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Sarah Afridi
Dixie Choque
Katelynn Jones
Bri Schow
English 2010
Carol Sieverts
30 March 2015
Is Eating Gluten-free Worth the Expense?
If you decide to go on a gluten-free diet, be wary of the price that comes along with it.
Gluten-free products cost 242% more than regular products and are only required for those who
have a health condition which prevents them from having gluten (Stevens). If you dont have these
health issues, gluten-free is a more expensive alternative and can be detrimental to health.
Why is a gluten-free diet so expensive?
For starters, the price of making gluten-free products is more expensive than the cost of
making regular products. This is because there are a few other special protocols to be taken into
account when making gluten-free products such as the following: if a product is to be considered
gluten-free, then it must be made using equipment that is absolutely clean and sterile apart from any
mpm of gluten whatsoever. Companies or people in their own personal kitchens may find that it is
difficult to guarantee zero gluten has contaminated such foods, when the same spoons, sponges, air,
door, oven, and cabinet handles have been exposed to gluten as well. When money allows it,
separate machinery, equipment, and facilities are used altogether to make these gluten-free
products. This is reassuring to gluten-free customers and can help them feel more confident because
of the precautionary steps and actions production lines of companies have taken to gain credibility.
For people whose non-celiac gluten intolerance or wheat allergy are the cause for their
gluten-free or wheat-free diets, depending on how severe their intolerance or allergy is to it, such

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extreme actions as getting separate machinery may seem outrageous or unnecessary, because
although their allergy is existent, it is not necessarily life-threatening and a separate facility may or
may not make a difference in how they feel. Both of which are still serious and not to be
underestimated. Non-celiac gluten intolerance can lead to chronic illness, heart disease, and cancer
(Does Gluten Affect You?). However, for those people who suffer from any kind of celiac
disease, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, there was a 40-100% increased
risk of developing lymphomas within Celiacspeople who have celiac disease. The smallest
amount of contamination is enough to potentially cause cancer. It is life-threatening. As well, for
those who have asymptomatic celiac disease, unlike patients with regular celiac disease, they have
no immediate way of knowing whether theyve been contaminated to gluten or not, because they do
not receive any symptoms (Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity Glossary). This is scary,
because they will feel fine whether they eat gluten or notwhether they have lymphoma or not. It
is critical that these celiacs are not contaminated to any amount of gluten.
So while companies have to do their best to ensure that their products really are gluten-free
and have not been contaminated, they also have to purchase
gluten-free ingredients to make their products. Gluten is a
protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oftentimes oats. So
people who cant have gluten and regular flour have to turn
to cooking with flour alternatives and other less-known
ingredients, such as tapioca flour, brown rice flour, xanthum
gum, teff, tapioca starch, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat,
lentils, and etc (Celiac Disease Treatment). Some of these
products can be found in a regular grocery store like WalMart, whereas others can only be

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purchased online or at health stores such as Whole Foods or Against the Grain. They are more
expensive. Aside from these, regular seasoningseven salt and pepper fruits, vegetables, oils, or
products that should be gluten-free, are not necessarily. Purchasing foods that have been certified
gluten-free is a part of this process, yet such foods come at a higher cost of their own.
Finally, the process of purchasing gluten-free ingredients and the cost that goes into
ensuring that such products are not contaminated is both difficult and expensive. While some
companies and food brands devote all of their efforts into making solely gluten-free products, the
companies and names that we are most familiar with are names like Betty Crocker, General Mills
Chex, Kelloggs Rice Krispies, or Progresso, who try to make both. Due to the growing spike of
interest in gluten-free as a fad diet in recent years, people without the above mentioned health
conditions have decided that going gluten-free will help them lose weight and become healthier;
in fact, 29% of Americans have said they are trying to cut back or avoid gluten completely ("Gluten
Goodbye: One-Third Of Americans Say They're Trying To Shun It."). Less than 1% of Americans
have celiac disease, hence why the 29% of American fad-dieters belief that taking away gluten and
wheat, the staff of life, will not malnourished them, but help them become healthier is the creative
and fun hypothesis that really led these name brands to making gluten-free products (Fell).
However, with 29% of Americans behind them, name brands were determined to make
some money along the way. Through Walmart.com, Betty Crocker brownie mix, whose regular,
traditional brownie mixes cost $1.00 or 5.5/oz, costs $4.38 or 27.4 / oz. for a gluten-free one
(Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix, 18.3 Oz., "Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Mix,
16 Oz."). However, when not enough sales of gluten-free products are being purchased, the overall
price of Betty Crocker products, including the non-gluten-free ones, go up in priceto make up the

