A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed for an article in Allergic Living magazine. The story will be published in the summer — and when it’s out, I’ll let you know — but some of the questions got me thinking. The reporter was well-educated about research into celiac disease and about the work that some pharmaceutical firms are doing to develop a pill that would allow a celiac to eat gluten again.
“How do you feel about that?” she asked me. I told her the truth: I find the research intriguing, but I’m not interested in taking a pill that would let me eat gluten.
She was surprised. She rephrased the question. I asked her if she was gluten-intolerant and she said that she wasn’t. I explained that many people have said to me, in the six years since I was diagnosed with celiac disease, how terrible it must be to be on a gluten-free diet. But none of those people were actually on a gluten-free diet themselves.
I actually love the gluten-free diet. I don’t cheat on it. I don’t go to dinner with gluten-eating friends and wish that I could eat what they’re eating. And I don’t miss wheat or the other things I can’t have (seriously, has anyone in the world ever missed eating rye?). It’s true that the gluten-free diet solved many of my health problems, but it did more for me than that. It forced me to reconsider everything I’d been putting in my mouth. Before my diagnosis, I never read a food label. Suddenly I had to, and I discovered that there were a lot of things in processed foods that I didn’t want to put in my body. That’s not to say that I don’t have my indulgences. My favorite food groups are cheese, chocolate, and wine. But most of my meals are made from healthful, unprocessed ingredients.
It’s great news that pharmaceutical firms are taking notice of celiac disease, and there are some clinical trials — like the possible celiac vaccine — that I’m watching with great interest. While I’m certainly in favor of pharmaceutical firms doing research into a pill that would let celiacs eat gluten, I’m not interested in taking it myself. Part of that is simple suspicion: I like to know what the long-term effects of taking any medication are. But part is an unwillingness to go back to the days when I had medications for migraines, mouth ulcers, and other health problems. I love that the gluten-free diet cleared up these problems, and I’m not interested in relying on a prescription medication if I don’t have to.
I’m curious how other gluten-intolerant people feel about this. Are you eagerly awaiting results from the clinical trials? Or would you stick with a gluten-free diet, even if there were a prescription that would let you eat wheat?
Great article, Hilary. Something tells me that we’ll see a pill before too long and a huge portion of those with Celiac will take it without question. I’m with you. I’m feeling well through natural means now, not chemical. I don’t know that any pill can replace that.
Beautiful post, Hilary. I couldn’t agree with you more and it’s my mission to teach folks it doeesn’t have to be hard at all … just different. There’s only one reason I do (mostly) want to see a pill and/or vaccine become available. The reason is that medications and pharmaceutical involvement are the only way I see the diagnosis rate of celiac greatly improving and eventual widespread acknowledgment of non-celiac gluten intolerance and sensitivity. It will be the reps that educate the doctors and the patients (e.g., through commercials). Then, hopefully, many of those folks will say, “hey, you mean I can avoid taking this drug by going gluten free?” Then they’ll opt to just eat gluten free and much healthier. So, maybe it will come full circle, but with the majority of the folks finally knowing they have celiac/gluten intolerance/gluten sensitivity.
Shirley
Interesting to hear there is work being done on a pill and vaccine. I need more time to consider whether I would take either. But am thrilled for the option to be there for parents of children who are celiac.
I am not gluten intolerant, but the other half is, and we’ve had this same discussion. His interest in a pill or heck a vaccine would only be to feel more comfortable in a restaurant, or friends and relatives. The fear of well meaning but uneducated folks accidentally dosing him would be reduced. He would not go back to a gluten filled diet though, while he misses some things what those things have been replaced by are things like home baked bread from scratch…which can’t be beat. I agree long term studies would be great for medications. Sadly the pharma companies are cheap and don’t like forking over the money for them.
This was a refreshingly stated and exactly how I feel as I would not want to take a pill to be able to eat processed food again. And no, I don’t miss rye either :). No, I don’t cheat, nor do I miss much of anything except sponteneity. I always ate well and now I am eating RIGHT for me! I do feel much better. My intention everyday is to eat meals that are healthy and 100% gluten free. I couldn’t be happier! Thank you again for this writing.
