I feel better about the world when I stop expecting people to conform with my (admittedly flawed) concept of rationality. The problem is often ill-defined, usually intermittent, and generally can't be measured via external means, and avoiding gluten requires constant effort and some sacrifice (so the person is both constantly reminded of the treatment and somewhat invested in it), and any major change in diet is likely to make a person feel somewhat different (therefore giving them neutral effects they can rationalize as benefits). REALLY? I can't tell you how humiliating it is to try to ask around the question of wheat/gluten in restaurants so as not to appear to be a faddish gluten eschewer. It's not a solution in and of itself, but it's been a really good place to start.In my experience, which is restricted to essentially observing two friends over several years --one who is is diagnosed Celiac and one who is not but believes they have gluten sensitivity-- there is a MASSIVE difference between the two. Almost every fad food allergy has caused people to do that. The fact of the matter is is that this paper didn't 'disprove' anything, it just failed to clearly show a link between gluten and reported symptoms.That would certainly be the method if 'all well designed studies' failed to provide evidence for the existence of gluten sensitivity, but they don't.A lot of people have become terrible bores about their diet and fitness. I hope our friends and relatives don't abuse that by having dietary restrictions for frivolous reasons, but I don't look inside someone's guts, accompany them on visits to the doctor, interrogate them to determine the seriousness of their religious or ethical scruples, or track their bathroom habits, so I have to operate on trust. So, when people stop eating their favourite shitty, over-processed bread all of a sudden, they feel better and ipso-facto, Q.E.D.I'm new to the internet, I was wondering if it contains any tips on what I should or shouldn't eat?You know how lactose intolerant people are often addicted to lactose due to the intoxicating effect it has on them? Maybe they think "gluten" is a catch-all for processed, wheat-based things. But CHOCOLATE?I've tested negative on the celiac antibodies screen (twice, because I couldn't convince a doc I had already had the screen 4 years ago and it didn't make sense to do it again). I think everyone - including Meghann - is kind of on board with what stoneweaver said, which is that calling something an "intolerance" or a "sensitivity" is different from calling it an "allergy", and that clarifying our terms is the best way to go. The countries are the soup, the meat, the vegetables, the salad, but bread is king.” – Louis Bromfield, American novelist (1896-1956) “Where there’s no law, there’s no bread.” – Benjamin Franklin “Bachelor’s fare: Bread…
But all the fuss about it being "gluten" has made things more complicated for people with real celiac, a friend of mine has had restaurant trouble with places not getting that no, she can't have any, period, they can't tell her the meal is gluten-free if it only has a little bit.Wait, wait, are you suggesting that my gluten-free friends have in truth just been... really annoying people? By the 1300s, there was a spiritual hymn entitled, “Let Us Break Bread Together.” The phrase has lived on because bread is such a life-giving and ubiquitous source of nourishment, and it carries the implications of friendship and life with it. If there really are these inconsiderate fad dieters around causing so many problems, it's not our fault.Area Man, ultimately it would depend on the situation and how well we knew each other.This thread made me glad that most people in my life are pretty accommodating at least to my face. My wife has Celiac and I'm always concerned the server/cook is going to assume "oh here's another asshole on a fad diet" and will not use the correct sauce or will use barley instead of an alternative. Yet apparently have never learned about the ATP cycle. I've been bracing for the Gluten-Free Backlash(TM) for a while now. This expression means more than just eating; it is sharing a sense of brotherhood with someone or some group of people.