Some people cannot eat gluten for medical reasons, but many
people don’t eat it because they think it will make them gain weight, some
fitness instructor told them not to or because everyone is talking about it.
Ten years ago no one in the food industry was talking about it. Recently, Jimmy
Kimmel did a segment asking “gluten-free” people at a popular exercise spot one
simple question:
What is gluten?
Sadly, not one person got it right. They had no idea what gluten is or why they
should or should not be eating it. The truth is, unless there is a medical
reason, you shouldn’t eliminate entire food groups from your diet. By definition:
Gluten: A substance present (protein) in grains – wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, some oats and several other grains. It causes illness in people with Celiac Disease and gluten allergies.
On the flip side, the gluten-free fad has created a stigma in the food industry. When someone with a real illness or allergy comes into a restaurant, some servers don’t take it seriously when they mention gluten-free. They think it is a fad or the person is over dramatizing their situation. This is a huge problem because it IS serious. That person could be sick for days or weeks from minimal exposure to gluten (only 20 ppm* is enough to cause illness); and, the levels of illness can vary greatly from person to person.
Servers don’t understand that picking the croutons off the top of the salad isn’t enough. They don’t understand gluten-free pasta cannot be cooked in the same pot that was just used for regular pasta. This is why education is imperative! Don’t put your establishment in a libelous situation where someone could become very ill or die because your staff doesn’t understand the seriousness of celiac disease and food allergies. If your team isn’t properly trained, you could be held legally responsible if an incident occurs.
FSTS can help! Visit us at fsts.net/allergytraining to find a course designed for you.
Gluten: A substance present (protein) in grains – wheat, barley, rye, spelt, triticale, some oats and several other grains. It causes illness in people with Celiac Disease and gluten allergies.
On the flip side, the gluten-free fad has created a stigma in the food industry. When someone with a real illness or allergy comes into a restaurant, some servers don’t take it seriously when they mention gluten-free. They think it is a fad or the person is over dramatizing their situation. This is a huge problem because it IS serious. That person could be sick for days or weeks from minimal exposure to gluten (only 20 ppm* is enough to cause illness); and, the levels of illness can vary greatly from person to person.
Servers don’t understand that picking the croutons off the top of the salad isn’t enough. They don’t understand gluten-free pasta cannot be cooked in the same pot that was just used for regular pasta. This is why education is imperative! Don’t put your establishment in a libelous situation where someone could become very ill or die because your staff doesn’t understand the seriousness of celiac disease and food allergies. If your team isn’t properly trained, you could be held legally responsible if an incident occurs.
FSTS can help! Visit us at fsts.net/allergytraining to find a course designed for you.
*20 parts per million, comparable to one drop of food coloring in a gallon of water.
