The fad has actually been great for my mom and brother who both suffer from Celiac disease. On one hand it's easy to get frustrated with the people who follow the diet as a health fad rather than being allergic to it, as with most health fads, people can come off as snobby or entitled when they talk about it. On the other hand, I've never seen so many grocery store items and food options at restaurants that favor a gluten-free lifestyle than I do today.

So I'm glad it's blown up as something hugely popular because now my family can experience some sense of normalcy when they order something as simple as pizza. Though I have seen on occasion where a waiter/waitress at a restaurant was either rude or indifferent when the word 'gluten' was mentioned. I'm sure they have to deal with shitty customers all day who mention it. Still, that doesn't give them the right to jump to conclusions about someone's diet or food allergy unless they know the person.

I think over this relatively short period of time where gluten became a main staple in a lot of people's diets, it caused a great shift in not only what is accepted or even expected to eat to maintain a healthy diet, but in some cases, a hidden side effect that is harmful to people. How many wheat plants are harvested to make up one pound of enriched white flour? Humans weren't meant to consume that much gluten in such a short period of time. And today, with sooo many unhealthy foods that exist, it's not surprising to me that more and more people are becoming allergic or ill because of it.

What really needs to happen is more reform regarding what is considered healthy and what's not. The food pyramid needs to be inverted to get a better idea of what humans should be eating. Sugar is in the same boat, but even though it effects people more drastically, Celiac disease occurs in as much as 1 out of 100 people in the US.