Gluten-Free & Food Allergies: Fact or Fad?

With Chef & Author Oonagh Williams, Naturopathic Doctor Jacqueline Rho, and Health Coach Kelly Lang

I’m sure you’ve noticed the gluten-free signs in stores, seen allergens listed on food labels, and heard all the media hype about going gluten free. And wondered? Some of you are saying, “It wasn’t like this growing up. What’s happening?"

For a start, regardless of what far too many people say, gluten intolerance/sensitivity/allergy (now known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity) and celiac disease are, in fact, real. BUT, the media and Hollywood have caused problems by touting a gluten-free diet as being healthy (not necessarily!) and as being a weight-loss diet (no, it isn’t). So even though the amount of people medically needing to be following a gluten free diet is under three percent, according to food trade estimates 18 percent of the Americans are now seeking gluten-free fare.

So what’s going on? The way the media has jumped on gluten-free as the latest “thing” has encouraged people to think they need a gluten-free diet for a variety of reasons. On YouTube there is a very clever piece by Jimmy Kimmel asking people if they’re on a gluten free diet and do they know what gluten-free means? Yes, they were on a gluten-free diet. No, they didn’t know what it meant.
For those of us with any form of food intolerance, this is beyond annoying and diminishes the severity of a food intolerance. Reactions can range from death from a peanut reaction to hives from fruit, stomach ache or headache, and many other symptoms.

Dr. Jacqueline Rho, Kelly Lang, and Chef Oonagh Williams will try and help you make sense of the confusions surrounding food intolerance. What tests are available, what tests can tell you, what tests can’t tell you, and possible symptoms. Literally listen to your gut telling you it’s not happy. Listen to your body; everyone reacts differently to different stimulus/stimuli. Empower yourself to live a happier, healthier life.

Spring is here, a good time to relax from some of the stresses of life. Eat healthier, tasty foods, and discover what a difference can be made in your body if you discover that certain foods are not for you. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean a restrictive diet.