When I talk to people about the gluten-free diet, the first thing that often comes up is how hard it is. The second thing is how healthy it is. Unfortunately, though, the general public may have got it wrong. The diet requires much more than simple elimination techniques.

This Swedish study has come to the conclusion that people with CD who have been gluten-free for ten years are still not meeting their dietary needs:

The results suggest that Swedish coeliac patients living on a gluten-free diet for several years need to improve their dietary habits. To this end, regularly visiting a dietitian could be helpful to introduce oat-based options and increase the intake of fresh fruits and greens.

I went to the health food store the other day to pick up some gluten free items for breakfast. I ended up buying three main items: cocoa flakes, vanilla cream cookies, and quinoa cereal loaded with sugar. I also bought yogurt and fruit, but I could have bought those anywhere else, for cheaper.

Therefore, here is my new rule: “alternative diet” is never synonymous with “healthy diet.”

This also applies to “health food stores.” Who are they kidding? Cookies are not health food.

Also: If you have CD and are going to see a dietitian, I would try to go to one who has a lot of celiac patients. That way there will be less misunderstanding about what and why you eat (or don’t eat) certain things outside of the medically defined “gluten-free” diet. I spent the a moment this weekend telling my godmother how awful her dietitian coworker was to talk to. Apparently this woman sees no other people with CD - not at all shocking.