The headlines scream. The Twitterverse is abuzz. TMZ is besides themselves. The editors at People Magazine are drooling all over each other.
“KIM KARDASHIAN LOST 6 POUNDS IN SEVEN DAYS BY GIVING UP GLUTEN!”
And celiacs across the world let out a collective groan.
Yes, I am paraphrasing a little bit in the headline. She also gave up dairy and sugar. Blogger’s prerogative.
But I think I speak for most people who have serious gluten issues when I respectfully say this: “Shut the f**k up!”
Do I have a personal bias against her? Perhaps a touch.
Her dad helped a murderer get off innocent. She made a sex tape to become famous. She got hitched in a sham marriage for profit. She is the epitome of what is wrong with our celebrity-obsessed culture. My god…she even has someone to hold an umbrella for her…on sunny days no less (see above picture).
But let me take this down a notch and impart a personal plea to Kim.
My Dearest Kim,
You are popular. You have a highly-rated TV show. You’re on the cover of 97 magazines each week. You have a gazillion followers on Twitter.
Because of this popularity, you can make a difference in people’s lives. People, especially susceptible people, will listen to you.
And when you say that you can lose weight by going gluten-free, you are sending the wrong message. This is simply, factually untrue.
Giving up gluten has NOTHING to do with weight loss, unless you are replacing those gluten-filled foods with healthy alternatives. But you don’t mention that. Your sound byte is simply that you gave up gluten (and dairy and sugar) and it’s “HARD!”
But you know what thousands of teenage girls are going to do now? They are going to go gluten-free to lose weight because “that’s what Kim did.”
And then a month from now, I will be in a restaurant and tell the waiter that I cannot have gluten and he will roll his eyes and say “Isn’t gluten that thing Kardashian gave up?”
And I will froth at the mouth, steam will come out my ears, my eyes will bulge out of my head, the veins on my forehead will pop and I will say “NO…IT’S POISON TO ME AND ALL PEOPLE WITH CELIAC DISEASE.”
But it will fall on deaf ears because you have helped perpetuate the myth that going gluten-free is a surefire way to lose weight.
And in two weeks, when you’re back to eating gluten again because you didn’t realize that gluten is practically in everything and it’s too big of a sacrifice, the damage will already have been done.
So please Kim…for us celiacs…call your PR company and release another sound byte that goes like this:
“I recently made statements that related giving up gluten to losing weight. I did not realize that gluten can also be very dangerous to those with celiac disease or gluten-sensitivities and I apologize for misleading the public and for making it more difficult for those with celiac disease to be taken seriously. If you want to lose weight, the key is eating healthy and exercising a lot. There are no shortcuts. My apologies to the celiac community.”
Thanks for listening Kim.
Sincerely,
Gluten Dude
What do you think folks? Think she’ll get the message? I’m still waiting to hear back from Gwyneth Paltrow and Dean McDermott, so I’m thinking probably not.
I started out my gluten free life at 78 lbs. I’ve gained weight with the diet! My cholesterol is good now…it was too low. My health is…..well, I’m not dying anymore. I was starving to death! I’m grateful for the gf diet everyday.
Poor Kim. I don’t think she’s all that bright.
Thank you Dude for writing this for me and all the rest of us celiacs who can’t survive without a gf diet. It’s not a joke or a game or a trend….. It’s my life!
“It’s not a joke or a game or a trend….. It’s my life!” I LOVE that!!
And you’re welcome…it had to be said.
No it is not a joke, or a fad…. I had cancer cells forming by the time I got a doctor to listen to me… It is absolutelly the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but my kids will have a mommy for a long time now because I was able to reverse most of the damage from celiac disease. In the beginning I was able to loose a few pounds because I was so swolen from the effects of the disease. This is not a weight loss plan by no means. Yes you will loose weight if you eat meat, fruit, and veggies only in moderation, but you will surely gain some if you go with the processed gluten free products on the market today… Very helpful products for a busy person, but high in sugar & pack the pounds… Thank you for making the stand for us. Great comments
Thanks for your support Critter. I’ve heard it from both sides today, believe me.
Gluten Dude,
Thank you VERY much for posting this. It reflects what I spend my days trying to do. That is-to educate the MANY uneducated out there, who THINK they know what “gluten free” eating involves, and how “easy it must be for you now that there is SO much gluten free food in the grocery stores.” I was reading your open letter to Kim K (one of the lowest of the bottomfeeders btw) out loud to my husband a few minutes ago, and was just amazed that you had expressed EXACTLY what it feels like for us celiacs.
I was diagnosed 10 years ago (April 2002), and have (in the last 6 months) started to develop symptoms very suspicious of gluten ataxia/peripheral neuropathy. This despite the most stringent maintenance humanly possible of gluten avoidance in my diet. Cross contamination in even the tiniest parts per million is now affecting me today just like a full blown gluten attack would have affected me 5-10 years ago.
Any information you are aware of or could point me to on celiacs and peripheral neuropathy, would be VERY appreciated. Especially any medical or natural medicine guidance.
Thank you!
Hey TC. Thanks for the kind words and I hear your frustration. It’s the same frustration many celiacs feel.
As far as your ataxia, I would just find yourself a very good doctor for guidance. I know…lame answer, but I think the best one.
Glad you posted this , I have already seen people write i’m gonna try the Kim diet :S
I can’t stand the celebs going GF , difficult not to get angry especially as I was glutened for 1st time in 9 months yesterday stupid CC .
