Keep calm and love gluten-free

What makes it acceptable to 'hate on' gluten-free eaters? Every article that judges gluten-free eaters as a fad dieters or worse, always includes a hasty statement with a nod towards those who have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance. (The Wheat Foods Council on their website captions a video post: "It's the newest food fad out there: gluten free. Trace explains what gluten is and if there's any actual science behind all this anti-gluten rhetoric.")

Yesterday, Samantha Goodson of Time.com wrote, "...if you don’t have Celiac disease and you don’t suffer from symptoms like cramps or diarrhea after eating gluten, there’s no real health benefit to going gluten-free. In fact, there are even some risks to cutting it out. We can only assume that the fad will eventually fade out, leaving the gluten-free life to those who actually need to be living it." (http://time.com/101433/an-answer-to-the-question-youve-been-too-afraid-to-ask-what-the-heck-is-gluten/)

Ms. Goodson is not a medical professional, nor nutritionist. The video she links to the article is by a couple of guys that call themselves AsapSCIENCE. (Spoiler alert: these dudes have no professional standing, either).

If someone wants to omit meat or dairy (or both!) from their diet, the media is not marginalizing them as followers of a fad. People are trying to live a healthier lifestyle that they believe is best for them. They don't need a disease or a sensitivity to justify it. (And, why should those who do have to explain why they are eating/not eating certain foods?) In some communities, they are admired for their diligence. Why isn't it the same for people who do not eat foods with gluten?

Many people choose not to eat sugar, and they do not have diabetes. Today, many people are choosing not to eat gluten who do not have Celiac disease, nor Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS). Tomorrow, if a group of people out there decides to stop eating salt... oh, wait a minute... there are people who don't eat salt. OK, well, how about if a group of people out there decide not to eat fat... right, there are those people, too. Do you get where this is going now?

Only you and your health care provider can determine what is best for you and your nutritional needs... not some ill-informed, humorless hacks.