The high cost of convenience/ inclusion

[Teacher Terry]

I have 2 friends with this disease and when I invite them for dinner I make sure I am having something that they can eat.

[Texas Proud]

It is hard to get numbers, but what I see is that less than 1% of the people are considered to have celiac in the US (not sure about other contries)... and that is with only 17% of people who have it being are being diagnosed with it...


So, there are a lot of people who do have it that should not be eating gluten....



From this article it seems that the number of people who do not have celiac but do not eat gluten have gone up by 3X... and for some young women 3X the pct of people who have celiac...


I do feel sorry for the people who have to avoid gluten or have some kind of bad medical condition occur... but if you are not in that population there is still no proof that it helps...


I see a money making slant to this... the food industry is pushing their gluten free stuff saying it is good for you and charging you a premium for their products...







https://www.theguardian.com/society/...ing-trend-diet

[flintnational]

I just wanted to use the gluten free popcorn emoji.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud I see a money making slant to this... the food industry is pushing their gluten free stuff saying it is good for you and charging you a premium for their products...

In fairness, I have to think there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this. I know a family who all have celiac disease, and they very legitimately suffer if they inadvertently consume gluten.

But they are also extremely low key about it, and would never consider asking for special treatment. We once went on a week long camping trip together with a fairly large group, and they brought their own gluten free food along. No fuss, no comments.

But I do honestly believe that there are a number of people who are simply following a trend and have no idea whether there is a valid reason for them to avoid gluten. DW sometimes encounters this and she always asks "Have you had that confirmed?" She has never gotten an answer.

[Aerides]

My FIL has celiac confirmed, but my SIL (his daughter) does not have it. Still, several years ago she converted to GF eating and feels better for it. A friend of mine isn't celiac, but he will be in pain if he "cheats" (pizza or something).

Like most things there's a spectrum:
People for whom gluten is basically an allergen, which will do them real harm.
People for whom gluten doesn't sit well, and will leave them feeling unwell, with no real damage, but enough to avoid
then:
People for whom GF is a lifestyle that works for them. They feel better avoiding these foods - much like low carb, a lot of wheat foods can cause inflammation and some people are more sensitive than others.
People for whom GF is simply another way to diet and avoid high calorie foods - folks in this group that start in with the "I CAN'T eat that" - that's a pretty small group, but obviously the ones that are focused on by some posters in this thread.

Either way, if you're coming to my home and can't have certain foods, I certainly expect you to tell me in advance. I don't want to cook a meal and then have someone pull out some pre-packed dietary meal bar and say "no I'm good I brought this".

Similarly, I don't want someone to show up and ask why I don't have ABC special dietary thing (like the kosher example above).

Most decent people you want to invite to your house are not lying to you, and also don't expect you to cater to them - definitely not without asking first. ~1% of all people are selfish twits, and I don't want them in my house anyway.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister In fairness, I have to think there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this. I know a family who all have celiac disease, and they very legitimately suffer if they inadvertently consume gluten. But they are also extremely low key about it, and would never consider asking for special treatment. We once went on a week long camping trip together with a fairly large group, and they brought their own gluten free food along. No fuss, no comments. But I do honestly believe that there are a number of people who are simply following a trend and have no idea whether there is a valid reason for them to avoid gluten. DW sometimes encounters this and she always asks "Have you had that confirmed?" She has never gotten an answer.

Are you saying that my quote was hypocritical? I have acknowledged that it is a real problem for many people.. less than 1%... but that still means 3 million people have an issue in the country...


But with all the talk on shows and other people pushing this as a lifestyle I do think that the food industry has changed and is filling that market... but at a premium price... just like a lot of people love Whole Foods even though the prices were way higher than other places....



Remember when fat was the problem and everything started to become fat free? At a price no less...



Not saying this is a thing, but it would be like me wanting Kosher food even though I am not Jewish...

[Bir48die]

Ok. So someone comes to dinner and they have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and brought their comfort animal (fill in the blank). Then what are we to do?

[Teacher Terry]

I have a friend that didn’t know he had this problem and ended up losing most of his colon so it can be very serious. Some people just follow every fad.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Are you saying that my quote was hypocritical?

