The high cost of convenience/ inclusion

[sengsational]

Celiac disease is NOT the only condition that means gluten should be avoided.

There are links to autoimmune disease, but understanding causes of autoimmune diseases is in its infancy in western medicine, and will likely take decades to shake out. In the meantime, wheat is a well known allergen along with several other common foods/ingredients.

Great if you personally are not dealing with autoimmune disease, but please don’t be so quick to judge others who are dealing with it.

When I read "According to what I've read, there are no tangible digestive or physiological benefits to avoiding gluten for those who don't have an actual condition like celiac." I figure it's got to be someone who doesn't realize how poor Western medicine understands autoimmune issues. Their answer is usually to suppress the immune system overall, and that causes a whole host of life shortening issues and is also hugely expensive. And, oh, often just takes the edge off the symptoms, doesn't eliminate them.

 

[audreyh1]

I feel like if a person hat to eat gluten for a short while it might be bearable, tolerable, and not life or death.

Perhaps not life or death, but if it causes unpleasant symptoms for several days that’s enough to make some people avoid gluten all the time. It’s not necessarily like a little exposure won’t hurt you. The immune system doesn’t work that way.

 

[Sojourner]

Celiac disease is NOT the only condition that means gluten should be avoided.

There are links to autoimmune disease, but understanding causes of autoimmune diseases is in its infancy in western medicine, and will likely take decades to shake out. In the meantime, wheat is a well known allergen along with several other common foods/ingredients.

Great if you personally are not dealing with autoimmune disease, but please don’t be so quick to judge others who are dealing with it.

I was making a more general observation about how most people avoiding gluten don't have any actual medical condition/disease that is motivating their choice. Clearly there are many who benefit, as you pointed out, like celiac sufferers and others with certain autoimmune disorders. And it seems the OP's SIL is one of those who has a medically-sound reason for avoiding gluten. But I believe those are the exceptions, not the rule, in our society, and (to the OP's original post) the big food companies are taking full advantage of the gluten-free fad.

 

[pacergal]

We have several in our family/extended family with medical/food issues: diabetics needed low or no sugar, gluten allergies and celiac, onion/garlic allergy, vegetarian and somehow it all works out. At gatherings, everyone brings one or two dishes to share and labels foods that have potential problems for those who might need to avoid them.
I have made and bought GF foods for several years, yes they are more expensive, but it is getting easier to find them in regular grocery stores now!

 

[NYEXPAT]

The other DD would be very sad if I didn’t make my usual stuffing recipe. It’s her favorite part of the dinner. (It’s nothing special, just the recipe on the back of the Bell’s Seasoning box). Maybe I’ll make two stuffings, the regular and a smaller batch of GF.

That is funny! For the past 5 years or so, I saw all kinds of "Bell's" products in our supermarket and always thought it was just a cheap Peruvian brand! Now I can buy it and tell everyone it is imported.

 

[audreyh1]

I was making a more general observation about how most people avoiding gluten don't have any actual medical condition/disease that is motivating their choice. Clearly there are many who benefit, as you pointed out, like celiac sufferers and others with certain autoimmune disorders. And it seems the OP's SIL is one of those who has a medically-sound reason for avoiding gluten. But I believe those are the exceptions, not the rule, in our society, and (to the OP's original post) the big food companies are taking full advantage of the gluten-free fad.

Not sure how you can personally make an accurate observation about what “most people” avoiding gluten are doing or their personal motivations.

 

[ERD50]

It is nice to accommodate any special dietary requests/needs of a guest. But I really, really, don't think that makes it OK to spoil it for other guests.

In the OP case, I'd make 2 cakes, or buy a small serving of GF dessert for the one person that needs it. If the oven temperatures are the same, it's not that much extra work. Of course, that depends on the specific case. I've had some gluten free crackers that I really like, no sacrifice there at all.

