JumpStart by Robb Armstrong for November 01, 2015

Why avoid gluten? Only a tiny percentage of people are actually allergic to it. For the rest of us, it’s been a staple in the diet for at least 10,000 years

I don’t get this. If they haven’t been avoiding gluten and haven’t had any adverse reactions why should they start? Maybe everyone should avoid peanuts because some people have an allergy. No.

Unless you are allergic, gluten is good for you.

This appears in the comics. Shouldn’t it be funny?

RepperYou don’t find food fads funny?   Actually now I think about it, I s’pose I don’t either…

Oxygen is dangerous to your health too. Stop breathing.

You cannot blame the gummint. This one is purely on the dumba** people themselves. Years ago, a researcher in Britain thought his results indicated gluten was a problem. People who had no business reading, much less interpreting science research, thought he meant it was bad. Last year, the same scientist, doing further research, announced that his new study found it was not gluten, but something entirely different that caused the problem he was studying. People are idiots and should not be left to make their own decisions. I only wish they could be controlled.

celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder like lupus. It’s not an allergy. For people with it, gluten is scary.

Oh please Mr. Armstrong don’t buy into the latest food craze!

Remember when we added wheat germ to almost anything to make it healthier? Wheat germ IS gluten. Unless one has Celiac disease, there is nothing wrong with gluten and for a comic strip like this to promote the misconception and the fad of “gluten free” is tantamount to criminal. The truly sad thing is that when the fad is over, manufacturers will stop making “gluten free” products because the don’t sell anymore. Then folks like my friend Ryan who really does have Celiac disease will be the worse for it.

Added gluten is the part that’s not healthy

and have you ever looked at the “additives” that are in the “gluten-free” products? That is what is scary! Out of the (imagined) pot and into the (real) fire.

Today’s strip has an air of smugness. Did Jef Mallet (“Frazz”) write this? Are the Cobbs distantly related to Caulfield?

One of the things that keeps this fad going is that an appreciable chunk of people have undiagnosed Celiac disease. Research suggests that close to 1% of Americans may be affected by celiac disease, but only 17 percent are diagnosed, which means 2.5 million Americans might be living with undiagnosed CD. When these people go on a gluten-free diet, they DO feel better! So there we get more “success” stories.

But for the remaining 99% of us, a gluten-free diet does nothing to improve health. So if you think you might be sensitive to gluten, just get the test for Celiac (initial screening is a simple blood test) before you go making radical changes to your diet.

It is also worth noting that anxiety about what you eat can produce the very same symptoms linked to gluten sensitivity: stomach pain, irritable bowels, acid reflux. Thus, for some people, following the gluten-free fad reduces their anxiety, so they can also attest to “successful” alleviation of their symptoms.

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Just relax and enjoy your bread, people!

oh Robb…jumping on the avoid gluten bandwagon? It’s been said a million times in other comments but as a person perpetuating this myth I feel you deserve it. Aside from the tiny portion of people who are allergic to it gluten is harmless, reducing your intake of it would yield no greater benefit than any diet that has fewer carbohydrates.

Gluten is often added to bread, especially to homemade bread, to make it finer and to give it more “lift”. A teaspoon per cup of flour. If you are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, you won’t eat the bread in the first place, so the extra gluten wont make any difference. Removing it from your diet without a medical reason is foolish.

Gluten is the protein in wheat.

OK, I’m coming back to the party. I always make my own mayo and I know that doesn’t contain gluten. I stopped at the store yesterday (Monday) and looked at the labels and neither commercial mayo or ketchup contain gluten. Mr Armstrong has fallen off the wagon.