Imo the gluten free craze / fad is out of control . The whole weight loss Issue is BS , I have gained 8 stone on the diet 🙂 😀
The Kim diet. Wonderful. I always wanted to eat like a Kardashian.
See folks…dreams can come true.
Lol hopefully it won’t last . I don’t get why celebs always say i’m on a GF diet it’s not something you usually go around telling the world.
Because they’re desperate for attention and we give it to them. A nasty cycle.
It’s a shame , btw what do you think when people say at least you get more products when famous people go GF ?
I think there is truth to it but at the end of the day, I think it does more harm to our cause than good. Much more harm.
I agree a lot more harm , and frustrating I miss many gluten foods and CD takes away a lot of freedom of choice , so when someone GF for fashion I just can’t accept it and get angry .
This is a quote from a website the way GF should be – Our products are specially formulated to meet the unique dietary requirements of people with coeliac disease and no one else.
I would love to send her a photo of what happens to my face when I ingest the tiniest grain of gluten. She would probably scream : “Delete this ASAP, Umbrella Holder Man! My eyes are bleeding.” Then she might run away. Probably. 🙂 Great post Gluten Dude. Love your work.
I wonder if anybody out there right now is aspiring to hold an umbrella for a psuedo-celebrity when they get older. How do you get a job like that?
The GF diet helps you lose weight? Not for me! Since healing, I’ve been gaining a lot of weight and guess what? I’m having to go on a REAL diet now of more exercise and eating less calories, including less “gluten-free” products like energy bars, cookies and things full of extra calories, fat and sugar to make up for their gluten-free status. She’s a bubblehead and I don’t think this will penetrate her thick skull until she starts gaining weight. Sure, if she’s not eating ANYTHING (which would include GF), she would drop weight fast. That’s a whole different story. That’s called anorexia.
I lost 15 pounds BEFORE my diagnosis and put it all back (and then some) after going gluten free.
A “bubblehead”…hee hee.
Another soapbox I could totally stand on for a long time. GF diet, huh? How about the personal trainers and personal chefs. Yeah if I had those two things and money to pay for all that I’d probably lose weight too. Of course she might burn a few more calories by carrying around her own umbrella. I cannot tolerate celebrities who become spokesperson for any weight loss system (see above reasons) let alone those who are making a joke out of something that is a very serious issue. I like to ask her how gluten free her kitchen is? Does she have separate utensils, staff who clean every speck of gluten from every crevice in her kitchen and read every label of everything that she ingests? I highly doubt it. Wonder if she cheats. I would love to see her answers those questions. (Stepping off the soapbox now before I blow a fuse.)
I appreciate your passion Patty. As I’ve stated often, if somebody wants to go gluten free for whatever reason, then go gluten free. Celiacs don’t “own” gluten free. But don’t spew about it being a weight-loss thing. And don’t be vocal about being gluten free and then have a piece of bread with dinner. Just keep it to yourself.
Love your site! Just found it after googling “McCormicks taco seasoning gluten free”. Thank you!
Regarding weight loss/gain. I have been GF for almost 6 years now. I have lost 40 pounds. Here’s why:
First, I think that I am no longer malnourished and overeating to satisfy hunger.
Second, because I no longer have asthma, acid reflux, achy joints and extreme exhaustion, I am able to exercise daily.
So, going GF CAN help you lose weight over time. In a healthy “journey” kind of way. I rarely eat packaged GF foods and live on quinoa, organic veggies from a local CSA and very simple foods. I do eat butter, eggs and meat.
Poor, Kim. She’s just desperate for something “cool”. Glad to know that my daily regimen to keep myself alive and healthy qualifies as “cool”. I wonder if she, too must give herself weekly B12 shots due to years of eating gluten without realizing that it was destroying her intestines? Maybe that is why she has someone hold her umbrella…weakness in her fingers from B12 anemia? Is that “cool”, too?
Thanks for calling her on this one.
Great comment Tara. Celiacs are totally “cool”. 🙂
Tara, I was in the same position as you with most of the same symptoms. I was overeating because I was never, ever full. One of the questions the doctor asked me when trying to diagnose me was if I habitually ate more than the people around me. I thought it was another dig at my weight, but he was able to determine the Celiac diagnosis in just under 10 minutes.
I don’t know. I think that this outrage is really misplaced. Take a breath and consider:
1.There are people who do lose weight going off gluten and it’s not because of substitution of healthier food. Full blown GI compromised celiacs likely comprise 1 in 15 people who have problems with Gluten. Many of those people suffer skin issues, metabolic, and neurological issues. Many of these issues can lead to weight gain ( e.g. The link of gluten with hypothyroidism ). So just step back for a moment and consider that for MOST people with gluten issues, it is very possible that weight loss is an outcome of going off gluten. weight loss, while not as important as stopping the poisoning of your gut, your endocrine system, or brain, it is a key factor in reducing cancer and heart disease risk, so don’t be so quick to dismiss it.
2. If Kim’s assertions encourage 1000 fans to go off gluten, statistically speaking, 10 might discover they are in fact full blown celiacs, and 100-150 might discover they are gluten sensitive. As horrible as living with this condition is ( I don’t call it a disease – the disease is our F’ed up diseased food supply, GMO FrankenWheat and other FrankenFoods), it’s even more horrible living with it undisgnosed. If Kim’s vanity helps even ONE person discover they are being poisoned by our food supply and the gluten in it, then I think we will all be just fine having to continue being patient with the servers out there in restaurants. I mean, that 20 something server who makes 3 bucks an hour plus tips can’t be expected to know all the ins and outs of the dangers of the modern American diet, regardless of what Kim said. So no matter what, we will all have to patiently continue to educate and coach our servers and chefs. there is no link between what Kim said and making your life personally any more difficult.