Sometimes you can leave an ingredient out of a portion or two of a dish, or put it on the side, or as a 'topping' on some of the dish - depends on how it is prepared, but it's often do-able.

Our niece and her husband don't like pork (not a dietary or religious thing, just a preference), and we host all the holidays. I'd love to have a big pork roast at times, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than a big beef roast. Maybe this year I'll ask DW to add a small beef roast, and they can have that. I love a big bone-in pork roast, too big for us to cook for ourselves, and it's our house darn it! I should get what I want!

-ERD50

 

[Sojourner]

When I read "According to what I've read, there are no tangible digestive or physiological benefits to avoiding gluten for those who don't have an actual condition like celiac." I figure it's got to be someone who doesn't realize how poor Western medicine understands autoimmune issues. Their answer is usually to suppress the immune system overall, and that causes a whole host of life shortening issues and is also hugely expensive. And, oh, often just takes the edge off the symptoms, doesn't eliminate them.

I certainly don't have (and never claimed to have) a thorough insight into how Western medicine treats or understands autoimmune disorders. Do you have any special insight into this? All I have to inform myself on this subject is what I read online or in books, and I try to get my information from reputable, science-based sources, like the NIH website. And I 'm always open to new facts and opinions based on sound science. Given that many (if not most) of those following a gluten-free diet aren't suffering from celiac or other autoimmune digestive disorders, it seems they are likely getting little-to-no health benefit from this lifestyle choice, other than maybe some sort of placebo effect. Undoubtedly it does help those who are suffering from certain autoimmune disorders (like celiac) and I never said otherwise. Clearly the OP's SIL falls into the category of people that a gluten-free diet is beneficial for.

 

[gretah]

I'm allergic to all grains, not just the ones with gluten.

I LOVE pumpkin pie so I just bake the filling in a casserole dish and forget the crust. Yum!

 

[Chuckanut]

I'm allergic to all grains, not just the ones with gluten.

I LOVE pumpkin pie so I just bake the filling in a casserole dish and forget the crust. Yum!

Have you considered a Chickpea crust?

Like many if not most of us, I go to the trouble of trying to provide for people who are vegetarians or have special dietary restrictions. But, I also don't think its fair for one person's issues to dictate the menu for everybody else, especially for an entire meal. Thankfully, the few people I know who have significant restrictions are good enough to also provide their own food if necessary. Friends and family work it out. It should not be a big deal.

 

[Sojourner]

Not sure how you can personally make an accurate observation about what “most people” avoiding gluten are doing or their personal motivations.

It's not a personal observation. It's based on a survey I read about some years ago, where people buying gluten-free products were asked if they (or someone they were preparing food for) had been diagnosed with celiac. I don't remember the exact number, but I believe over 50% said "no".

 

[SumDay]

I had a gluten free cake in a restaurant.
once.
It tasted like it needed gluten.

 

[audreyh1]

It's not a personal observation. It's based on a survey I read about some years ago, where people buying gluten-free products were asked if they (or someone they were preparing food for) had been diagnosed with celiac. I don't remember the exact number, but I believe over 50% said "no".

OK - you read one survey. And respondents only answered whether they were celiac or not, and it didn’t cover other health reasons why a person might be buying gluten-free products.

 

[ABQ2015]

OP never said there was a disease or intolerance involved...


This also seems to be a fad that a number of people are doing...



When we have family get togethers it is the responsibility of the person who has the 'problem' to bring anything that they want that is not considered normal.... me, I hate nuts in food... my family puts nuts in off and on... if there are nuts I do not eat it... simple.. when my DW had food restrictions due to her religion, she brought a dish that she could eat... simple...

My niece insists on hosting Thanksgiving and made the family suffer through a gluten free Thanksgiving once because her son has Aspergers and she felt a gluten free diet slightly improved his condition. Six months later she had stopped the diet as she moved on to more fads. On the other hand, a friend developed a severe case of celiac disease in his 40's and it almost ended his career. This was years ago when the first foods being advertised as gluten free were often contaminated with wheat. Fortunately his wife was a SAHM and loved to cook and started cooking everything from scratch. Finally after drastic changes to his diet, he was okay.

