Ugh, I think I just got gluten'd
As someone who was just diagnosed with Celiac disease a little over a year ago, every time I hear about a Zooey, Novak, or even a Gwyneth I’m like “Hooray!” After all, that’s one more restaurant I can walk into that might have heard about this gluten thing thanks to the famous. I can totally get behind that. Yet, I realize there’s an eye roll factor here.
After all, if you don’t have to go gluten free, but you think it’s going to help you lose weight or win the U.S. Open, well, eff you. Because when those of us who don’t have a choice hear that people are going gluten-free willy-nilly for reasons that are not only not scientifically sound, but just stupid trendy, it’s annoying.
But before I cast a stone in Miley Cyrus’ general direction, I’d like to first give that little hell-raiser the benefit of the doubt.
If 1 in 133 of us has Celiac disease, and some 18 million have a gluten intolerance, then why wouldn’t it follow that celebrities also have the wheat hate? Again, I’m not talking about some random actress with an eating disorder, I’m talking about people who get sick when they eat the gluten. It happens to the best of us — famous, or totally not famous. It’s true what children’s books teach us: Everybody Poops. Some of us more than others when we eat gluten.
So until I bust Miley coming out of Magnolia Bakery stuffing cupcakes down her singing hole, I’m going to give her a big welcome to the club. The disgusting pooping club where you live with deprivation every single day. Have fun, Miley!
What do you think about gluten-free celebs?
Image via Norismoonlight/Flickr
Gluten is my Bitch 
I have mixed feelings about the trenders. They are annoying and they can perpetuate misunderstandings. But I think it does help the general cause at least a little. And there are educated folks who argue that modern gluteny grains (in that they’re more gluteny than their more ancient predecessors) are kinda shitty (ha, see what I did there?) for everyone, literally or not.
When I explain my condition to folks (restaurant staff, family, friends, well-meaning on-lookers, maliciously voyeuristic spectators, etc.), 1) I don’t usually explicitly mention the poo (though you’re making me re-think that one 😉 ) but 2) I do distinguish among the various reasons one might not want to eat gluten, especially between fad and medical necessity.
“Some people do this for fun, or ’cause it’s the latest health kick. I do it because if I don’t I’ll die. And it’s okay for those other folks to get a little gluten. If I get a crumb it might kill me. Like, I won’t keel over right before your eyes or even go into anaphylactic shock, but my insides will be poisoned. It’s bad, really bad, really really bad. I’m not making it up. I don’t want to be that guy, but God made me this way.”
I like using words like “die,” “kill,” “poison,” etc. But I also want to take away the incentive for people to want to poison me; there won’t be a show, so, really, is it worth it?
Anyway, the more people are aware of gluten and its potential deadliness (for some of us if not all), the better, as far as I’m concerned.
Right, sometimes you have to get dramatic because otherwise people are like, “Umm, so you’ll get a tummy ache?”
I think its pretty silly, but I’m all for it. Here’s why:
I’m sick of telling people about my gluten intolerance and getting blank stares -people just don’t know what it is or don’t take it seriously. I think back to the Autism vs. vaccines debate. There were MANY professional, respected medical doctors denying the link. But comedian and Playboy bunny Jenny Mcarthy says there is and the world believes her. Why? Because she’s much prettier than the research doctors! Pretty people get attention and if it takes a pretty person going G-free publicly and loudly for me to be able to go to a restaurant and get a little understanding, then so be it.
Also, on an unrelated note (since I’m venting!), I wish they’d come up with a better name for a gluten intolerance. It sounds so minimal and well, fake! Personally if I eat trace amounts af gluten I’m incapacitated for a few days and miserable-but-functional for a few more! I wish there was a name – lets call it Becky Syndrome if we have to, but the word ‘intolerance’ just needs to go.
*Becky politely steps off of soapbox.
You’re right, intolerance sounds like you’re just a tad bit annoyed, rather than crazy sick.
And, oh jeez, Jenny McCarthy. She should be held responsible for that kind of crazy.
@Lenda – Thanks! And I know, when people ask me how I found out I want to say, “You really don’t want to know.” Yet I can’t help but fill them in. Excellent lunchtime conversation.
You are hilarious!! Thank you for being so honest about Celiac.. at least you get it when many people I love just can’t. I do wish gluten free was not trendy..you think it gives us many more options but I think people then assume I am doing it for a fad.. or everything is processed in a facility because it isn’t for celiacs it is for dieters looking for something new. I have to quit eating “gluten free” foods because I think the 20ppm in several things I am eating are adding up or something.
LOL @ the poo.. someone just asked me at lunch today how they found out I had it.. always comes up at the table and I want to answer well I was on the oregon trail dying of dysentery!! lol 20 pounds later they figured it out!!