Which brings me to my last point – I’ve loved many of your posts, but this one – I think you are way off base. Might be time to step back and consider that in many ways the “celiac community” is a false construct. At least speaking for myself, my community includes celiacs, gluten sensitives, people who don’t have problems at all with gluten, and all of those people have varying degrees of awareness of the gluten problem. We should welcome the opportunity that stories like this give us to engage our REAL communities – and we should do it with a measure of grace, not hothead comments like “f you ” Kim. C’mon, let’s stop being the victim community here and recognize that for every one of us who know this is a problem, there are more than ten, if not twenty others who are being poisoned by gluten. many people need to get off of the insular woe-is-me b boards and spend more time helping those folks discover the truth about gluten. I would submit that overall awareness and stories like this are a crucial part of making this happen. It’s really okay if “the non celiac” community starts talking about gluten – join in the conversation – don’t put them down!
Ok, enough said, spoke my mind. I appreciate that you always do, so I hope you don’t mind my candor.
– JP
Hi JP. I sincerely appreciate your input. You obviously put a lot of time into it and I appreciate your insight.
As I’ve stated many times throughout my blog, I am not necessarily against anyone going gluten-free for whatever reasons they may have. What I rail against is those that 1) claim it can help you lose weight and 2) are vocal about being gluten free, but then are only half-ass about it.
You may say “why does that concern you?” It concerns me because I have celiac disease and I’m an advocate for those with celiac disease and I can first hand see the public conception of gluten changing, and not in a good way. And when public figures like Miss Kardashian say they are going gluten free so they can lose weight, it does not help our cause one single bit.
If she said I’m giving up gluten because I’ve had stomach issues or I’m giving up gluten because I’ve developed rashes, or whatever, I wouldn’t have said anything. That’s why I don’t spew against Novak Djokovic. He’s not celiac and he went gluten free and claims it helped him tremendously. Who am I to argue? I’m sure it did help him
But do you see the difference between his claim and hers? You mention the server making $3/hour. Do you think she’ll take gluten more seriously now that Kim K. and other pseudo-celebs are going gluten free? I believe it’s just the opposite.
My goal for this blog is to educate, assist and entertain. It’s a fine line I walk sometimes and perhaps the spicy language isn’t always necessary. But I speak from the heart and don’t go back and edit when I calm down.
Again…appreciate your candor and hope you’ll come back and visit me again.
Gluten Dude
I understand where you’re coming from. But I think you’re missing a major point.
Yes, the gluten-free diet is occasionally temporarily adopted by celebrities and other with little or no understanding of what celiac is about. Yes, people like this adopt all sorts of kooky diets and health practices for no rational reason, aside from that they read about them on the internet, so it must be true. Or their coke-addicted trainer or pill-pushing doctor told them it would be good for them.
But when they do adopt all those weird, unhealthful diets and eating patterns, nobody says a peep in opposition to it. In fact they are entirely supportive. Raw vegan? No problem. Fruitarian? No problem. 90-10-10? It’s a free country. Consuming nothing but shakes compounded in a factory from low-grade agricultural waste products? Absolutely! Giving up bread/pizza/pasta or peanut butter? How dare anyone attack our national diet?!? Nobody could possibly be unable to eat those things, it’s un-American!!!
The irrational opposition to this healthy diet we must follow is something there needs to be a dialogue about.
Nope…not missing a point at all. Thanks.
Don’t you think it is helpful to the community for more people to be gluten free? And make gluten free choices more widely available? It doesn’t affect me but I have noticed a proliferation gluten free products on shelves and in restaurants… I would imagine this makes your life easier. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
I do not Steve. I don’t need more choices. What I need is to have celiac being taken as seriously as other auto-immune diseases. The whole food thing isn’t a main focus of my energies. It’s ok that I cannot eat 90% of what others eat. Honestly. But it’s not ok that people with celiac have a much higher fatality rate than those without, and all people can talk about is the damn food.
Does this mean I can eat 10 bags of potato chips and I will lose weight? Fantastic! Must be that fat-metabolizing property of gluten-free foods. Funny though, I’ve been gluten-free for four years and haven’t lost any weight. Maybe it just works for famous people?
But in all seriousness, I’m with Gluten Dude. I don’t think celebrities going gluten free leads to more awareness or more products being available. What it leads to is more restaurants labelling things on their menu as being gluten-free without having a clue as to what that really means. Gluten-free ingredients? Maybe. Gluten-free prepararation? Huh? “You mean its not okay to cook your gluten-free pasta in the same water as the regular stuff? But no one else who asks for the gluten-free pasta asks for special preparation.”
As much as I feel strongly about ensuring people know what celiac disease is, most of the time I end up describing it as being the same as having a peanut allergy just so people will take my needs seriously.
I’m with you Else. I almost always say “a severe allergy” because it’s a language they can understand.
I have also resorted to telling waitstaff that I have an allergy to wheat, even though I cringe inside every time I say it. People understand the word “allergy”. I really wish they would learn to understand “intolerance” as well. Because when they roll their eyes when I ask for something gluten free, they are really showing their intolerance of ME.
Very well stated Karen!
This just makes me mad! I have been eating gluten free since 2007 because I am gluten intolerant, maybe even celiac but have not been tested, and I am one big fat grandma! I have NOT lost weight on this gluten free diet.
What I have lost is a host of miserable symptoms. I don’t feel like I am giving up anything by eating gluten free other than feeling bad all the time.