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difference or loss in money in effort to hopefully make some money. This is exactly how all Betty
Crocker shoppers, gluten-free or not, lose money.
Like most food products, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set criteria as to
what is allowed to be considered gluten-free. In August 2013 the FDA made the following
announcement, FDA has set a gluten limit of less than 20 parts per million (ppm) for foods that
carry the label gluten-free, no gluten, free of gluten, or without gluten. This level is the
lowest that can be reliably detected in foods using scientifically validated analytical methods. Other
countries and international bodies use this same criteria.
The FDA regulation for products labeled, gluten-free are not really gluten-free. These are
false claims companies are making because they are still using gluten in their products. The FDA
claims: Most people with celiac disease can tolerate foods with very small amounts of gluten, this
means that all people with celiac disease may not be able to tolerate it. It is wrong to say you arent
using a certain ingredient in your products, yet in actuality it still contains that ingredient just in a
smaller amount. These manufacturers are charging people with serious issues in which they are not
able to tolerate gluten but they dont care as long as they are making their money. Consuming even
a small amount of gluten can be very harmful to those who have a medical condition preventing
them from having it. This small amount of gluten used in each product will eventually build up
and can even be as serious as leading a person with gluten related health issues to getting stomach
cancer.
A lot of the necessary nutrients we need daily are hard to incorporate in a gluten-free diet
because of the limited amount of foods you can eat. By removing gluten from ones regular diet,
people are also depriving themselves of essential vitamins and minerals that come from gluten. So
Americans spend large sums of money purchasing these vitamins a gluten-free diet does not

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provide them. What Americans are not aware of, however, is how many of these vitamins dont
actually contain the ingredients their labels claim. Further causing gluten-free, dieting Americans
and all vitamin purchasersto lose more money.
Nutrients in foods: ("The Truth About Gluten.")
Nutrient

Function

Some sources

Protein has 4
calories per
gram

Provides energy; builds and repairs body

cells; part of various enzymes, hormones,
and antibodies

Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans,

milk and milk products, grains,
seeds and nuts

Carbohydrate
has 4 calories
per gram

Provides energy needed by the brain,

nervous system, and red blood cells

Breads, cereal grains, pasta, rice,

fruit, starchy vegetables, milk,
sugar

Fat has 9
calories per
gram

Provides energy; carries fat-soluble nutrients

(vitamins); part of cell membranes,
membranes around nerves, hormones, bile
(for fat digestion)

Meat and poultry, some fish, milk

and milk products that are not fatfree, nuts and seeds, oils, butter,
margarine.

Most all whole grain foods contain gluten, making it difficult for those who have health
issues with gluten to consume the proper vitamins needed to live a healthy and proper diet. Those
with these health issues are deficient inB vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber.
("The Truth About Gluten."). To replace this vitamin deficiency, you must incorporate vitamin
supplements in your diet to stay healthy. Though some may need to replace the lack of vitamins
with a supplement, it is very costly and doesnt always contain the proper ingredients.
According to Allegra Kirkland, an author for an award winning magazine and online journalism site
called Alternet, such pills contain crushed-up houseplants, powdered rice and fragments of
psychiatric medications ("Your Vitamins Arent Really Vitamins: Why Our Quest for Nutritional
Perfection Is Making Us Sick."). These vitamins claim that they are for the betterment of your
health, but do you actually know what they contain and what may be entering your body? We
assume they are safe because of the high claims being made by advertisers, yet little do we know
that the FDA doesnt even test the majority of vitamins and dietary supplements.

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Facts on Vitamins: ("Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Dont Work.")

50% of Americans take multivitamins.

1 in 5 U.S. adults takes herbal supplements.

Americans will spend $21 billion on supplements in 2015.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force doesn't recommend regular use of any multivitamins

or herbs.

The FDA only spot tests 1% of the 65,000 dietary supplements on the market.

So rather than spending more money, taking important vitamins and nutrients out of their diet, and
thus spending more money on vitamin supplements that may be harmful and not healthful to the
body, people who really do not need to eat a gluten-free diet would be better off saving their money.
Then why are people who dont need to eat gluten-free, eating gluten-free?
Currently there is a big hype about eating gluten-free and how it is a healthier option.
According to Drew Manning, 37% of people believe that gluten-free products are healthier for
them (fit2fat2fit). Drew Manning is author of a New-York Times bestseller and a personal trainer
who conducted a gluten-free diet for 4 months while video blogging his journey on the Internet.
During phase 1, he ate any products so long as they were gluten-free for two months, including
gluten-free cupcakes, pizzas, and processed foods; And during phase 2, Drew ate healthy gluten free
foods and showed how to eat a balanced gluten-free diet during the last two months. He did this to
educate the public on the effects of gluten and to address all of its misconceptions in their entirety
by experimenting it on himself for all to see. When he started phase 1 he weighed a muscular 188.2
pounds and when he ended phase 1 he weighed 208.2 pounds. Starting phase 2 he weighed 208.2
pounds and ended weighing 191.2 pounds. He wanted to inform and show the public firsthand how

