I have had the following conversation before with a handful of people, often with piles of glutenous foods being forced in my face:
Me: Oh thank you, but I can't have that I am gluten intolerant.
Gluten-loving (GL) "can't-live-without-wheat/bread/pasta (gluten)" looking person says: What is gluten?
Me: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, you know bread, pasta, cookies...
GL person cutting me off:....Oh that must suck!!! Gosh I can't imagine!! ::pause:: What do you eat??
Me: It really isn't that bad. I actually would rather feel better than eat something that makes me feel horrible. I eat lots of things, fruits, veggies, gluten free grains....
GL person: ....So you eat like a rabbit? Well I feel great! And I eat bread, pasta, cookies, all that stuff, all the time! I love those things!
::perplexed GL pause::
GL: Why don't you just live a little!?
Me: ::smile::
(With a very long commentary in my head about said GL person "really" feeling all that "great" and how much they are really living "more" than me eating their beloved gluten)
GL person: Well what if I were gluten.....whatever the word is, intolerant, right, so what, who cares, it is not like it matters! Besides it tastes too good I couldn't and wouldn't ever stop eating it!
Me: ::smile uncomfortably::
And here is the response I so rarely verbalize, but have learned along the way, and feel, that any GL (but looks like their body is gluten hating) should hear.
Continuing to eat a diet of anything your body is having a reaction to is actually perpetually making yourself sick. Just a little hint, if you are perpetually sick or can't ever seem not to catch the office cold, then you might be gluten intolerant (i). You might not know it, or even notice it, but I believe if you have any of the symptoms listed in How Do I Know I Have Food Allergies than you most likely have a food allergy.
You can choose to ignore it, many do, and others unknowingly go undiagnosed on average of 7-10 years.
Should you be the first group and choose to ignore your gluten intolerance your future health is in major jeopardy. And if you are knowingly gluten intolerant or sensitive, and if you use "sensitive" to make it seem less of a real issue to you and others, and eat "mostly gluten free," but have cheat days, listen up!
Consuming gluten when you are allergic could kill you. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association
found that people with undiagnosed and latent celiac
disease or gluten sensitivity have a higher risk of death, mostly from heart disease and cancer (i). Furthermore, by not completely removing gluten from your diet you are at risk of anemia, osteoporosis, arthritis, malnutrition, rickets, lymphedema (localized fluid retention and tissue swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system), bowel/rectal cancer, peripheral neuropathy (damage involving nerves, which may affect sensation, movement, gland or organ function), seizures, thyroid disease (ii), and the list keeps growing as more and more research is being done on gluten intolerance/sensitivity/celiac disease.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association findings there is a 39% increased risk of death in those with celiac
disease, 72% increased risk in those with gut inflammation
related to gluten, and 35% increased risk in those with gluten
sensitivity (i). So regardless of what "degree" of gluten intolerance you think/know you may or may not have, you are dramatically increasing your chance of death by not completely eradicating gluten from your life.
So, "so what, you love your gluten" person, here's what! You can ignore the possibility that you are part of the 20 million undiagnosed gluten-eating, but gluten-body-hating Americans and increase your chance of death by up to 72%! Or maybe you could put down your beloved gluten product and remove it all from your life now. And subsequently live a longer, healthier, happier you in that life.
Resources:
(i) Gluten: What You Don't Know Might Kill You, by Dr. Mark Hyman
(ii) Gluten is My Bitch, by April Peveteaux