 

[W2R]

Today is DH’s birthday, and coincidentally DD and her husband will be visiting us for the weekend. Since there will be others to help eat it, I decided to bake a cake for the occasion. Since the SIL recently switched to a gluten-free diet (and it’s helping ), DH suggested I look for a gluten-free cake mix.

I was thinking that SIL would just enjoy the ice cream and pass on the cake, but went looking for the cake mix anyway.[…]

I don't see anything wrong with your original plans. I'd just go ahead and cook normally, but perhaps be thoughtful enough to add something or other that those on a special diet can have too. For example, bake a normal birthday cake for your DH, and provide fruit or something like that for those who can't eat it.

Maybe I am just old fashioned but it seems to me that this would be very considerate and the person on the special diet should be extremely grateful that you went to the trouble to take their dietary restrictions into account. You are not running a restaurant and should not be expected to provide for special dietary needs.

 

[Walt34]

Maybe I am just old fashioned but it seems to me that this would be very considerate and the person on the special diet should be extremely grateful that you went to the trouble to take their dietary restrictions into account. You are not running a restaurant and should not be expected to provide for special dietary needs.

That's been my take on it too, and I've had to be gluten free since ~1995 because of the celiac disease. While I'm very grateful if someone goes to the extra effort to make or acquire a gluten free dish, I've never asked for that and if it wasn't available I've always been able to find alternatives, although once I did have to go to a nearby grocery store and get a ready-made salad.

So while at times it can be a bit inconvenient it certainly isn't a big deal, especially at large gatherings where there are more food alternatives than I could possibly eat.

 

[Texas Proud]

When I read "According to what I've read, there are no tangible digestive or physiological benefits to avoiding gluten for those who don't have an actual condition like celiac." I figure it's got to be someone who doesn't realize how poor Western medicine understands autoimmune issues. Their answer is usually to suppress the immune system overall, and that causes a whole host of life shortening issues and is also hugely expensive. And, oh, often just takes the edge off the symptoms, doesn't eliminate them.

Antidotes is not the same as science... I did not put down that stmt, but I was thinking it when I read up a bit on GF... what I read said there were no good studies on people without celiac.... so that makes the stmt true...


Now, if someone decides to stop eating something like gluten and they feel better then they should then avoid it... I still can call it a fad...



I can be proven wrong with research...






Edit to add... I am diabetic and do not expect people to cook deserts etc. without sugar just for me... heck, I probably will eat some anyhow but just use portion control.. well, unless it has nuts which I do not like which I mentioned in my first post...

 

[travelover]

Antidotes is not the same as science... ............

Also true of anecdotes.

 

[kaneohe]

...............................

The grocery store had a Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix for $4.29. Ouch! That’s almost four times a regular cake mix............................ So that effectively makes the cost of the gluten free cake mix eight times that of a regular cake mix. ..................................

.

Often, it's all in the mind.......that is,how you think about it. Ever get excited
about a CD that pays 1% more than one that's paying 2%. In one sense, it's 50% more in a relative sense. In an absolute sense, it's 1% more. If you have 10K , that's $100 more in a yr. If you don't have the funds for it,think
it's only $100 , not earthshaking. If you do have the funds for it, think 50% more.

In your case, don't think it's 8x as much...........think less than 4 bucks more.
and as you said, so much more convenient than some other paths.

 

[brett]

When we host guests in our home we do everything we can to ensure that what we offer will meet their dietary requirements.

We see it as part of being food hosts and considerate friends. Cannot imagine counting the pennies over a box of cake mix or a ready made cake from the grocery store. We do not even think about about the cost delta of doing this but I guess that it comes down to attitude.