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negative and unhealthy a gluten-free diet can be if it is not carried out properly for those who
actually need it.
The general public is confused by this new Fad diet likely because theyve heard of its
possible health benefits. If you have no sort of health issues with gluten, it is crucial for good
health; yes, it is actually good for you. Obviously, eating a diet of only bread is not healthy, but
within a balanced diet there are nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that gluten-containing products
provide us with. Many manufacturers of gluten-free products have amazing advertising and
marketing which purpose is to make you believe gluten-free foods are healthier for you. At the end
of his first video blog of phase 1, Drew Manning stated with satire, Remember, sugar is glutenfree. In reality, gluten-free products can be just as unhealthy as regular gluten-containing processed
foods.
How are people who dont eat gluten-free affected?
If you do not have any health conditions requiring you to not eat gluten or youre not a
gluten-free fad dieter, then you are probably wondering how anything related to the words glutenfree affects you. The best thing for a person to do is become educated, because it does affect you.
Starting a fad diet and removing gluten can be harmful and detrimental to ones health. Suddenly
taking away the nutrients ones body has relied upon all of their life is in fact unhealthy.
Telling people that something is gluten-free when it really isnt can lead to causing the onset
of infertility, cancer, rashes, bloating, brain-fog, chronic illness, and etc (Celiac Disease Related
Conditions & Diseases). For something to truly be gluten-free and no longer a hazard for people
whose health is at the sake of your knowledge, one must always be safe than sorry. Never assume
something is gluten-free, just because it is natural, organic, or says gluten-free. If it has been
cross-contaminated it can potentially be deadly for someone who really cannot have gluten. This

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includes gluten-free labels in which the product had the gluten removed from the wheat; all this
means is that it has been contaminated and was at a time literally touching gluten.
Aside from 1) literally paying the difference in money that gluten-free/regular product
making brands either break even or make in addition to, 2) becoming educated and learning how to
live a healthy, balanced dietwhether its gluten-free or not3) by not poisoning someone or
ignorantly stating a product or food is gluten-free when it very well may not be or is not, or 4)
spreading the awareness of what people really need to live a gluten-free lifestyle, gluten-free
probably does not affect you. However, by educating one another, we can ultimately help people
who dont need to be eating a gluten-free diet to learn and save themselves a substantial amount of
money.
For Jennifer Dillon, a diagnosed celiac of 2014, switching to a gluten-free diet added a total
of $40/week in additional gluten-free expenses, over $2000 a year, for her family of four. Without
having the proper education, Americans who dont need to live a gluten-free lifestyle throw money
out the window and subject their own bodies to malnourishment. People with health conditions that
require them to live a strict gluten-free diet can save their receipts and file on a 1040a form all of
their yearly costs on gluten-free products to receive a refund from the U.S. government. (National
Foundation for Celiac Disease Awareness). You will be unable to receive this refund if you have
not been properly diagnosed with any health problem which leads you to go on a strict diet. At such
a great cost, in todays economy uneducated people will lose a lot more money than they need to
living gluten-free. Living a regular, healthy, balanced diet is the cheaper and best choice for those
who dont have a health condition requiring them to live a gluten-free lifestyle, and in this case,
ignorance is definitely not bliss.

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Works Cited
"Americans Spend Billions on Vitamins and Herbs That Dont Work." Healthlines RSS News. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
"A Gluten Free Diet, How Much Will It Cost You?" CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 26
Mar. 2015.
"Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix, 18.3 Oz." Walmart.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
"Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Mix, 16 Oz." Walmart.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26
Mar. 2015.

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"Celiac Disease Treatment." Welcome to Celiac Central. National Foundation for Celiac
Awareness, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
"Celiac Disease Related Conditions & Diseases." Welcome to Celiac Central. National
Foundation for Celiac Awareness, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
Dillon, Jennifer. "How Much Will Your Gluten-Free Diet Cost In 2015?" Glutenfreesingles.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
"Does Gluten Affect You?" Food Matters. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Fell, James. "Gluten-Free Craze Is Boon And Bane For Those With Celiac Disease." NPR. NPR,
14 Jan. 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
"Gluten Goodbye: One-Third Of Americans Say They're Trying To Shun It." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web.
26 Mar. 2015.
Manning, Drew. "Make The Change." Gluten Free Fat2Fit. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
"National Foundation for Celiac Disease Awareness." Tax Deduction Guide for Gluten-Free
Products. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Stevens, Laci. Research Gate. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Strom, Stephanie. "A Big Bet on Gluten-Free." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17

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Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

"The Truth About Gluten." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
"U.S. Food and Drug Administration." Gluten and Food Labeling: FDA's Regulation of
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<https://s-media-cacheak0.pinimg.com/236x/df/b4/c2/dfb4c23da272fb076ed8150bb636445a.jpg>.
"Your Vitamins Arent Really Vitamins: Why Our Quest for Nutritional Perfection Is
Making Us
Sick." Salon.com RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.