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| The GF Lifestyle - A Mixed Bag |
The Good News: The Awareness of Gluten-free diets for the treatment of Celiac Disease
has increased significantly in the last few years.
The Bad News: The amount of confusion and misinformation has increased proportionally
as well.
A student in one of my recent classes was speaking with Debbie (my wife and Operations
Manager). When Debbie explained to her why she was eating a different meal, she said,
“Oh, I think I might be gluten-free too.” We are not too sure what she meant by that but it is
clear she did not understand what “gluten-free” means.
On another occasion, Debbie and I were eating at a restaurant in San Diego. We went
through Debbie’s list of “trigger” foods in addition to gluten that causes her problems.
Debbie worked out her order with the waiter and kitchen manager and we had a nice
dinner. The waiter later returned to take our orders for dessert. When Debbie ordered the
Crème Brulee, he replied, “You can’t have that. It has milk in it.” None of the four
ingredients in crème Brulee (cream, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla bean) contains any gluten.
Lastly, I was cooking for a client in her home. We were talking about healthy foods and how
to shop to avoid unnecessary preservatives and chemicals in pre processed and
prepackaged foods. We discussed how to shop the perimeter of the store and how to select
the best products for specific recipes in question, and menu planning. Then she stated, “I
think I want to go gluten-free.” When I asked why she stated that she wanted to lose weight
and “feel better.” Neither of which is a legitimate reason for adopting a gluten-free lifestyle.
I told her if she wanted to lose weight, she could eat all she wanted but the trick is to not
swallow. I was the only one who found the humor in that.
It is a “mixed bag.” Thanks to shows like Dr. Oz, news stories on Celiac, ASD (Autism
Spectrum Disorders) and the like, more people understand the relationship between
legitimate medical conditions and a gluten-free lifestyle. However, many people do not
realize there is so much more than what is presented in the 30 to 90 seconds consumed in
the recent news “feature story” they saw three weeks ago, containing either too little
information or, in some cases, incorrect information. You can see from the three examples I
gave, there is an extreme disparity between fact and people’s understanding of what gluten-
free is and what it involves. This disparity need not exist. There are so many excellent
resources readily available on-line. If one would spend 10 minutes doing some research
using the internet, they could speak intelligently about GF, but more importantly, make
correct decisions regarding their health and their diet.
The links below contain a wealth of information. In the weeks to come I will discuss in more
depth practical application of some of the information presented.
http://www.celiac.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease
http://www.celiac.com/
If you have an interesting experience, please feel free to email it to me DIRECTLY, as I covet
your experiences, wisdom and stories to lifestyle@thymeforachef.com and make sure you
use “Lifestyle” as the first word in the subject line.
Until next week, make it a great day and wear a smile. It will keep others guessing.
Blessings,
Chef David Hall, CGC
www.thymeforachef.com
david@thymeforachef.com
has increased significantly in the last few years.
The Bad News: The amount of confusion and misinformation has increased proportionally
as well.
A student in one of my recent classes was speaking with Debbie (my wife and Operations
Manager). When Debbie explained to her why she was eating a different meal, she said,
“Oh, I think I might be gluten-free too.” We are not too sure what she meant by that but it is
clear she did not understand what “gluten-free” means.
On another occasion, Debbie and I were eating at a restaurant in San Diego. We went
through Debbie’s list of “trigger” foods in addition to gluten that causes her problems.
Debbie worked out her order with the waiter and kitchen manager and we had a nice
dinner. The waiter later returned to take our orders for dessert. When Debbie ordered the
Crème Brulee, he replied, “You can’t have that. It has milk in it.” None of the four
ingredients in crème Brulee (cream, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla bean) contains any gluten.
Lastly, I was cooking for a client in her home. We were talking about healthy foods and how
to shop to avoid unnecessary preservatives and chemicals in pre processed and
prepackaged foods. We discussed how to shop the perimeter of the store and how to select
the best products for specific recipes in question, and menu planning. Then she stated, “I
think I want to go gluten-free.” When I asked why she stated that she wanted to lose weight
and “feel better.” Neither of which is a legitimate reason for adopting a gluten-free lifestyle.
I told her if she wanted to lose weight, she could eat all she wanted but the trick is to not
swallow. I was the only one who found the humor in that.
It is a “mixed bag.” Thanks to shows like Dr. Oz, news stories on Celiac, ASD (Autism
Spectrum Disorders) and the like, more people understand the relationship between
legitimate medical conditions and a gluten-free lifestyle. However, many people do not
realize there is so much more than what is presented in the 30 to 90 seconds consumed in
the recent news “feature story” they saw three weeks ago, containing either too little
information or, in some cases, incorrect information. You can see from the three examples I
gave, there is an extreme disparity between fact and people’s understanding of what gluten-
free is and what it involves. This disparity need not exist. There are so many excellent
resources readily available on-line. If one would spend 10 minutes doing some research
using the internet, they could speak intelligently about GF, but more importantly, make
correct decisions regarding their health and their diet.
The links below contain a wealth of information. In the weeks to come I will discuss in more
depth practical application of some of the information presented.
http://www.celiac.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease
http://www.celiac.com/
If you have an interesting experience, please feel free to email it to me DIRECTLY, as I covet
your experiences, wisdom and stories to lifestyle@thymeforachef.com and make sure you
use “Lifestyle” as the first word in the subject line.
Until next week, make it a great day and wear a smile. It will keep others guessing.
Blessings,
Chef David Hall, CGC
www.thymeforachef.com
david@thymeforachef.com
Copyright 2011, Thyme for a Chef, LLC. All rights reserved.
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