It is people like Kim what’s her name that make it hard for those of us who eat gluten free for REAL health issues to be understood in the real world. and NO, I don’t think she will get it.
I appreciate the passion Karen…my sentiments exactly.
I lost ten pounds when I first stopped eating gluten, but it came back. I’ve remained gluten free. I’m eating more healthfully than before. I am not downing junk food. My body has just absorbed what I ate. My skin, hair, nails, energy levels, anxiety levels, depression levels, etc have all improved. Yes, it is because I am gluten free, but I am gluten free because I have to be gluten free. Her adherence to the gluten free diet may cause problems if she is not strict. Not just to her own body, but t our bodies as well. When people see someone on a gluten free diet intentionally eat something not gluten free it sends a bad message. A local blogger, who states she is gluten free, ate teriyaki chicken in front of me. It made me so frustrated. I cried inside.
Was she a blogger about gluten? If so, I’m incredulous.
It’s not her primary focus, but she does mention it online, and tells others in person.
Amanda – teriyaki, at least when done traditionally, should not contain any wheat products, as far as I am aware. Or was it some sort of teriyaki burger?
Teriyaki has soy sauce in it. Soy sauce is made from barley and sometimes wheat, which contain gluten. I personally use a gluten free tamari sauce when I make teriyaki. But most restaurants use regular soy sauce.
Megan – thank you so much for the information. We really are only at the beginning of our “celiac” journey. Fortunately it turned out the traditional chinese soy sauce we regularly use is made from soy only. So we were lucky there. But until now I hadn’t been aware at all that Japanese style soy sauce is brewed from wheat/barley and soy. Thanks again! As Kurt Vonnegut once quoted his brother: We are here to help each other getting through this thing – whatever it is.
Cheers
ST
So I read your blog and read this when you posted it and liked it. It really came into my life when at my college campus “subway” today I saw two girls laughing in front of me and then they asked what they had that was gluten free, and this obviously caught my attention. They settled on a gluten free bun and when the worker went to change his gloves and get a new plate (as he should) they told him not to bother. This made me absolutely infuriated, because clearly you are using this as a fad diet. This is not a fad diet and the fact you are telling a worker who is taking his job seriously not to change his gloves you are ruining it for the people who that would actually make sick! I seriously thought how many times will he be told not to change hs gloves and then when I come up he wont and I will get sick! Those girls made me so mad and so does this “trend diet”. I have a pretty gluten free friendly campus and you dumb girls are ruining it because you think you’re going to lose weight. Oh and to top it all off at the end they ordered french fires….which are fried in wheat flour (and aren’t going to help on your dumb diet.) Sorry about my rant, but I thought it fit with this story. I just wanted to share that this is becoming a reality, so I appreciate the protest on here =)
Thanks for your (awful) story Allison. Pathetic. But important. I actually referred to it on today’s post about Ms. Cyrus.
Gluten-free dude, I second everything you said. And in regards to Miley Cyrus, I think her suggestion is (here’s a shocker, coming from her) irresponsible. I am so tired of celebs jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon as if it was the same as the South Beach diet or the Atkins Plan and will be glad when this trend is over. As much as I like the increased accessibility of GF products, I’m tired of being lumped in with the folks that are following gluten-free as a diet or culinary fad. It would have been nice to see her say something about seeing a nutritionist or gastro specialist if you suspect you have a gluten issue. Gluten-free starches are typically higher in carb content and starch than gluten-full items, so we Celiacs have to moderate other carbs to offset. And being gluten-free doesn’t automatically equate to being thin, as my “healthy” frame can readily attest! Just my two cents about it!
I hear you Shelby, but I am definitely giving her the benefit of the doubt on this one. She’s just 19. At 19, I didn’t have a friggin clue, though I thought I did.
I know a few people who know a few people… I will relay this message ASAP! But even if that ding-bat does read this, she won’t understand what it means!
Pass it along.
Fyi…love your site.
Wait just a minute you guys, I cut gluten for about a week, not to loose weight, but for health reasons. And guess what, I LOST WEIGHT!!! But, I must admit, I didn’t eat any gluten free bread ect, I also didn’t cut sugar, I ate everything accept stuff with gluten. But I’m back eating bread ect, because it’s hard to cut gluten if you’re husband loves his bread and rusks. 🙂 For my it looks like there is some truth in loosing weight when you cut gluten, but I don’t think it is something you you can keep up for ‘n long time eccept if you have celiac desease. Sorry for my mistakes, english is not my first language.
But remember, gluten is not just in bread and pasta. Did you also check to make sure that your toothpaste, makeup, shampoo and medication were gluten free? How about sauces, salad dressings, frozen vegetables! People forget that going gluten free isn’t just about not eating bread and pasta.
And medication!! I’m on the most expensive contraceptive pill because it’s gluten free! Wtf?!
What Else said above.
Else…..lol about the shampoo ect……. Yes, I know about sauces and salad dressings, and soups and and and. I didn’t eat ANYTHING with gluten. And I did loose weight. I tried a lot of diets over the years and I could not believe how much weight I lost in even 5 days. But like I said I didn’t do it for weight lost, I did it because I always feel bloated after I eat bread or wheat. For a while I thought it was milk but, it was not. Only when I cut the gluten I don’t feel bloated. I can’t say that I’m gluten intolerant, I guess I have to get tested. I’m back eating gluten stuff again and I’m bloated again. 🙁
But I do understand why you’re irritated with celebs like Kim K, it’s true, when you really have a problem eating gluten, and people think you’re on the bandwagon.
