Should I Try a Gluten-Free Diet?

Are you thinking of trying a gluten-free diet as a New Year’s resolution or because you think it is a cool trend? Are you wondering if a gluten-free diet is a weight loss diet? Here’s what you need to know before trying a gluten-free diet.

1. Get tested for celiac disease before trying a gluten-free diet. Testing for celiac disease is only accurate if you are still eating gluten.

2. Eating gluten-free is not a weight loss diet, fad or trend. If this is your reason for trying a gluten-free diet, you will be highly disappointed with the results if you don’t have a medically necessary reason for following a gluten-free diet.

3. Gluten-free foods are not healthier choices. In fact, many gluten-free products may be unhealthier than their gluten counterparts and lacking in fiber. There is no benefit to choosing a gluten-free dessert, pizza or bread when you aren’t intolerant to gluten. In fact, this choice will likely be more expensive.

4. Determining if a food is gluten-free can be complicated. Do you know how to determine if oats are safe or unsafe? Do you know all the ways gluten can be hiding in foods, such as malt in Rice Krispies? Do you know how to prevent cross-contamination?

5. If you tested positive for celiac disease, then you need to follow a 100% gluten-free diet. This is the only treatment for celiac disease. Use this gluten-free guide to get started.

6. If you tested negative for celiac disease, but think your health symptoms may be caused by gluten, you could have gluten sensitivity. Here’s what Beyond Celiac recommends for diagnosing non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

“Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is diagnosed by process of exclusion. Experts recommend that you first get tested for a wheat allergy and for celiac disease. If both of those are negative, then your doctor may recommend a gluten elimination diet. If symptoms improve on a gluten-free diet, then you likely have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. It is very important that a knowledgeable physician oversee this entire process, which can help to omit patients self-diagnosing themselves and to reduce the likelihood of a placebo effect occurring during dietary intervention.”

Now that you have the facts, will you still choose a gluten-free diet?  

10 Gluten-Free Predictions for the New Decade

Whether 2020 will be your first year eating gluten-free or you have been eating gluten-free for over a decade (like myself), the new year and new decade offer many gluten-free possibilities. While there have been major improvements in gluten-free life in the last decade, there are far more gluten-free advances that are necessary. Imagine how fantastic gluten-free life will be in 2029 when hopefully most of these gluten-free predictions become a reality! 

Here are my gluten-free predictions in random order. Which ones do you hope will come true? What would you add to this list?

1. Significant increase in the number of Americans diagnosed with celiac disease.

2. Broader awareness of celiac disease symptoms, treatment, and health complications.

3. Gluten disclosed on all medication labels.

4. More colleges offering dining halls that are gluten-free, allergen-free, and vegan, following the examples of the University of North Texas and Michigan State.

5. Gluten-free meals and snacks widely available at hospitals, nursing homes, school cafeterias, work cafeterias, sports and entertainment venues, airlines, hotels, and programs for feeding the homeless.

6. The celiac pill will be available. One option could be available as early as 2021, while a vaccine is being fast-tracked by the FDA. 

7. We will see a big increase in 100% gluten-free restaurants as well as many restaurants adding gluten-free menus without cross-contamination that are truly safe for people with celiac disease.

8. Store brand products will be commonly labeled as gluten-free, offering a much-needed way for gluten-free consumers to save money. 

9. The FDA will enforce proper use of the gluten-free label.

10. Tasty new gluten-free products will meet the demands of many special dietary needs, including vegan, keto, plant-based, allergen-free, low sugar, low carb, and more.

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Alert: Mama Lucia Meatballs Removes Gluten-Free from Packaging

We love Mama Lucia All Beef Meatballs found in the frozen foods section of Safeway and Giant. They are delicious with pasta and in open-faced meatball subs with Udi’s Gluten Free hot dog buns. When I went to buy Mama Lucia Meatballs last night, I was shocked to see that gluten-free has been removed from the front of the All Beef package. I searched the package, and gluten-free is nowhere on the new package! 

Are Mama Lucia Meatballs still gluten-free? Here are the three email replies I received today from a conversation with a Quaker Maid Consumer Affairs representative, with the most recent reply last.

“Thank you for contacting us regarding the Mama Lucia All Beef Italian Style Meatballs. Your comments are appreciated. The “Gluten-Free” notation has been removed from the new packaging, however, the formulation and ingredients are the same. This all beef meatball is still gluten-free. Please accept my apology for the confusion.” 

“I understand that such packaging notation are very important and I’m sorry for any stress this has caused you. The change was made when the package sizes were updated and with the idea that new items may be added to the meatball facility sometime in the future. There has not been any manufacturing change at this point. Because this might mean the facility will no longer be strictly gluten-free, they considered this change very carefully and did not come to this decision lightly. At this time and in the near future you can be assured that all Mama Lucia Meatballs are gluten-free including the All Beef variety. It will be important to watch the BACK of the package where allergens are listed.” 

“Yes they are tested. Nothing is changing! Be assured that the meatballs you have are gluten-free, we are still producing all meatballs that are gluten-free.”

While I would like to trust the company that the product is still gluten-free, my 12 years of eating gluten-free tells me otherwise. Why would you take gluten-free off the package if your product is still gluten-free now? I can’t help but wonder if there is more they aren’t saying. Is it safe for celiac disease? They are clearly saying that their manufacturing may change in the near future when they introduce gluten products, so even if they are gluten-free now, they likely will not be in the near future due to cross-contamination. 

I asked multiple times if gluten-free is being removed from all of their meatball products or only the All Beef ones, but I did not receive a response. None of the photos on their website have gluten-free on any of the packages anymore. Their website FAQ now says, “There are no wheat or gluten ingredients in the products.”

My recommendation is to continue always reading ingredients and start searching for a different brand of gluten-free frozen meatballs. For brands, if you value your gluten-free consumers, don’t remove gluten-free from the package and expect them to keep buying it!