Free to be gluten-free, you and me

I was reading an interesting article this week that listed several things that are good to know if you have to eat gluten-free for health reasons (because of Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) or choose to follow a gluten-free diet.  At the end of the list of tips and advice, readers could post comments or questions.

I expected to read some additional or even repetitive information.  I was surprised to see many snarky and a few downright rude comments.   To what end?

Would someone hurl negative remarks at a person who couldn’t eat sugar for health reasons?  Perhaps people who abstain from certain foods for religious reasons would be the next group to attack with insults?

If the nasty comments had been limited to one malcontent, I could just chalk it up to that one bad apple in the bunch that mother warned me about when I was a kid.  But, there were more than a few people who took the time to comment. One person said, “What’s the matter with these people? Haven’t they ever heard about fruits and vegetables?!?”

Really.

Most of the people I know who are gluten-free eaters are not afflicted with Celiac disease, but are NCGS (e.g. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive) and have significant physical and health issues if they do not.  They are not crackpot fad dieters. 

Yes, food is primarily necessary for survival. And, it is also social and familial in its uses.  Each one of us has a ‘favorite dish’ and some of those homey favorites originally were made with gluten-filled products. It is normal/sentimental/thoughtful to want to find replacements (or similar ingredients) to enjoy these recipes in a way that doesn’t affect health. Eating is also about enjoyment and ‘breaking bread’ with others in addition to nutrition. 

Kudos to those who ignore the grumpy-ugly folks out there… and take the initiative to find out how to help make gluten-free recipes that everyone can enjoy.

Tip for the weekend:  Finding great tasting bread, pizza crust, rolls, and cinnamon buns isn’t easy if you’re a gluten-free eater.  The soft chew-y goodness to these foods comes from gluten.  But, there is a substitute.  It is called xanthan gum and Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods (a gluten-free food product and ingredient manufacturer) not only provides suggestions on the side of this product, but also has You Tube videos to show you how to use this ingredient. See www.bobsredmill.com for more information on the wide variety of fine foods.