Thanks for posting this. I’m actually shocked that I am the only that responded saying that I would definitly take a pill to enjoy a meal and not have to ask a million questions about what is in it and how it was prepared. I’m in my late 20’s and having celiac has really taken a toll on my social life. I attend meetings and events almost every night for work and am not able to eat anything. Food is the center of our social get togethers and it really sucks to “be different”. Even when I do go out to dinner, while everyone else is enjoying warm French bread, I have to sit there and watch. When I go out with family and friends we can only honour where I cam eat and I hate putting that burden on everyone else. Yes the diet can be a healthier choice but i would trade in the diet for a “normal” diet that can still be healthy.
If I had been asked 9 months ago when I was first diagnosed with celiac, the answer would be YES! And HURRY!
Now? I’m not so sure. Being able to once in a while have the option to eat “normally” when out with friends and family would be nice (and I’ll admit – as yet I’ve not found a “real” pasta that tastes right to me. There are days when I could, well, not kill for a slice of lasagna… but smack an evil dictator? That I could do.) but the changes in both MY health and my non-celiac but gf husband (I love that man so much – he’s gf at home to keep me healthy, his idea) health are enough to make me pause. I LIKE knowing what is in my food. I’m not so sure I could go back, even if given the choice.
If something existed for gluten like Lactaid for lactose intolerance, I might take it every once in a while for a special treat. I’d much rather just skip the gluten than be tied to some daily prescription medication, though.
I agree with You, Hilary. I wouldn’t take that pill. The diet is not a problem for me, I am celiac for 23 years (I am 25), i don’t even know the taste of “normal” bread, etc.
My reason for not taking the pill is my nerves: ) It is so fixed in my mind that I am not allowed to eat anything ( in my childhood I had very memoriable symptoms that took away my mood of cheating for a life), that I show the symptoms because of my nervousness if there is a chance I ate something wrong before.
This 23 years were enough to get used to it. I would not be able to change 🙂
Absolutely not. There is nothing I miss, nothing I would cheat for, not even if I had a pill that assured me I would have no reaction. I would, however, take a pill when I eat out to avoid worrying about cross contamination. But there is nothing with gluten that I’ve not been able to create GF, even to the satisfaction of my non-GF friends.
I do agree with the comment that a pill would ensure more people were diagnosed with CD. Awareness would increase, since our medical system is totally based on money. But I don’t think it is likely these newly diagnosed people would choose GF if they can take a pill and keep eating their same diet. People don’t like change. Unfortunately, I know people with CD who won’t eat GF because they don’t want to change their diet. It’s unbelievable to me, but it happens.
Why can’t they make a pill that stops the IGE reaction to dairy? If there was a pill that would allow me to eat dairy without a reaction, I’d totally be up for that! I miss cheese more than I have ever missed any gluten containing food.
VERY VERY EXCITED!!! i cry at the thought of being to eat all my favorite foods again 🙂
Being diagnosed with Celiac Disease for only a month now, I would say no to the pill, too. I do understand Jeri’s point about the “being different” factor, though. Just in this short amount of time, I’ve had to get used to not being able to eat out as much and deal with lots of ignorant people on the subject of gluten (I can’t tell you how many people have never heard of Celiac Disease!). And I’ve about gone cross-eyed reading labels on food items and products. However I don’t like the idea of being a guinea pig for some new drug, nor do I like the idea of putting more money in pharmaceutical company’s pockets. We have no idea what side effects there could be and probably would not know for many years (maybe after the damage has been done). I’d rather stick to what is safe and continue to explore and create fabulous gluten-free recipes!
I think I would take a pill, one like a beano pill, on rare occasions. I have to agree with most of the posts that gluten intolerance has led me to a much cleaner and reasoned diet. I didn’t realize the lack of focus on my diet led to a lifestyle that was to geared towards convenience foods. No wonder I felt like garbage so often.
I think I would save a gluten tolerance pill for the occasional birthday cake and possibly eating out every now and then.
