This article, Why is Celiac Disease on the Rise?, appeared on Yahoo. I wanted to write a few comments about Celiacs and gluten free eating. For the most part the article is probably the most in depth easy to digest article on Celiacs that has come down the pipeline recently. It is too bad, a few thoughts were not quite what they could be, and were left partially quantified.
I find this timely article surprising because there is a trend of late of people going on a Gluten Free diet when they have no physical need to be on one. There are a lot of benefits to eating a gluten free diet. Copying the Standard American Diet (SAD) is not one of those benefits. Hence the frustration, and feelings of denial that surround a Celiac diet verses the less than great SAD diet.
This brings me to one of two comments I digress on in this timely and mostly well written article. The paragraph starting with, “Does a gluten-free diet help people lose weight?”, is both true and not so true. The particular portion I disagree with is the type of food one can eat on a gluten free diet. The actual comment is quoted as being spoken by Christina Tennyson, MD of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York City.
The Doctor’s quote is indeed correct, although used in a slightly less than perfect context. I am sure Dr. Tennyson really did not intend. the quote intones the only diet available to one on a Celiac Diet is highly processed, high calorie laden food. I think if the good doctor had the opportunity to elaborate on the comment, she would have cleared any conjecture about her lone comment.
If one wants to be on a gluten free diet and eat as if they are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), it is possible, and can be a reasonably healthy diet. One, if money is no object, or eating like everyone else is a high priority, there are plenty of alternative highly processed foods, that are high in calories. It should be noted that the SAD is generally a culmination of the same types of foods, only they are cheaper and contain various amounts of wheat per high calorie serving.
Cakes, cookies, chips, ice cream, pastries, noodles, etcetera are a major part of SAD, and can be part of a Celiac diet. This is the SAD truth. If one is willing to pay more than is reasonable, one can eat a gluten free diet, and not notice they are not eating SAD by looks alone.
On the other hand, and I am sure Dr. Tennyson would agree or followup on if questioned further, the Celiac diet does not have to look like a SAD diet, nor does it need to be frugal and nutrition starved as alleged in the last paragraph, “What’s the treatment”.
A Celiac diet if one is willing to forget everything about SAD, can eat healthy well balanced, nutrition filled meals for about the same cost of the SAD diet. Starting with beans, rice, and corn as staples of a Celiac diet, there is a lot of room and dollars for adding fruits and vegetables to each meal.Many Americans forgo fresh fruits and vegetables because they are addicted to their SAD diet of high calorie, high fat, and high sugar.
For thousands of years most of the peoples on the earth made do without highly processed junk foods, and without wheat, barley, and rye. They lived well, and they were healthy. Healthy eating, just like choosing a Celiac diet if one has options is a life changing choice.
For inspiration or ideas look to the cooking of South America, Far East, and the lower Americas. There are more delicious, nutritious, and healthy meals available than imaginable. All that needs to be done is forget what has been programmed into each of us since birth about healthy eating.
If you are curious about Celiacs, and what it means to be Celiac and ignore it, click on the link at the beginning of he article, or do a quick search of this blog for more information on Celiacs. I have a few articles in my blog. For some available foods click on the link on the right side of the page for ideas.