❤
I found out about 4 months ago that I needed to ditch the gluten. When I did, I dropped about 10 pounds without really trying, and now people ask me how I did it. At first, I was honest about it. Then people started trying to go gluten free to lose weight. That was annoying. Heaven knows I’d love to be able to eat without reading every stinkin’ lable or cooking from scratch. Now when people I ask, I tend to say I just watch what I eat. This is true, at least.
I have very mixed feelings about this. On the one hand I am seeing a lot more GF on menus….but with a lack of understanding for the food hygiene required to avoid cross contamination, or even, what GF actually means.
I was at a restaurant this week and there on the menu were my 2 favorite symbols in the one dish, (V)(GF)…ie vegetarian gluten free. It was a risotto, and funnily enough I have been caught out before getting really sick after eating what was supposed to be GF risotto so as the kitchen was open plan, I wandered over to double check. I asked about the stock, is it home made (usually fine) or is it bought in? The answer, “it’s bought in but it’s definitely gluten free”. Call it a sixth sense but I asked her to go and double check the label and she comes back and says, ” oh sorry, there is wheat in it.” I mean faaaarrrrrrrrrrkkkkk people!!!! On the one hand, awareness is up so GF is being added to menus, but holy crap, will be what happens if a celiac had have eaten that dish.
So hmmm, not so sure.
I also ordered from a gluten-free menu and got violently ill. I love seeing it, but yeah, if the kitchen doesn’t really know what’s what you’re screwed.
And Katherine — you lost 10 pounds? Jeez! I gained that and more. Phhhpt. But good for you 😉 No, really.
I just shrug when I hear of another celeb discussing this. At least she’s saying it’s due to a medical condition rather than it’s ‘healthy.’ If her suggestion for people to try it gets them to do just that, more power to her. Considering how few Celiacs and gluten intolerants are diagnosed, the more of them who try the gluten free diet, the more of them who are feeling better. That’s a win, IMO.
But the medical community’s reaction to Miley Cyrus’ pronouncement really gets to me. I have seen so many posts today talking about how terrible a gluten free diet is for people who don’t need it, and how we should not do this without doctor supervision, and so on. It really makes me furious when I see how it’s discussed by Doctors and Dieticians, mostly because you don’t see this kind of care and concern for all the people who are actually SICK and UNDIAGNOSED. If these docs were just as quick to stand up and educate doctors on how to actually diagnose us, maybe I’d have more sympathy.
But they’re not. They are giving advice that gives patients one less choice, while putting all the potential ‘power’ in the hands of the doctors who frequently are the ones whose patients remain sick because the docs missed the diagnosis, or even better, the docs refuse to even consider that gluten could be an issue.
I know my angst over this is in large part due to my own experiences, but I’ve met too many people with similar ones to think it’s isolated. There are 5 celiacs in my family and one gluten intolerant. Three of us were diagnosed only because I asked for the darn test. Before that, I had over 20 years of it being in my head, or because I was ‘thinking too much about my health,’ or because I wasn’t sleeping enough, or exercising enough, or whatever.
Right now, half my cousins’ kids have stomach pain all the time, every day. The doctors told all my cousins that it was just school anxiety, and on being told the family history for celiac disease, they told them that their kids couldn’t possibly have celiac disease so they shouldn’t even bother getting tested. 0.0
My cousins are following their doctors’ advice and their kids are still in pain.
It just makes me so angry, in that helpless fury kind of way. And I just don’t get it. The doctors don’t want us to try a totally non-invasive, no-bizarre-side-effects, potential solution to our ill-health. But how often do they actually ask about a patient’s diet in depth when the patient is actually feeling ill? So many docs are more willing to ignore our complaints about pain and suffering, put us on drugs that have multiple side effects, and suggest invasive procedures before they will even consider something like food could be a problem.
I know there are some great doctors out there because I have a couple of them now, but man oh man does it get on my nerves when a doctor seems to act more concerned for our health when we take control of it than when we’re sick and following their advice. 😦
And, uh, yeah…I’ll just go take a warm bath and calm down now, sigh. The air was getting a little thin up on the soapbox, I think. 😉
Right on, tour guide! I was lucky to have someone diagnosis it quickly, but I’ve constantly heard about people being dismissed by doctors. Excellent point there.
Amen! I’d say we need a few more folks who know what the hell they’re talking about up on their soap boxes. So, yaknow, come down for air when you need to, but I say rant away.
My doctor is great, doesn’t know much about celiac, but he listened, didn’t dismiss my symptoms (which, ironically, I had), relentlessly pursued their cause and pointed me to an excellent gastroenterologist who fairly quickly diagnosed me.
I really like my doctors, but let’s be honest, there are idiots, bigots and blowhards in every profession, including medicine.
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