Dear Dave,
After finding that I am ‘gluten-sensitive’ I changed my diet to 100% gluten-free but am still having many of the same symptoms as before. How safe are the gluten-free products out there and are there brands that you recommend?
Kathy, Florida
Dear Kathy,
GREAT question Kathy! Many people simply assume that gluten free products are made your body’s best interest in mind….this is far from the truth. I’ll break this down in three parts.
What is food?
The best foods that I know of all share one commonality: they are perishable. A box of a powdery food-like substance that can be combined with other substances to create another food-like substance IS NOT FOOD. The ‘food-industry’ is ALWAYS hard at work to maximize profits and minimize loss. They are really good at creating new products that taste good, look good, and cost little but do they serve your body?
Poo is Poo
Dunkin Donuts is launching a GLUTEN FREE DONUT. There are GF corn chips, pop-tarts, candy, cookies, etc, etc….the point? GF does not mean healthy! You can deep fry a dog turd in gluten free, organic, fairly-traded, and non-GMO flour and what do you have? Gluten Free Fried Poo.
Gluten Free Shopping Guide
Many GF shoppers are now familiar with the ‘GF’ label on many packaged food products. While this does indicate the likely absence of gluten the vast majority of such products contain other damaging substances; they are often loaded with salt, sugar, corn, and preservatives. These products will have a very similar effect as gluten since they are full of inflammatory substances. Yes you may tolerate a serving or three but in the long run? They will make you sick.
A notable exception: About 4 years ago I found an amazing gluten-free cracker made from Yucca. ‘Tribal Stone Crackers’ made by Explorer’s Bounty were 100% clean – minimal (1 to 3) ingredients, and wonderfully crunchy. The only small problem…NOBODY that I met liked them! Their sales were so low they were discontinued. The lesson learned: Take the time to make my own wonderful snacks, don’t trust the packaged food industry to have my health as a priority.
Happily cooking my own gluten, poo, sugar, and nonsense free food,
Dave 
missfitness1980
September 3, 2013
Oh how I LOVE this! 🙂 Love your example of the dog poo. I often sink a little lower into my seat sometimes when my friends go on and on with ‘beating the system’ with food. Are they REALLY thinking they are beating the system? They are selling themselves ocean front property in Arizona.
I love the saying: what you eat in private, you wear for everyone to see. Which is a hard truth to hear when your thinking you are making the right choices. But, really when you make that true step back to anaylsis…have you really been making the right choices? Needless to say, as you’ve mentioned, put away the gimmicks, and really think, if it seems too good to be true…it probably is! Keep it simple! 🙂