it seriously pisses me off.  Why? When I do venture to a restaurant and ask questions about gluten-free menu items and kitchen preparation techniques, I can just tell that most people think I am being frivolous. Even worse, I constantly worry that waitstaff will behave in the manner described in the above referenced Reddit post and purposely gluten me. I am an in-shape, upper-middle-class white woman. I fit the stereotype of a fad dieter PERFECTLY. The struggle to explain the legitimacy of my needs is real, and it is only made harder by people who undermine it by making it seem like "gluten-free" is a silly little diet that you can go off of on Thanksgiving or your birthday or when there's a really yummy cake in the office. I have a good friend who (vocally) jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon a year ago. She still drinks beer and eats soy sauce. This sort of behavior  makes everyone think that Celiacs can drink beer and eat soy sauce too, and thereby indirectly causes the legitimacy of the condition to be misunderstood and minimized.

All this said, there does appear to be anecdotal evidence of people feeling better after they start (what they think) is a gluten-free diet. However, I can't find any actual scientific evidence (read: peer reviewed journal articles) that support non-Celiac gluten intolerance as a real thing. In fact, a recent study showed that non-Celiac gluten intolerance may not exist at all. People are free to do what they think makes them feel better (evidence or not) I suppose, but even this can be harmful. Someone who thinks they may have Celiac disease should not start  a gluten-free diet without first being formally evaluated. Doing so can cause false negatives in their tests. In general, any long-term or severe stomach problem should be assessed by a doctor. Someone who ignores legitimate symptoms and opts to change one's diet without a diagnosis is doing something dangerous. The condition, if serious, will likely get worse if untreated. My point is: there can be so many things wrong with a person and the solution is likely not a gluten-free diet. Unless you have Celiac disease, that is.

There are plenty of other diet trends that one can join and act self-righteous about. Please leave Celiac disease alone.