 

[tmm99]

It was the yellow cake mix. I baked for the shortest suggested time, which may have been a couple of minutes too long because the cake was a little dry. It almost has the consistency of angel food cake.

SIL was very appreciative of the effort and enjoyed the cake. He said he hasn’t had anything “cakey” since he went GF so it was a real treat.

The next challenge will be Thanksgiving dinner. It shouldn’t be too hard. I’m not going to try to make GF stuffing or pie, he will just have to fill up on the many other options. I think the only changes I’ll have to make is not putting the stuffing in the bird*, and thickening the gravy with cornstarch instead of a roux.

*I know the experts say not to put the stuffing in the turkey, but we’ve been living dangerously for over twenty years.

I am not sure if this is the same recipe I tried, but it was surprisingly tasty, whether you're gluten intolerant or not. Looked like brownies and tasted like brownies.
https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-gluten-free-black-bean-brownies/

 

[Texas Proud]

Also true of anecdotes.

LOL... see what happens when not paying attention and relying on spell check

 

[Scuba]

One time I hosted a party for work colleagues and their spouses. This was 20 years ago, before so many people had special diets. The theme was Cajun food, and I let everyone know in advance we were serving red beans and rice with andouille sausage, crawfish etoufee, salad, and pralines for dessert. One couple showed up and asked if I had any Kosher food. I thought it was incredibly rude when I had published a menu in advance and we were in the midst of entertaining 20+ guests for someone to arrive and ask for Kosher food. I told her she could look in my kitchen and see what she could find, but that I wasn’t very familiar with what food I might have that would be considered Kosher. She ended up opening a can of tuna and eating that.

They were never invited back and to this day I remember how rude I felt that was. If I ever have special food requirements, I’ll happily bring my own food or make do with what’s offered.

 

[CaptTom]

Please don't take this personally, but I find this totally hilarious...

How to Become Gluten Intolerant

Probably because there's a very large grain of truth in there somewhere.

 

[sengsational]

I certainly don't have (and never claimed to have) a thorough insight into how Western medicine treats or understands autoimmune disorders. Do you have any special insight into this? All I have to inform myself on this subject is what I read online or in books, and I try to get my information from reputable, science-based sources, like the NIH website. And I 'm always open to new facts and opinions based on sound science. Given that many (if not most) of those following a gluten-free diet aren't suffering from celiac or other autoimmune digestive disorders, it seems they are likely getting little-to-no health benefit from this lifestyle choice, other than maybe some sort of placebo effect. Undoubtedly it does help those who are suffering from certain autoimmune disorders (like celiac) and I never said otherwise. Clearly the OP's SIL falls into the category of people that a gluten-free diet is beneficial for.

You are coming from a logical point of view: that of proven science. Not a bad start, but not complete knowledge either. Just look at what excepted science was saying about stomach ulcers. Every doctor, every paper indicated stress as the cause. If this thread we're back then, and about stomach ulcers, you and I would both be saying to anyone with a different theory that "there's no scientific proof" that these ulcers are caused by a bacterium. We'd be right with our statement. If we continued to say "and that's all there is to it", we'd have been wrong.


I did watch several family members slowly drag their doctors into admitting they had Celiac disease, but not without actually looking at the damage to villi because the blood tests were not conclusive (only tested for the one form of gluten and there are like 6 or something).



The difference between those of us who are on the sidelines versus the front lines is that some of us are more willing to admit that the anecdotes are worth more or less, and that accepted medical practice is lagging far or near behind what the solution will turn out to be. Thus, back to my comments about how much medical science has to learn about autoimmune. We are in the stone age there. Nobody should be very sure about anything in this realm.


I'm not saying there aren't people who imagine they are gluten intolerant (funny video, btw), but for someone to hold up existing, and certainly imperfect science as proof that it's all in their head, well, that's a leap I'm not willing to make. Maybe no one here is making that leap either, and that would be good news.