When I started this blog all the way back in 2007, the celiac and gluten-free blogging community was quite a different place. There were only a handful of us in the world! There was no Instagram or Twitter and Facebook was still mostly a college-only social platform. There was most definitely no such thing as paid posts. I simply wanted to share my story of living with celiac disease since 1981 and how I was navigating the gluten-filled world.
My, how times have changed.
Today, the gluten-free blogging community has ballooned tremendously and almost has become an information overload. There are celiac bloggers, non-celiac gluten sensitive bloggers, Fodmappers, plant-based bloggers, and so many more niche blogs that I cannot even keep track. There are blogs giving great scientifically-backed information while others are using scare tactics. It really has become an over-saturated and crazy place that has become really difficult to navigate.
My friend Annalise wrote a fabulous post a few years ago called The Wild West of Celiac which is a great summary of the gluten-free blogger world today. It sometimes feels like a free for all out there in the world wide web and Annalise summarizes this perfectly in her article. In just the past week, I have seen too many products or services mentioned that are unsafe for people with celiac. These posts include:
I am not only disappointed in these posts but I am also really worried for those who are newly diagnosed and hungry for any information they can find. This information could be VERY dangerous and make someone with celiac very sick. I want you to all proceed with caution. If you find an article that is too good to be true, it probably is. If a product is being pushed, look to see if the blogger is being compensated in some way. It is an FTC regulation that all compensation must be disclosed to readers!
ALWAYS see a doctor. PERIOD!
Over the next few weeks, I am going to do my best to debunk some of the stories floating around that are putting celiacs at risk or that are just plain false. I am keeping true to my roots of this blog by wanting to help those people living with celiac. I want to share with you links that are backed by science and not by dollars. Basically, I just aim to help those with celiac disease to protect themselves from being duped or glutened. If the post says you can eat a gluten-filled product in a different country or that a little bit won't hurt, IT IS WRONG. Please be careful and double check your sources.
What stories do you want more information on? What posts are floating around that make you go "HMMMM??" Tell me below and I will start digging deep.
My, how times have changed.
Today, the gluten-free blogging community has ballooned tremendously and almost has become an information overload. There are celiac bloggers, non-celiac gluten sensitive bloggers, Fodmappers, plant-based bloggers, and so many more niche blogs that I cannot even keep track. There are blogs giving great scientifically-backed information while others are using scare tactics. It really has become an over-saturated and crazy place that has become really difficult to navigate.
My friend Annalise wrote a fabulous post a few years ago called The Wild West of Celiac which is a great summary of the gluten-free blogger world today. It sometimes feels like a free for all out there in the world wide web and Annalise summarizes this perfectly in her article. In just the past week, I have seen too many products or services mentioned that are unsafe for people with celiac. These posts include:
- products documented to make people with celiac sick yet being promoted to celiacs
- products that have no FDA approval for treating gluten exposure
- products that claim to test for allergens from the comfort of your own home without needing to see a doctor (WTF?)
- products that will "cure" your celiac through a cleanse (It won't!)
- products that are unnecessarily being marketed and labeled as gluten-free (water, eggs, clothing, accessories, oh my?!?)
I am not only disappointed in these posts but I am also really worried for those who are newly diagnosed and hungry for any information they can find. This information could be VERY dangerous and make someone with celiac very sick. I want you to all proceed with caution. If you find an article that is too good to be true, it probably is. If a product is being pushed, look to see if the blogger is being compensated in some way. It is an FTC regulation that all compensation must be disclosed to readers!
ALWAYS see a doctor. PERIOD!
Over the next few weeks, I am going to do my best to debunk some of the stories floating around that are putting celiacs at risk or that are just plain false. I am keeping true to my roots of this blog by wanting to help those people living with celiac. I want to share with you links that are backed by science and not by dollars. Basically, I just aim to help those with celiac disease to protect themselves from being duped or glutened. If the post says you can eat a gluten-filled product in a different country or that a little bit won't hurt, IT IS WRONG. Please be careful and double check your sources.
What stories do you want more information on? What posts are floating around that make you go "HMMMM??" Tell me below and I will start digging deep.
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