Being diagnosed with Celiac Disease for only a month now, I would say no to the pill, too. I do understand Jeri’s point about the “being different” factor, though. Just in this short amount of time, I’ve had to get used to not being able to eat out as much and deal with lots of ignorant people on the subject of gluten (I can’t tell you how many people have never heard of Celiac Disease!). And I’ve about gone cross-eyed reading labels on food items and products. However I don’t like the idea of being a guinea pig for some new drug, nor do I like the idea of putting more money in pharmaceutical company’s pockets. We have no idea what side effects there could be and probably would not know for many years (maybe after the damage has been done). I’d rather stick to what is safe and continue to explore and create fabulous gluten-free recipes!
i have been diagnosed for 3 years, and would LOVE to be able to pop a pill! the first two years, i was fine! but recently all i want is something that could cure me! even though i see that some people don’t think its difficult, i do! i can’t go to parties were everyone is drinking beer, i can’t go out to the local pizza parlor with my friends, i feel rude not being able to eat any of the dinners when i go to my friends houses when there parents make things, it makes everything so uncomfortable! my school has nothing i can eat, i can’t wait till my mom doesn’t have to make 2 dinners!
i got goose bumps of excitement even thinking that there may be hope!
I would take the pill. Absolutely.
Reintroducing gluten into my diet wouldn’t necessarily mean eating more processed, less healthful foods.
Eating gluten free has made me more aware of what I’m eating. And of course I’m healthier now, not only because I can’t eat out as much, can’t eat a lot of fried foods, or baked goods, or processed food, but also because I’ve healed and can now absorb all the nutrients I need from the food I do eat.
If a pill were developed that allowed me to eat gluten without compromising my digestive system, I don’t see why any of that would change.
On the other hand, I would want to absolutely know that the pill would do me no harm.
Sounds crazy to me. I would take anything, and then eat bread, muesli, pizza and beer every day.
I agree with Hilary and everyone else that agrees with her. If I’m not meant to eat bread, then so be it. At least I know it saves me from quickly digesting empty calorie pastries, bagels and other easy “on the run” food when I’m hungry. I’m 100% sure I’d be 20+ pounds heavier if I didn’t have Celiac and who know what other problems that might cause. I am interested in a celiac pill for when I go on vacation and am not sure of what’s in the food. Other than that, gluten-free is the way to go for me!
I would take the pill. Absolutely.
Reintroducing gluten into my diet wouldn’t necessarily mean eating more processed, less healthful foods.
Eating gluten free has made me more aware of what I’m eating. And of course I’m healthier now, not only because I can’t eat out as much, can’t eat a lot of fried foods, or baked goods, or processed food, but also because I’ve healed and can now absorb all the nutrients I need from the food I do eat.
If a pill were developed that allowed me to eat gluten without compromising my digestive system, I don’t see why any of that would change.
On the other hand, I would want to absolutely know that the pill would do me no harm.
Absolutely not. There is nothing I miss, nothing I would cheat for, not even if I had a pill that assured me I would have no reaction. I would, however, take a pill when I eat out to avoid worrying about cross contamination. But there is nothing with gluten that I’ve not been able to create GF, even to the satisfaction of my non-GF friends.
I do agree with the comment that a pill would ensure more people were diagnosed with CD. Awareness would increase, since our medical system is totally based on money. But I don’t think it is likely these newly diagnosed people would choose GF if they can take a pill and keep eating their same diet. People don’t like change. Unfortunately, I know people with CD who won’t eat GF because they don’t want to change their diet. It’s unbelievable to me, but it happens.
Why can’t they make a pill that stops the IGE reaction to dairy? If there was a pill that would allow me to eat dairy without a reaction, I’d totally be up for that! I miss cheese more than I have ever missed any gluten containing food.
I think I would take a pill, one like a beano pill, on rare occasions. I have to agree with most of the posts that gluten intolerance has led me to a much cleaner and reasoned diet. I didn’t realize the lack of focus on my diet led to a lifestyle that was to geared towards convenience foods. No wonder I felt like garbage so often.
I think I would save a gluten tolerance pill for the occasional birthday cake and possibly eating out every now and then.
Being diagnosed less than 1 month ago, I would definately take a pill. I have always enjoyed healthy eating, so that’s not a problem for me.
However, the inconvenience of being gluten-free is completely frustrating. Having a busy schedule and not being able to just grab something to eat wherever I may be… can’t eat at social gatherings, personal or business… it is truly a challenge & one that I am still learning. I think if a pill does become available, I wouldn’t give up a gluten-free diet, but would definitely take advantage of the benefits for eating out on occasion and any event I may otherwise be starving at!
