academic notes PhD student. needs the occasional brain nap.

comedyforthosewhothink:

If the media doesn’t stop calling gluten free a fad diet, I’m going to set fire to the entire world. Nothing pisses me off like reading a magazine that’s telling me that being gluten free is terrible for my health. NOT being gluten free was terrible for my health. My teeth were breaking, hair…

TRUTH! I get really angry when I read those articles because they  discredit the material realities of having food sensitivities, food allergies, medically-necessary dietary restrictions, etc. If I eat anything containing eggs or dairy, for example, I could truly die. That’s the worst case scenario. The best case scenario? Apologies for the overshare, but the least awful thing that will happen to me if I eat eggs or dairy is that I will shit blood for a week. And that’s just eggs and dairy; I’m allergic to about a dozen other food items.

I think these kinds of articles lead people to discredit or not take seriously what is a life-threatening medical condition for me. And that has drastic implications on my life.

For example, my sister is a waitress. She’s admitted that sometimes, she’ll say something is gluten-free (or free of other allergens) even if she’s not 100% sure. And I get it: she’s busy and tired and underpaid and underappreciated. But she’s also risking the health and safety of her customers when she does so. When I told her this, she said the following: I would never do that for a shellfish or nut allergy, but everyone and their dog is trying to not eat gluten, and I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

I love my sister a ton, but that really hurt. Because it means that she’s bought the narrative those articles are spewing and, in doing so, she’s trusting their version of reality over mine. And that’s a damn shame.