Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that requires a person to follow a gluten-free diet to feel better but the diet has been also gaining popularity among people who do not have the disease. When there is no real concern for health, there are no reasons to follow the diet strictly or be accurate with your ideas and advice. Not surprisingly, too much attention has resulted in many myths and misinformation online. Here are a few of the most ridiculous myths about a gluten-free diet and celiac disease that you should stop believing.
Gluten is bad for everyone
Many people incorrectly assume that gluten is bad for your digestion and gut health and eliminating it from your diet will make you healthier and skinnier. Unless you have celiac disease or are intolerant to gluten, that’s not true. In fact, this myth was born from a tight connection between gluten and sugar – many products with gluten are also high in sugar, which is the real villain when it comes to gut health. Eliminating products with gluten from your diet doesn’t mean you won’t eat just as much sugar in the form of chocolate and candies, so don’t expect the results to be any different. Assuming that anyone can benefit from a gluten-free diet is like assuming anyone can benefit from a nut-free diet just because people who have nut allergies feel better when not eating nuts.
People weren’t meant to eat gluten
Paleo diet lovers, we hear you! But we don’t agree with you. Yes, cavemen might not have had fettuccine Alfredo on their menu but it doesn’t mean there was historically no gluten at all in the human diet. In fact, various researches show that we were eating bread as long as 14,400 years ago! There is no evidence that our digestive system was not supposed to digest gluten (unless you have celiac disease or are gluten intolerant).
Celiac disease is an excuse for picky eaters
Well, no. Celiac disease is an official, medically diagnosable and genetically predisposed autoimmune disorder that happens to 1 in 100 people worldwide. It can develop at any age and, if left untreated, causes serious health problems including coronary artery disease and small bowel cancer. A gluten-free diet is the only effective treatment known to the society at the moment.
Gluten-free diet eliminates bread entirely
People with celiac disease can’t eat bread that contains gluten No, there are plenty of gluten-free options to find in stores these days or you can experiment with homemade recipes. Here are a few to begin with:
Just one bite won’t hurt
Something as tiny as the crumbs from a cutting board in someone with celiac disease can trigger small intestine damage. Even breathing in the gluten can be dangerous (say, when you’re cooking with regular flour while there is a person with celiac disease in the kitchen). So, no, refusing to share your pizza ‘just this one time’ is not an overreaction – gluten-free diet means gluten-free everything and always.
Being gluten-free includes gluten-free skincare
As of now, there is no evidence that gluten can cause any harm to a person with celiac disease unless it’s ingested. So, while people following a gluten-free diet might find it comforting to also use gluten-free skincare and personal care products, it’s not strictly necessary. Unless it’s a lipstick or lip balm – these two can be accidentally ingested, so it’s safer to choose gluten-free options. Some people with celiac disease also have active dermatitis herpetiformis – a skin condition that requires gluten-free products.
Gluten-free diet is expensive
Yes, gluten-free alternatives to bread or pasta can cost twice as much as the same product with gluten but there are so many products that don’t contain gluten originally and are really cheap. Think all fruits and vegetables, rice, milk and most cheeses, and meat. Doesn’t this sound like a great variety already?
Gluten-free diet help you get skinny
Remember, we’re talking about a gluten-free diet not as a choice but as a treatment here. When it comes to people diagnosed with celiac disease, most of them actually gain weight after adopting a strict gluten-free diet. Switching to the diet as a treatment means their intestinal tract begins to heal and can finally start absorbing nutrients properly. It’s a healthy and necessary weight gain. Unless they start overindulging with high calorie gluten-free substitutes for pizza, pasta and croissants. 🙂