I would, in a heartbeat. For so many reasons. I miss rye, a lot. It’s my favorite bread-love reubens! I live in Seattle, and there’s this bakery down by the waterfront that has the best sourdough in the world. $2 for a 1lb loaf, still hot from the oven. My daughters and I would buy one, grab a little paper cup with whipped butter in it, and wander around the piers tearing pieces of it off munching it. You can’t replace memories like that by going to a gf bakery. It is not the same. But then, it would have been easier for me to give up meat than wheat.
Also, I’m a foodie and worked in the industry for 25 years-decorating wedding cakes, the whole nine yards. To not be able to go out to eat has crippled my social life, and I’m sick of the 3 restaurants I can count on-so are my kids.
And the expense!!! Having to buy certain brands of everything has almost doubled my grocery bill. I already ate very healthy, if anything I consume more processed foods now with the replacement gf stuff. I always read labels. I think some just adopt the “I do this because I want to” stuff and I for one just don’t buy it.
To each their own, but sign me up for the pill!
I am both gluten- and lactose-intolerant. (There are other restrictions I have too.) When I go out to eat, I like knowing that I can order a dish that has very little dairy in it and pop a lactaid pill to counteract what little may be in the dish (butter that sautéed onions, for example). The lactaid only partially works for me, so I have only ever had a large dose of dairy once since being diagnosed with IBS. What it does do, though, is it opens up more on the menu for me, more options.
If a pill were made to help with gluten-intolerance, even if only partially, like the lactaid does for me (and the article seems to imply this pill might work similarly in efficacy), I would love to keep it in my purse, to have for those times when I am stuck unexpectedly out and have to survive on apples from a corner store (or something as satisfying).
I doubt I would eat a gluten-filled diet with the pill, but I would enjoy being social once again a little more, as food and sociality are hugely connected. Just not having to worry about stocks, sauces, or gravies would be terrific and I would like to find myself at a party unexpectedly and be able to have a beer with everyone else or not question a friend of a friend at a dinner party as to exactly what is in that soup? Or simply refuse someone who doesn’t speak my language when they offer me food.
I don’t understand why anyone who is gluten-intolerant would be against using it completely (if fully researched and proven safe). To me, the emergency flexibility would reassure me before leaving my house: knowing I can stay the night at a friend’s house, knowing if something happens, I can figure out a hunger solution. I worried when the snow piled up and I thought I was going to lose electricity permanently: would an emergency location I went to with a generator have food that I could even eat?
I suppose an analogy is this: I carry my inhaler with me everywhere, if I leave the house without it, I think about it and it stresses me out, even as I very very rarely use that little blue pump.
If not taking the pill is about eating healthy, the argument confuses me because eating healthy means what to people exactly? If it is about eating less processed foods, than yes and no: if I’m in a pinch, stuck out of the house and needs to eat, I’ll order my highest calorie meal I can to keep me going: french fries and a coke. Not exactly good for you or low on processing, but oddly enough contains the most digestible calories I can find on the menu, even if ordering this twice in a day might cause cramping.
Being gluten-free does lead one to read the labels and think about what you eat, so I can understand that argument, but only partially: this can be done with gluten as well.
I don’t want to ‘cheat’ on my diet, but I would love to be able to be flexible, to find a meal when I desperately need one, to be able to not ask what was put in a meal, to not have to refuse someone offering me a dish they made to thank me for work I did for them, etc… I think I would be more social knowing I had this flexibility in my life and I think I would be healthier as well, being able to eat full, substantial meals when I’m running low on energy/calories and not able to get home.
I would take the pill in a heartbeat. Anyone with children or teens with Celiacs would probably too.
Maybe I’m a sensitive teen, but the feelings of outcast whenever at school we have pizza parties, or people bring in cookies for birthdays are horrible. At picnics and potlucks, I had better have time to make a complete main dish, and at sports meets where the parents bring food even stuff that looks safe can’t be eaten cuz they just don’t remember what they put in it.
Whenever my friends want to go out to eat, I have to suggest trusted asian or mexican resturants and if anyone wants to get pizza we have to go to the most expensive place in town unless I take one for the team and eat a salad.
There have been days that rather then try to talk to the ignorant people at fast food resturants, I get a smoothie and skip a balanced meal because I have to be at work, or school, or a gymnastics meet too soon. And of course, no matter how hard I try I can’t eat at most buffets. Salad bars are a no no because the bread croutons are invairably in the middle and people drop them into the nearby binns and all i can have is the straight salad, if even that. People sometimes just grab them right out and leave crumbs so I can’t even just glance to tell what’s safe for the day.