Hey Gluten Dude!
We met at the CAT in Valley Forge on Saturday, and I have a feeling you thought I was on the Kim Dorkdashian diet. I honestly never knew she had gone gluten-free until I checked out your blog this morning.
I am an Arbonne Independent Consultant, and we offer a 30-day detox which is intended to cleanse the system and promote health. The accompanying diet is GF, sugar-free, dairy-free and soy-free. On Jan 2, I decided to give it a try so I could tell my potential clients what it was like. HOLY COW! By Day 2 I felt like a new, younger woman and decided I would never eat my old diet again.
While I tested negative for Celiac several years ago, I can tell you that my body does not like gluten (or sugar). I will never eat it )again, and I have encourage my friends and family to eliminate it for a week and see how they feel.
BTW, I loved being at the CAT event on Saturday and was inspired by the stories of the great people I met. Keep up the great work, Dude, and if you need any GF nutritional or personal care products (including deodorant, toothpaste & mouthwash, coming in July), give me a call!
Will do Mindy…thanks.
Just found your blog and your rants. Thank God! I’m in Australia, and while our food standards for gluten free are excellent, the gluten free diet crap hits our shores through people like Kim Kardashia pretty quickly too.
I have found misunderstanding within my own family because one of my cousins who has not been diagnosed has said she has coeliac disease (different spelling here) but still eats gluten on special occasions. She says she just ‘sucks it up’ and deals with the effects with some tablets. I was diagnosed years after she was eating gluten free, so when I learned more about the effects on my body; all the vitamins I have to take, being lactose intolerant, taking daily medication for reflux, being more run down and so on, I get the impression from some of my immediate family members that I am being a bit precious when I’m nervous about what and where I eat.
And I certainly didn’t lose weight! I work very hard to keep a low gi diet but I’m not skinny- I focus more on my energy needs. I hate having to feel defensive about why I can’t use your toaster without a toaster bag, and the fact that if I eat a piece of bread I guarantee you in an hour I will be vomiting my guts out.
I’ve also had a bone mineral density test and I’m looking forward to osteoporosis in my spine by age 50. I hate telling people all the complications because then I feel like I’m whinging. Like I’m doing now. Augh!
Anyway, keep fighting the good fight. If we all try to educate people even in little bits at a time, hopefully the correct message will come through.
Kirily
I like your thought process: focus on the energy, not on the weight.
Since you are from Australia, can you read this post about a celiac from Australia who needs some support. Maybe you can offer some guidance. Thanks.
http://glutendude.com/celiac/celiac-support-australia/
You people with the disease should be soooo happy and excited about any celebrity speaking positively about going gluten free. It does not matter if it is factual or not. It will end up in more products for you!! Has anyone ever heard of supply and demand? Take economics.
Hi Lin…”us people” don’t give a rat’s ass about having more products. And we don’t want any celebrity speaking about “gluten free” if they don’t understand what it means for “us people”.
Lin, we have plenty of products available and most of them aren’t the least bit healthy. When a celebrity goes “gluten-free” for any reason other than a gluten intolerance, it makes the rest of us seem as though we’re doing it in support of a fad. Which means, in turn, that those who prepare our food don’t take us seriously. They think that they don’t have to worry about cross-contamination because it’s just a weight-loss fad. I’m going to guess that the server at the restaurant I went to yesterday didn’t take my instructions seriously because today my stomach hurts and I have no energy. But that’s only Day 1. Day 2 after consuming gluten is much worse.
It’s a disease, not a choice.
Could not have said it better myself Doro…thanks.
I understand why she annoys you, but I have to somewhat disagree because you can low weight by going low carb, and foods with gluten are some of the worst high carb foods.
I’m not only allergic to foods with gluten, I’m also diabetic, so I have to avoid gluten for both reasons. Sugar and gluten are both high in carbs. I try not to eat anything with carbs except for vegetables and some fruits. The worst things that will make your blood sugar spike are sugar, wheat, potatoes, and corn – especially any processed food.
Type II diabetics avoid a lot of the foods with gluten even if it is for different reasons than those of us who can’t digest it. Also, people who want to lose weight on low carb diets such as Atkins, The Zone etc. give up carbs. It really does work. Carbs, especially the processed kind, are very bad for you. I think it’s good if celebrities tell people that sugar and gluten is bad. Maybe they will do a better job of labeling foods and having gluten-free menu options because of it.
I would not want to have Celiac because it sounds much worse than just having the allergy, but I do envy people who can eat the Pamela’s cookies, Udi’s bread, thai rice noodles, and all those other yummy gluten products that I can’t because they are too high in carbs. They are usually made with rice, potato or corn flour, with lots of added sugar, all too high in carbs for me. I also can’t eat the low carb products made for diabetics or low-carb eaters because some of them, like the low carb pasta, still has wheat in i
But you’re connecting gluten with weight loss. That’s the issue Suzanne. And that is what we’re trying to get across to people.
We are hearing it over and over now Dude! It makes me want to vomit and I have certainly done ENOUGH OF THAT to last me the rest of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think the letter is awesome!!!! I didn’t read all of the comments so I don’t know if you sent it or got a response, but VERY well said and Thank You for having our collective Celiac backs!!!!!
I did not hear back from her. But in a related note, we’re getting married next week. Go figure.
