A gluten free diet CAN be healthy—even for kids
Published 5.13.2016I probably should not rant about this today, I had a different topic in mind to rant about… but I can't help myself, even though I've said much of it previously. There is no reason that a gluten free diet is unhealthy, even for kids.
To be clear: A gluten free diet is UNNECESSARY unless you (or your child) suffers from Celiac's disease. Did I state that clearly enough? In no way am I making an argument that gluten is harmful or that humans should not ingest it. BUT (and you knew there was a but coming, right?) neither is gluten a necessary part of the human diet.
Most foods consumed by humans do NOT contain gluten. Potatoes, rice, beans, corn, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, fish, shrimp, and pork… NONE of them contain gluten. Chocolate has no gluten, and ice creams have no gluten unless there are other things mixed into it (such as cookies or pretzels). An extremely healthy diet can be concocted with naturally gluten free foods. A diet created with a wide variety of gluten free foods will not be missing any necessary nutrient.
Gluten free ultra-processed snacks have now become abundant in the market place, and are no more or less healthy than gluten filled ultra-processed food snacks. Commercially processed gluten free breads and buns are also more common, if also more expensive. Even gluten free pizza isn't that hard to come by.
The issue is not about health. Now, one argument that would make sense when talking about kids is that being gluten free makes sharing food or snacks with friends, or eating at friends' houses much more difficult because most people fill their cupboards with ultra-processed crap. Wheat is a very inexpensive ingredient and food manufacturers got used to adding it as a thickener or a coating as a go to ingredient. But even this is changing. Corn starch or rice flour can replace wheat in many products.
Still, being gluten free for any reason other than celiac's disease will mean that children will have a more isolating experience. That is the only valid reason That this latest round of "gluten is wonderful" articles make (I only linked to one, I could have linked to five or six saying roughly the same thing).
Quite frankly I don't understand the fixation on processed foods— why don't dietitians use the trend as a way to promote a less processed diet. Is a baked potato that much worse than a plate of gluten pasta?
It's not the insistence that gluten free is usually unnecessary that bothers me because that's a fact. Most people avoiding gluten don't medically need to do so. But to extrapolate from yes it's a fad to avoiding gluten is harmful? No, that's where I can't agree and don't think that the evidence provided proves the case.
There is no medical or nutritional need to ingest wheat, rye or barley. There is nothing in any of those grains that can't be gotten from other non-gluten foods. Yes, if you choose to avoid gluten you will wind up avoiding much of the ultra-processed food on offer on store shelves— but again, I struggle to see what the danger of that is, with the previously noted exception that doing so will isolate a child. Everybody else at the table/party/theme park will be chowing down on glutened, ultra-processed foods and the gluten free child will be left out.
My bottom line remains: Choosing to eat gluten free even if you're not a celiac is not unhealthy— it can be difficult and isolating, especially for kids. But it's not harmful. Gluten is required for nothing in the human body. Whole civilizations have thrived without eating gluten.
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