I feel that if I could feel safe eating outside my house, my life would be much improved. Even at friends houses there are those mothers that insist they checked the bag several times and even had my dad look at it. And it still happens that there is wheat listed as the second ingrient that they both missed.
Just the piece of mind would be worth a pill a day, as well as the fact that I adore baked goods and wish I could have some of the more unusual desserts that I find too difficult to cook gluten free.
I can’t wait for times where i can go to Ireland or Poland or China again and taste everything any new place has to offer without feeling scared of causing myself damage. I’ve been in a diet since I’m 6 month old, so i’ve generaly always been healthy and could sneek a bite once in a while but with guilt feelings, set boundries and fear of consequences. I have no intensions ofdeveloping a dependency on a pill, so no, I would not take it daily, but for those special occasions of experiencing something new or desired – give me that pill already..
Well, it’s not been a week since my diagnosis of Celiac so I am very new at this. I think I’d be more inclined to take the pill if I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant. The whole autoimmune with my own antibodies attacking my own digestion system thing has me freaked out, not to mention the secondary health problems that can result. I am going ask my doctor to schedule me for a bone scan since I am an over 40 female with small bones structure to begin with and osteoporosis is one of the common secondary medical conditions. If that does come up as a concern, building up my bone density will definitely be my number 1 priority as menopause isn’t that far off for me, along with the drop in hormones and the increased risk of loss of bone density.
So if a pill comes out I think I would be slow to consider it as an option. However, ask me the same question in a year’s time and I might have a different answer. 🙂
I got use to having a gluten free diet really fast I have been on the diet for about 7 months now, being 12 years of age. I just think when every one else is eating the food that I can’t eat I think to myself is that I am the one eating healthy not them. Also I don’t know in the future if I will try the pill or not but I know that I’m proud to be a celiac and you should be to if you are one.
YES, I miss eating bread, especially home-made, I would love to eat real pasta again and lasagna!!! Donuts….
I would take a pill in a second, for the taste of bread again been 15 yrs. I also have cancer so one more pill to quality of life wouldn’t matter.
My daughter has the aweful intolerance. At 7 she has meltdowns when all her friends eat birthday cake and she cant. Our whole family has gotten with the program and are gluten free. Our eating in will remain “good eating”, but it is so impossible to find resturants that serve for this disease. We always question those that do as cross-contamination is always a possibility. I would shout at a chance to allow her to eat “normal” at times and be able just to enjoy instead of being freightened that a hurt tummy may be on the way. I pray for the miracle of a cure. I am confident it is close.
I understand that there are health benefits of a gluten-free diet, I am Celiac and I find that on a tight budget gluten – free products are VERY expensive. I live in Canada and our gluten – free products such as pasta and flours are nearly double the price of regular wheat flour products. It would be nice to be able to consume wheat products sometimes, such as I am able with my lactose intolerance.
I agree with Dave, the cost of a gluten-free diet kills our budget. I wouldn’t change my diet too much and begin eating a ton of processed foods, but it would be nice to replace the occasional $5 bag of GF noodles for ones that are half the price. Not to mention the constant cross-contamination risks we take any time we eat at a restaurant or friend’s house!
I would take the pill going to collage in a few years would be much easier and cheaper to just take a pill and be able to eat like everyone else. My family sometimes hates going out to eat with me beacause i can never seem to find somthing gluten free that fixes the craving i have for that night. Ive had celiacs for 5 years now and i still can’t stand having to eat differently, in highschool not many kids know what celiacs or gluten even is i find myself expalining what it is and what happens when i eat it all the time it would be nice to put an end to it 🙂
I’m pro-pill. Just because you have the opportunity to eat gluten, doesn’t mean you have to eat bad or processed things. I love rye. I hate putting people out if I go to their home and I cant eat what they’ve prepared. Also, I want to travel and my biggest fear is going to a foreign country and not being able to eat anything there.
I eat pretty healthy, and while my allergy did make me more conscious of what I was eating, I also felt that I was loosing the opportunity to try new foods that have gluten in them.
I wouldn’t take the pill as a substitute for eating gluten-free – I love that I’m eating healthy, non-processed foods all the time – but for social situations, I would definitely want a pill.