Stop hating and we don’t know if her father got a murder off.. please.
she made a sex tap with a man that was her boy friend for some years, and he put that [curse] out there too show the world of men to say- see what i’m [curse] with..he was trier of people (AKA) men looking at him as someones little brother!. She just did not [curse] any one on a one night stand, like so many of you do.yes! she got paid. SO! she did the right think make your money.. so many people eyes are on her (aka) women!. being a rich [curse] is better than being a poor [curse]!. is she a [curse] she didn’t have two men at the same time she broke with one and moved on, jennifer Aniston [curse] how many men after brad pitt and the list goes on and on.of women that had more than one man . Stop hater get a life workout, write a book, live your life. stop wishing why not me.. why her!.. the Women gods have shine their light on her. Is she happy all the time Hell!! no! are we?.. and being poor has nothing to do with it! we are people that’s all. Sometime we have go days and other time we don’t. and as for getting married please half of the women in this so call great world married the wrong mother F**ker’s. At less she had the [curse] to leave.! he was a [curse] hole! his month was one of a violent man. that would have abuse her behide close doors and she her self was changing because she did not know what too do..but sent she is beautiful you would have like that.
Cherie, smoking crack and posting comments on websites is never a good idea. I have no clue what you were trying to convey between all of your ghetto language, poor use of punctuation and the nonsensical train of thought. This website is about eating gluten free because of health problems. We don’t care about Kim Kardashian. We do care that she’s a nasty, stupid celebutard bringing the wrong kind of attention to eating gluten free.
Personally, I’m shocked you were able to correctly answer the math question at the end of your rambling, idiotic comment.
OMG that is great! Love it Doro!
I agree with you on this. Sick of hearing these celebs blather about giving up gluten. bla bla bla..wish they’d put a sock in it already.
Congratulations Cherie. Yours is the first comment on my blog that I’ve ever had to moderate.
I don’t mind various points of view (although your defense of Kim K is a bit…weird), but if you want to spew foul language, create your own blog.
Don’t foul up mine with your stench.
I think your anger is misplaced. My in laws have celiacs. They lost a ridiculous amount of weight when they went Gf/df.
I have pcos. My doctor is starting me on a Gf diet because of my weight, because my body doesn’t process carbs properly. Gluten free will be a diet for me.
I understand your plight, but for some people like me…. A gluten free diet *is* my weight loss salvation you know?
Rebecca, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but this IS a Celiac blog.Our anger is DEFINITELY NOT misplaced. Your in laws may very well have Celiac Disease but you DO NOT. That being, you have no idea the troubles we go through when wanting to eat at a restaurant, eating at someones dinner party or a picnic, etc. Having celebrities tout the gluten free diet as being wonderful pisses me off. I DID NOT lose weight when I went gluten free due to Celiac Disease. I DID, however, lose TONS of weight before I went gluten free because I was on deaths door from EATING gluten! In other words, POISON for me!!!!!! BUT…everyone is different! Is it safe to assume that PCOS is Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome? I am really at a loss as to what that has to due with gluten free, but I’m not a doctor and shouldn’t try to diagnose I guess! I am glad that you will be losing weight using the gluten free diet so please don’t get me wrong there, but don’t speak about something you don’t have first hand experience with, especially not on a blog that is dedicated to people that MUST be on the GF diet!!!!!!
Thank you, Donna!! After a week of keeping my anger in check because my family didn’t understand the limitations of traveling with CD, it makes me furious that people still don’t get it. This is not a weight loss diet, as similar as it may seem to Atkins. This is not about losing weight; I gained a lot of weight after I stopped eating gluten and I’ve been up and down ever since. Your vehemence is welcomed!!!
You know… You definitely do sound rude. I know this is a Celiac blog. One I’ve read for a while. My husband has Celiac’s thank you. So speaking as a woman who has for quite a while worked her booty off making sure he COULD eat something without being in physical pain. My sister in law was my roommate before my husband and I got married. She was diagnosed before he was, I worked my booty off then understanding her disease and making sure that nothing I ate in the apartment contaminated her food, or dishes, or counters.
Don’t you dare presume to tell me what I do and do not know about the disease, or having a disease, or having a disease with limitations. You do not know me, nor my life, nor my history.
@ the Gluten Dude.
PCOS is Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Because of the way the body intakes sugars (one of the markers of pcos being diabetes II or prediabetes) it has a hard time breaking down carbs properly which is why giving up gluten is a good tool. A large number of PCOS sufferers are frequently diagnosed with celiacs and with gluten intolerance. I’m also forbidden from eating anything with high fructose corn syrup, and a number of other things. Any “white” carb including potatoes are also out.
I understand that it’s frustrating that after years of being ignored having someone use a GF diet would piss you off, but I would think for a group of people who are so interested in being understood and having their disease understood, and not having it taken for granted that they can’t go out to eat with friends at most restaurants, and they can’t go to picnics or potlucks or what have you without being very careful about what they eat that the group would be a little more welcoming to people who TRY to understand. And yet… every time I’m shopping in the GF aisle, or talking on GF forums, and someone asks if I have celiacs and I say no, I’m treated with this derision like I don’t deserve or understand what it’s like to have a disease or disorder.
I understand your frustrations Rebecca and I’m sorry for what you’re going through. I’ve always said on my blog that celiacs don’t own gluten-free.
But please understand our frustrations. They are not toward those like yourself but toward those idiot pseudo-celebrities who are spreading tons of misinformation about gluten-free, which leads to even more misinformation about our disease.
Emotions can run high on my blog because it mostly deals with the reality of living with celiac disease.
Oh please pardon me for being so presumptuous! You only indicated that your “in laws” had “Celiac’s” not your husband. That changes everything! Also, having a friend with pcos there are MEDICATIONS that will also help with the disease. “Celiac’s” has only one cure and THAT is to eat gluten free.
