As consumers, we like to think of ourselves as savvy and rational. But marketers have always known better. The health food and dietary supplement industries, in particular, have long made a mockery of the rational consumer.
I think it's a bit unfair to poke fun at consumers who may not know what gluten is, beyond thinking it's something they may want to avoid. I can pretty damn well guarantee none of those people could tell you what asbestos is either. Should they be ridiculed for not wanting asbestos in their attics, too? Also this: Do they? Human emotions and "delusions" are what separate us from robots, and last time I checked being happy with oneself and having a feeling of self control are a couple of the most potent medicines. If one chooses to take charge of one's health in a way that works for that individual, far be it from me to tell them they're wasting their time and money. This isn't to say that the food and supplement industries aren't evil. They are. A lot. It's just that in one breath the author acknowledges that health and nutrition are complication, and in the next derides anything that we don't have a clear picture of. Thinking like this (that is, only things which have been measured and are "known to science" matter) is what leads to things like the recommendations that psychologists used to make that parents touch their children as little as possible. The food industry probably gets off on it, because it allows them to run commercials like those that claim that corn sugar is the same as natural sugar. "Get the facts! You're in for a sweet surprise." Ah yes, the facts. All we need is that which can be easily measured.Human emotions and self-delusion tendencies get in our way.
With that guitar riff overlaying an afternoon in the park and children playing in the background, you could break it to your wife that you're committing suicide in less than 5 minutes, and she'd be OK with it. Although I'll admit I find the recent gluten-free fad to be a bit comical, it's just a damn shame that we don't have a better handle on nutrition at this point in our evolution. And yes, it's very complicated, but the fact that each of us perform several experiments (eating) every day without an easy way to assimilate the data is frustrating. I file nutrition with meteorology, under the "sciences-that-piss-me-off" category, because the systems are just so damn complicated that progress seems to be a crawl, especially compared to things like semi-conductor tech or whatever. Anyway, would love to see someone doing the gluten-free thing come in here and lay it all out. If it leads to an avoidance of bread and simple carbs in general, they could even hang with the Keto crowd...
Gluten is a well established pro-inflammatory molecule, and has effects in many people who don't even have celiac disease. Personally, I enjoy glutenous foods, because I love beer. But I could live without everything else fairly easily (says the dude who stuffs his face with cookies all day...I could stop, I swear). Systemic inflammation is a serious health hazard, and reducing foods from your diet that cause inflammation is probably a good way to reduce your long term risk of some diseases (and the corollary costs). I think that it's likely that a gluten free diet tends to reduce one's overall calorie intake, in addition to simply limiting gluten. Certainly there are calorie rich gluten free foods (e.g. potatoes, soda, candy bars), but kicking bread, beer, and pasta out of your diet will probably go a long way to cutting food consumption for most people. I imagine that for most people, going on a gluten-reduced diet, as opposed to a total avoidance, would probably be a wise move with respect to health.
So, eat gluten ---> get BIGGG. And... what'd coach say? Coach said to get big!! hopelessly flexes entire upper torso But seriously, wise words. It's worth additional studies, and we'll probably get / are getting some good science from this "gluten-free" fad.Gluten is a well established pro-inflammatory molecule...
It should be noted that Jimmy Kimmel Live is a scripted show, and that Jimmy Kimmel's comedy is based around making fun of a group of people. It is possible that they were all told to say they didn't know what gluten is, or that they were screened or chosen beforehand to be sure they were ignorant. Talk show hosts want to make money, too. That can mean making their show the one that "exposes the truth " about the human condition.Comedian Jimmy Kimmel recently featured a sketch asking health-conscious folks avoiding gluten what gluten actually is. They had no idea.