My wedding is coming up this summer and we picked out our wedding cake before I went GF: a beautiful, lemon-curd-filled, tart lemon cake with buttercream frosting. And now I’m going to have to see if our baker can do a GF version, which I’m sure would be more expensive and not quite as tasty. To be able to eat gluten for one day for my wedding (and similarly, other big social events or even just a get-together at a friend’s house) would be phenomenal.
I would definitely use the pill when travelling. We have had the opportunity to travel to some third world countries where eating out and being “treated” by the locals has been really hard for me when I can’t even ask questions that are understood in order to determine if things being offered me were safe without offending people from another culture. It would definitely ease that area in my life.
I would definitely take a pill. I’ve been eating healthy due to the Gluten intolerance and having recent cancer therapy, leaving it hard to swallow and taste. So, I’m limited to what I can eat or drink even more now, so there are times I would just like to eat a simple gluten product on occasion. So, if a pill could help me not feel the pain my stomach, then I would take it without any second thoughts.
I too feel blessed to have a wake up call named Celiac. Like the rest of America I ate without much thought to the food’s quality on any level other than taste, texture and aroma. Where it came from, the amount of pesticides, the list of un-pronounceable ingredients didn’t really enter my thought process until 12 years ago. I’m far more educated about the truth. Food is medicine and Food is disease. I agree with Hilary, skip the pills and eat what makes your body work perfect for you. Thanks for posting the question!
I am 16 years old and at boarding school in the uk. I for one was beaming with joy when my parents told me of the development of this pill. Diagnosed 6 years ago at the age of 10. I was underweight, suffered with on going tummy aches and was in and out of hospital for a year until I had a biopsy and an endoscopy concluding I was in fact coeliac. Being a teenager and having to be ‘different’ to all my friends at school is hard. Having to eat different food for each meal to everyone else or when someone brings in cake to school and I get offered some (turning it down) whilst continous questions fired to me such as ‘what happens if you eat gluten?’ or ‘can you eat pizza? Chicken? Beef burgers?’ or ‘so you have a disease? Is itinfectious?’ is tedious…sometimes embarrassing…and often annoying.
I am 16 years old and go to boarding school in the uk. I for one was beaming for joy as my parents informed me of the developing pill. Diagnosed 6 years ago with coeliac disease after a biopsy and an endoscopy confirming it and at the age of 10 I was underweight, suffered with endless tummy aches and was on an NG feeding tube for a month and in and out of hospital for a year. I am thankful to have been diagnosed with it as there were speculations of serious implications that were incurable, however, it puts a strain on my daily life that lingers around me wherever I turn. When cake is offered in school and I have to turn it down or at every meal or in a restaurant whilst everyone eats their starter garlic bread when questions are constantly fired at me such as ‘Molly, do you have to go to hospital if you eat gluten?’ or ‘is your disease infectious?’ and ‘will you ever
be cured?’ I often feel resentful towards my disease…sometimes embarrassed…and normally tired of answering the same questions over and over. At sleepovers I constantly worry over whether there will be food that I am able to eat or whether at a restaurant I will be able to eat a meal rather than a plate of salad. And at a time there really is nothing I am able to eat
I will inevitabley have to eat a gluten containing food and then feel the after effects of eating the food in the following hours. I often worry about these times when I have eaten gluten wondering if it will have increased my chances of developing osteoporosis or infertility at a young age. I realise that the pill will not cure my disease nor will it stop the questions, however, it will help me to avoid those awkward meals where I am unable to eat or the constant worry of whether I can eat at a friends house and prevent the burden I feel I put upon my family and friends when trying to find a suitable restaurant to eat at.
i am 15 years old and i am gluten intolerant. i dont mind being on a gluten free diet, but the only thing i miss is having the freedom to have certain foods at restraunts. i feel horrible when i am at a friends and have to point out that i can not eat the meal that has been perpared. i would like to know the long term effects before taking a pill, but i think it would be a great thing to have handy when i go out with friends. therefore i would use the pill occasionally but i would never go back to a gluten-packed meal.
It depends on the ingredients in the medication. Ideally, I would want the medicine to be made with natural ingredients that are easier on the body.
I know I’m not giving a yes or no answer, but I would really research the ingredients in the medication and see if they are harmful.