Trust me I get the misinformation crap. It’s everywhere on every disease.
And Donna… I didn’t feel the need to blast my husband’s information out there. He’s far more private than I am.
As for the PCOS, there are medications that *help* but do not CURE. Metformin, helps- sometimes. There are a number of things that help, but there’s no cure. You have a cure. You can CURE celiac’s by not eating gluten or dairy. Going gluten free for me is my last hope. And as someone who was around when my SIL was trying to figure out why she never felt okay. Why she felt like crap all the time, and no one could figure out what was wrong with her… I’m sure that anyone who was finally diagnosed with Celiac’s no matter how long they had to suffer before their diagnosis can empathize that you’ll try just about anything to feel better.
We all have the same goal folks…and that’s to be healthy. Let’s do our best to support each other.
And I may be nitpicking here, but there is no cure for celiac disease. Only a treatment. And most of us feel like crap a lot of the time still.
Hence the frustration…
Thanks Dude. You are right and I have dropped it. Sorry for getting so pissy, but…well never mind!
Understood and no worries Donna…
Hi Rebecca. I’m not familiar with pcos. But for celiacs, most GAIN weight going gluten-free. You know why? Because we are finally able to absorb nutrients due to our intestines healing. I lost 15 pounds the year before I was diagnosed and put it all back after giving up gluten.
Look…if you give up gluten and replace it with healthy alternatives, you may indeed lose weight. But giving up gluten for 99% of the population is not a weight loss tool.
First off, it is “Ceilac”, not “Celiacs”. We ARE Celiacs, we do not have Celiacs. There is NO cure, only control through a gf diet. HOWEVER, we have far more issues related to Celiac than one can comprehend, and we are all very different. DUDE, you rock and are far from being rude.
Kelly, she was referring to me about being rude. Regarding “Celiac’s”, that is why I put in parentheses.
Please excuse my typo. I was on a phone for most of this exchange. The dude was never rude to me.
You know… I’ve been coming to this site for a long time. Because I thought it was a really great resource for people who do not have Celiac, to help them understand, and offer more resources for information. But between these exchanges and many others I’ve had with people who have the disease, only a small handful of the people who do are actually kind or interested in helping anyone understand.
How do you intend to further educate people when anyone who even bothers to try and understand is treated with such unkindness. When anyone who even tries to throw in a little perspective is treated with such unkindness. I hate Kim Kardashian. I think she’s a twat. I have also watched my husband suffering and struggling with his diagnosis for two years now. I have been nothing but supportive for the Celiac community in helping educate the public, but any time I am asked if I have the disease, I am treated quite rudely by a number of people.
How dare I, who doesn’t know a thing about what it feels like to be sick presume to say that I understand the challenges. What a horrible person I must be. I hope that in your journeys you learn temperance and compassion for other human beings before someone treats you similarly.
Dude. You write an incredible blog. And I will continue to recommend it to everyone I know. I haven’t commented before because of the way I’ve been treated in the past by people in the community, and I will not comment again. I’m sorry to have caused such an uproar by possibly mentioning that a Gluten free diet, for weight loss can and does also help treat other diseases syndromes and disorders.
I appreciate your candor Rebecca.
You are always welcome here and don’t be afraid to leave comments either. Celiacs, especially the ones on this blog, are very, very frustrated that gluten-free has become a fad diet and I think that’s where some of the anger is coming from.
Sometimes we all just need to take breath…
Dude, you said it right. This “lifestyle” of ours is FAR from being a FAD and the more people jump on the bandwagon, the more we are hurt in the process. It is also frustrating when someone is only intolerant, as they don’t suffer from additional issues as we do, thus thinking that a strict GF diet and whalah, we’re all better. If that were only true. *sigh*. Dude, keep up the great work on educating appropriately and continuing to raise awareness.
I’m sick of these celebrities claiming to be allergic to gluten.Its becoming a trend just for the rich to loose weight and stay healty.Because of them real celiac suffers are being left undisgnoised and celiac is being missed understood.Poor people who have celiac are getting disgnoised with other illness or mental illness and not the correct disgnoised of celiac.Celiac is only a disease just for the rich.If your rich or celebrity your allergic togluten or you have celiac.If your poor you have grave disease or bipolar
I’m sick of these celebrities claiming to be allergic to gluten.Its becoming a trend just for the rich to loose weight and stay healty.Because of them real celiac suffers are being left undisgnoised and celiac is being missed understood.Poor people who have celiac are getting disgnoised with other illnesses or mental illnesses and not the correct disgnoised of celiac.Celiac is only a disease just for the rich.If your rich or celebrity your allergic to gluten or you have celiac.If your poor you have grave disease or bipolar
This is silly. There has never been a time in this country when celiac was properly diagnosed and treated. Blaming Kim Kardashian for the continuing abysmal state of awareness in the medical community makes no sense.
I lost 5 lbs in ten days when I was first diagnosed… and have been losing since my diagnosis. I eat normally. I have bagged GF snacks here and there, and I don’t find that they are horrible for me. They aren’t absurdly high in sugars. They are normal. Is it normal for me to be losing weight?
There is no “normal” when it comes to celiac Vana. If you are eating healthy, then I would say don’t sweat the weight loss.
