I also take issue with some of the things Hyman offhandedly said about products that contain gluten. If you are not eating gluten, a celiac diagnosis is nearly impossible. The other problem is that once someone starts a gluten-free diet it’s hard to go back to eating gluten if they do feel better. And I think someone who thinks they have a problem with gluten should rule out celiac disease first. Accepted medical advice for diagnosis cautions against starting the gluten-free diet before tests are run. In fact, if diagnostic blood tests were to be run during or too soon after, the results could be skewed. The two-week gluten elimination plan he advocated on the show would not make sense for someone trying to find out if they have celiac disease. Hyman did disappoint me in other ways though. Still an occasional treat should be allowed in both cases. That’s also true in the gluten-containing world. Oz guest Mark Hyman, MD, medical director of the Ultra Wellness Center, that a gluten-free diet built on healthy whole foods is best. Some are using whole grains and relying less on nutritionally devoid rice flour.Īnd I did agree with the statement by Dr. The show also ignored the fact that gluten-free food makers are now trying to produce healthier products for the benefit of people who have no alternative but to eat them. But I see aisle after aisle of junk food that does contain gluten, some of it labeled reduced fat or low in sugar. And I would venture to guess that many more people are getting fat on those products than by buying gluten-free brands. It’s true that someone following the gluten-free diet can over indulge in gluten-free products that are not really that good for you. But it does make it possible for someone on the gluten-free diet to eat a bowl for breakfast. I don’t think the fact that General Mills replaced the gluten-containing malt flavoring in some Chex cereals with gluten-free molasses poses any health threat to the general public. Gluten-free breads, flours, soups, and pasta are the very medicine that keeps those who have celiac disease alive. So while it’s easy to say most people don’t really need these products, it would be a little more generous and understanding to realize that a growing number of people really do.
I know how much simpler life is for my daughter, who has had celiac disease since she was two, now that she does not have to make a trip to across town to the health food store just to buy a loaf of bread.Īnd I clearly remember when even the health food stores had few choices, and we sent away to Canada on a regular schedule to get bread that was palatable. I could only shake my head when Oz said we are being bombarded in the supermarket by gluten-free products, as though those who need these foods don’t have a right to shop for them easily and conveniently. Legitimate celiac research centers, doctors, dietitians and other experts have never advocated the gluten-free diet as a weight loss plan, though there are some television personalities who have. And new research shows the real need for gluten-free alternatives is only going to expand as gluten sensitivity gets recognition from the medical community and many more are accurately diagnosed with this condition. The consequent jump in diagnosis has created a customer base large enough that these companies can now realistically expect to survive.
It’s true those options have grown ten fold as a result of increased awareness of celiac disease. In my experience, many gluten-free companies were created – often by people who have celiac disease themselves or who have a family member who does – to provide options for those who medically need a gluten-free diet. While I whole heartily agree that the gluten-free diet is not and has never been a sensible weight-loss plan, I was equally infuriated by some of the insinuations and outright misinformation spread on the show.įirst, Oz gave the impression that gluten-free food companies exist mainly for the purpose of trolling for people who mistakenly believe that they can lose weight by filling up on gluten-free cookies, pretzels, waffles and other goodies.
I watched the three parts online yesterday after being alerted to them by Sandra Robins, who blogs as the Gluten-Free Optimist.Īt one point, Mehmet Oz, MD, says it makes him angry, infuriates him, that people are being encouraged to eat gluten-free products as a way to lose weight when they cost twice as much as regular food and are really just junk.
Oz is doing a series on myths about gluten on his network television show.