Sweeet2th's Journal, 03 October 2014

South Park is great :) 

Haven't watched south park in ages. Will have to remember that one later today.  

I shake my head at the things stores are now charging more for because they are labeled gluten free. Like corn meal??? Rice??? Dried beans?? They have never had and never will contain gluten. same stuff in a different package nt labeled gluten free is about 1/2 the cost. 

Well, I think it's important to make the distinction between a food company who slaps a catch phrase on their label to make an extra buck from people who are jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon and foods that undergo ELISA testing (a test to determine the absence/presence of specific proteins) to ensure each lot of packaged foods do not contain more than 6 ppm (parts per million) of gluten, which can then be stated on the label. This is important for people who have to avoid it like my mom and I, both Celiac sufferers. Also, having gone through the process of removing gluten from my diet, it can be daunting, to say the least, and I'm a cell biologist/scientist who had 3 years of chemistry and can tell you what each ingredient on a label really is. I can't imagine what it was like for my elderly mother (she is now 72!) navigating the grocery store aisles, trying to figure out what she could and couldn't eat. Those distinctions on the label can help people struggling to figure out how to live with a new food allergy. This extra testing does cost money, and people are willing to pay extra for foods that they can be assured were tested so they know they're not contaminated with gluten during the packaging process. There are definitely predatory companies who are attempting to capitalize on people's illnesses/sensitivities. I don't eat processed foods, so this doesn't really affect me that much. My number one rule when it comes to Gluten-free foods is, "Just because it's labeled 'gluten free' doesn't make it healthy." Most of those foods are still packaged garbage - Preservatives, GMO's, fillers, artificial flavors/colors, gums/thickeners that cause digestive inflammation and I refuse to eat them, gluten or no gluten!  

Sweet2th, part of it is the grocery stores' specialty areas. I also have no idea what many of those chemicals on food labels are, though probably know more than the norm. I don't think most people have any clue. I also eat very few processed foods and avoid those that I do not know what every ingredient is or have chemicals.