I think one of the reasons this is such a touchy subject, is because there is so much ignorance about Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance, particularly within the medical community, that has devastated people’s lives with years of misdiagnosis. Anything that is seen to perpetuate this ignorance of the actuality of dealing with this disease, is extremely frustrating. It’s been a very difficult battle for many people to educate the people around them and their families as to the serious consequences incurred from ingesting gluten, so when a celebrity is frivolous about it, it sends everything back a few steps. I was just at my doctor’s today, and he was proscribing an antibiotic for me, and I asked him “Is it gluten-free?” and he responded “I think so, and anyway, it’s only one pill.”
This is coming from a doctor that I have always respected for his intelligence and lack of superiority.Education of the American medical profession still has a very long way to go on this.
“I was just at my doctor’s today, and he was proscribing an antibiotic for me, and I asked him “Is it gluten-free?” and he responded “I think so, and anyway, it’s only one pill.”
That is unbelievably sad and maddening.
A complete airhead to say the least! It ain’t no party giving up gluten! It causes me to be paranoid of restaurants and salad bars. So basically its a challenge everyday.
Hello GD and the good folks here.
This is all new to me though I’ve been on the medical treadmill for years now. I have not been tested for Celiac and my hematologist keeps indicating my GI doc has missed something, even using the word “malpractice”. But that’s another story.
I can definitely understand your point of view having been traveling this road for so long now and the seriousness of Celiac.
Talk of the gluten-free diet seems to be everywhere. I went to a jewelry trunk show last night and everyone contributed to the subject.
If it weren’t for people talking about how much better they felt (I DO NOT need to lose weight!!), I wouldn’t have been interested in it since I would do ANYTHING to feel better. It did not cross my mind that I should exclude it completely until I experienced no difference in doing it half-*ssed (excuse my French). After excluding it devoutly for two weeks relying heavily on the NxtNutrio app, my mind had more clarity and outlook on life became more positive (probably since I could get out of bed and problem solve for the first time in a long time). Then family came into town and Thanksgiving. Ugh! No wonder I haven’t worked in years and am in bed so much.
Today I’ve called a dietician whose son was diagnosed Celiac nine years ago (what better resource than a mother fighting for her kid!) to help guide me in how to get diagnosed or figure out what the heck is going on with my body.
10 days into my 2nd foray on the exclusionary diet, I ate the GF menu at PF Changs and though the next day (yesterday) felt very good for the first time since before Thanksgiving, today feel rotten again. When I read about the symptoms and complications, it is shocking to me that I have not been tested. Part of this is my fault since I’ve excluded the whole picture of my symptoms depending on which specialist I’m in front of so as not to sound like a hypochondriac. However, anemia, fatigue, vitamin deficiencies iron, D, Bs and Calcium + massive weight loss during times of stress and the holidays should be a clue to at least test, right??
Little did I know that before 1960, the diagnosis for Celiac was made by taking a person completely off of it for 2+ weeks and then reintroducing it into the diet. KABLAM!! I looked it up after the pronounced reaction at Thanksgiving and the flood of memories of Thanksgivings past.
Long story short, (ha ha, sorry!), the agony of finally feeling good and then feeling awful after ingesting gluten cannot be ignored. I was completely ignorant of Celiac before my experiences on the gluten-free diet. Had it not been for the fad, I would have remained ignorant of the fact that there is MOST DEFINITELY something to it making me sick.
Like I said, my journey has just begun and at some point, I may feel as frustrated as you do about the “fad” aspect and people not taking it seriously. But right now, I’m very grateful I tried this fad and became acutely aware of the significance of Celiac.
I feel for all of you and appreciate your contributions to this topic. Good luck, stay stalwart and keep in good humor!
Blessings,
Cali
That is the other side of the coin Cali. Glad it benefited you.
For the record, it was Drew Brees who illuminated this for me, not those other people 🙂
maybe it was the sugar that caused her to lose weight. i gave up sweet things for a week once and lost enough weight for people to notice.cant put a number on it though. thing about ‘news’ like this is that you never actually know what happened. maybe she gave up bread or carbs as a whole, thus eliminating gluten. i can understand the frustration over the effect of the statement,though.
Gluten Dude, after reading several of your posts (albeit, not all), this is my plea: stop being such a jerk to us non “celiacs.” I’m sorry you have that disease that is a huge burden on your life, but don’t take that anger out on those of us without the disease for simply wanting to be healthier, whether we go “gluten-free” or not. Thanks. Keep on ranting!
Hmmm…you want me to stop being a jerk yet keep on ranting. I’m not sure if that goes hand in hand.
And if you’ve read enough of my posts, I am behind anybody who gives up gluten to be “healthier”…not to “lose weight”…big difference.
You think I should support somebody like Kim K??
Hi A…What non “Celiac’s” is Dude being a jerk to? I have read pretty much all of Dudes posts (yes I have Celiac Disease) and don’t recall him being a “jerk” unless it was really deserved. I hope he keeps doing what he’s doing for the Celiac community! BTW…why would you read this blog if you don’t have Celiac or a gluten intolerance, etc. unless you wanted to educate yourself of course!?!?!??????
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to assert that I get
in fact enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I’ll
be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access
consistently quickly.
Nice weblog here! Additionally your website a lot up very fast!
What web host are you the usage of? Can I am getting your
associate hyperlink for your host? I want my site loaded up as quickly as yours
lol
You’re so interesting! I don’t believe I’ve truly read anything like this
before. So nice to find someone with a few original thoughts on this issue.
Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This website is something that’s needed on the internet, someone with
some originality!
Hello! I’m at work browsing your blog from
my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog
and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding work!
Appreciating the hard work you put into your site and
detailed information you provide. It’s nice to come across a blog
every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed material.
Great read! I’ve saved your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my
Google account.