Not at all. I was referring to "the food industry" you mentioned in your post.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Are you saying that my quote was hypocritical? I have acknowledged that it is a real problem for many people.. less than 1%... but that still means 3 million people have an issue in the country... But with all the talk on shows and other people pushing this as a lifestyle I do think that the food industry has changed and is filling that market... but at a premium price... just like a lot of people love Whole Foods even though the prices were way higher than other places.... Remember when fat was the problem and everything started to become fat free? At a price no less...

Is this not the point of a market economy? When people come here from Cuba or North Korea, do they complain about too many choices in the supermarket?

Ha

[candrew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bir48die Ok. So someone comes to dinner and they have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and brought their comfort animal (fill in the blank). Then what are we to do?

Skip the bread and cheese then cook the comfort animal for dinner.

[Bestwifeever]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bir48die Ok. So someone comes to dinner and they have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and brought their comfort animal (fill in the blank). Then what are we to do?

Well, you invited them—just make fun of them all evening?

[Chuckanut]

Folks, you all need my new supplement "SinGluten". This supplement is specially made to help people who want to use an all natural supplement to help them not consume gluten. Three pills a day won't add a bit of gluten to your daily diet! They are a simple gel capsule containing the miracle non-gluten substance - dihydrogen monoxide.

My supplement has the the least amount of gluten of any on the market. You would have to not eat over 1000 gluten free muffins to get as little gluten as is in my supplement. Don't delay.

[Sue J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

If we have Thanksgiving at my sister and brother-in-law's house we all know to follow Kosher rules. No milk in the mashed potatoes, no real whipped cream on the pie. No sausage in the stuffing. No shellfish.

If her vegetarian step daughter is there my sister makes extra side dishes just for variety. One time she made a tofurkey (tofu turkey substitute) along with the regular turkey. We all tried it. Even the vegetarians agreed it was not worth the trouble.

Now, we all know in advance that they keep a Kosher home. When my BIL visits here I keep that in mind and make sure the entire meal is Kosher or an option is there for him. My sister keeps Kosher in their house but when she eats out she eats anything she wants - shrimp, clams, pork ribs, bacon!

A person who walks into someone else's house looking for Kosher options is going to be disappointed. My Kosher grandmother rarely came to our house and when she did she'd ask for a hard boiled egg and some cottage cheese.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by haha Is this not the point of a market economy? When people come here from Cuba or North Korea, do they complain about too many choices in the supermarket? Ha

Exactly!!! Why criticize or worry about whether other people are buying expensive products (for the supposedly "wrong" reasons)? I'm sure there are many, many people very grateful to have these options available. The improved product labeling is much appreciated.

If products are made in smaller quantities, of course I expect them to cost more.

If you are entertaining someone with dietary restrictions, then it's up to you how much you want to accommodate your guest.

[Chuckanut]

I bought some stuff at Whole Foods the other day. Why? Am I blowing the dough? No. It was the nearest store I was passing by and I had only a limited time to make the purchase and get home.

I do my best to accommodate people who have special eating needs. And they usually do their best to not make it difficult for their hosts to make the accommodation. It seems to work.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut Folks, you all need my new supplement "SinGluten". This supplement is specially made to help people who want to use an all natural supplement to help them not consume gluten. Three pills a day won't add a bit of gluten to your daily diet! They are a simple gel capsule containing the miracle non-gluten substance - dihydrogen monoxide. My supplement has the the least amount of gluten of any on the market. You would have to not eat over 1000 gluten free muffins to get as little gluten as is in my supplement. Don't delay.

BUT...is it as effective as 'Colon Blow'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku42Iszh9KM

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Not at all. I was referring to "the food industry" you mentioned in your post.

OK, thanks... I was not sure...

[gwraigty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bir48die Ok. So someone comes to dinner and they have celiac disease, are lactose intolerant and brought their comfort animal (fill in the blank). Then what are we to do?

Exactly.

In all seriousness, I think a lot depends on whether it's a small gathering between a couple of friends/family members, vs. a larger gathering with many friends/family members AND how radical of an accommodation the host/hostess would need to make.