For the sake of all the people who want a pill I hope this comes to fruition soon but from my own point of view I would not take it. I have been gf for a month after suffering digestive problems for years. Not only am i eating better than I’ve ever eaten before but i feel more alive than i ever have. The other big surprise is that I’m spending less on food. It’s much easier to live on healthy, fresh foods than I realised and I’m NEVER hungry. I wouldn’t want to go back to my past diet.. I like the fact that being gf makes it so easy to resist all of the unhealthy pizzas, cakes, biscuits that are out there because I know I simply can’t eat them. I don’t touch any of the processed gf foods on the market because they are so high in fat/sugar etc. I am eating the way humans are supposed to eat and I seriously believe that gluten intolerance is the best thing that has ever happened for my health.
Great post. I agree that I would never consider going back to a gluten-inclusive diet. Just the association with the suffering and the “mystery” that tormented me during high school and college, especially as an athlete who undertook “carbo-loads” with my teammates before competitions, is a virtual repellent. The day I went gluten-free, I felt 80% better back to normal; within a week, I felt fantastic. Cooking gluten-free and living a healthy lifestyle is intoxicatingly good! Pfah, pills. Did they actually conduct focus group research or just assume we drool after sticky proteins?
I personally havebeen diagnosed with celiac disease for 9 years. I’m 14 and for me its been getting increasingly hard to go out to places with my friends on a whim. I also am the kind of person that doesn’t like to have their problems put out there. So when ever I’m at a friends house their parents start to feel bad and freak out that they don’t have anything for me to eat. This causes me to feel somewhat guilty about the way I am which is not right. So having a pill tht I could use on occasions would be a lot easier for me. Although eating a gluten free diet is way healthier…some times a quick fix is what I need!
A pill? A vaccine? I just happened to type that into a search engine and came up with actual pills and soon to be (maybe) vaccines for gluten intoleranant people like myself. I was just diagnosed dec 2010 with being intolerant and at first it felt like a death sentence. I have always loved bread, pasta, cakes, cookies, etc…. I do like eating healthier, but sometimes it is so inconvenient. I would like having a vaccine where I could eat what I wanted when with company, or out to dinner. I doubt that I would go back to eating all the processed foods that I used to eat though, because I just feel healthier now. What is funny….I’ve been saying to my friends I wish there was a pill because I would pop it in a New York minute. And whalla! I’ve found them! I don’t know if they work because I just saw them online today. I’ll have to let you know later.
i would absolutley take the pill or the vaccine.i have had a gf diet for almost 2 years im 23 and i find it a nightmare as im a chef it gets in the way at work alot.the diet is so expensive and such a ball ache when it comes to socialising ie bbqs dinner partys and pub grub (ermm i will have a plain jacket please)not good im healthy anyway always have cooked from fresh and its not like i would go east microwave food just would be great to have a worry free food life again and beer lol.
pleanty of people live life very healthy that are not on a gf diet look at most sports stars,and gymnasts fit and healthy
I am not gluten free, but my mom was diagnosed 3 years ago, so I am familiar with the lifestyle. As far as gluten free being a healthier diet, that is not always the case. We buy lots of different prepared foods that are gluten free and they have much more fat and sugar in them than their non-GF counterparts. I agree with others that have said that it is possible to eat a healthy diet that includes gluten. Celiac Disease is genetic, so there is a 50/50 chance that I carry the gene that causes Celiac. I have thought about it alot, but have not been tested because I don’t want to hear that I have the gene. I absolutely LOVE bread and I feel like I would be miserable if I had to eat my mom’s diet.
Also, a lot of people have mentioned that they may take the pill on occasion to allow them to eat out, at parties, etc. Do we know that the pill works similar to Lactaid where you only take it when you eat gluten? Depending on how the medication works, it may have to be taken continuously. Some medications take days to weeks for the concentration to build up in your body to an effective level. Just some food for thought…
The idea of a medication that would allow eating gluten is interesting and throught provoking. I am a nurse with celiac and while I may or may not entertain the thought of taking a pill, on occassion, to eat gluten I am less likely to feel comfortable with a vaccine as gluten is not a life threatening virus, etc. Where I think the medication could be very helpful is in the lives of those who have diseases that are co-morbid with celiac, like diabetics. They have such a difficult disease to manage anyway and then to not be able to eat gluten just compounds the problems. If effective it would be great for that population!