September 29, 2014

Gluten-Free Mondays: Must-Read Articles

Sophi Gluten-Free, Gluten-Free Mondays gluten, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, gluten-free, gluten-free diet, gluten-free haters 0 Comments

There were two really good articles I stumbled upon this weekend about gluten, gluten-intolerance, wheat, etc. so I had to share them for today’s Gluten-Free Monday post.

one // Modern Wheat Isn’t Really Wheat at All

This article is very intriguing if you have been wondering why gluten-intolerance is on the rise.

But I will also point out something that the article doesn’t mention: it was not with ill intentions that people started modifying wheat. It was to make it hardier and more affordable in an effort to address the world’s hunger issues and not be so reliant on specific conditions to grow wheat  (I wish I could find the article that I got this information from— it was several months ago that I read it). Now it can be grown in many places that it never could be before and feed people during what normally would have been “famine” times. 

But everything comes with a consequence and this is it. Frankly, I’d rather have to cut out gluten from my diet but know hundreds of other people got to eat.  However, I do think we need to evaluate some of the chemicals used to grow wheat— and a lot of other crops— to see if we can make that safer.

two // Where Did All the Gluten-Free Haters Come From?

This article sums up what I wrote here but does it WWWAAAAYYYYYY better.  This is just one of the many great quotes from the article:

“I see way too many people react to others’ gluten-free preference personally, when they shouldn’t. Seriously, folks, it’s not a morality decision; it’s a medical one.”

It really is ridiculous that I am scared to tell people that I am gluten-free because I know I will most likely get an eye-roll, an exasperated sigh, or the question “Why? Just because or because you have to be?”  I think I am going to just start answering that question with “Does it matter?”  Because really, why does it matter to someone why I am gluten-free?  Whether it is because I need/have to be for my health or because I am doing it as a “diet”, why do people think it’s something they can give their opinion about?

I don’t mind answering people’s questions about what is gluten, why does it affect me, and other similar questions, but I am so tired of feeling like I have to defend myself for being gluten-free.

 So I would love to hear your feedback! Did you learn anything from these articles?  If you are gluten-free, do you experience the hate the second article talks about?