On the current hype around a gluten-free diet, Michael Pollan said that he thought that gluten was a bit of a “social contagion.”
“There are people who feel better when they get off gluten, which may not have anything to do with the gluten,” he said. “It may have to do with the fact that maybe they’re getting off carbs.”
But, Pollan noted, “There is a real category too of celiac disease … and in fact the number of those people has gone up in the past 50 years, which is interesting.”
Pollan stressed the healthiest diet is one free of processed foods.
“Some people get off gluten and then they get onto this highly processed gluten-free category. Look at the ingredients in those gluten-free products. I mean, it’s a lot of xanthan gum and a lot of food additives that, I don’t know, I wouldn’t want to eat.”
Do I start at “social contagion” or “getting off carbs” ? How about “there is a real category too of celiac disease” ?
Pollen says there’s “a lot of food additives that, I don’t know, I wouldn’t want to eat.”
I’m going to start with with what’s real.