Schar Gluten: A Narrative Fiction

In "This Column is Gluten-Free" by Roger Cohen, the author criticizes the increasing acceptance of gluten-free diets, arguing that they are often unreasonable and driven more by social trends than genuine health concerns. Cohen builds his persuasion through a combination of ethos, pathos, and logos. By telling stories of his travels to Venice and the restaurant's refusal to serve gluten-free meals, he establishes his ethos through personal knowledge and observations. This personal encounter strengthens his argument against the trend. Additionally, Cohen appeals to pathos by highlighting the downside of the trend, mentioning "self-indulgence, commercial manipulation, the rampant anxiety associated with 'affluenza,' and narcissistic fussiness."

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In Modern America, there is a trend going around affluent, white families to ditch gluten. The idea is that by going gluten free, your consumption of food is automatically healthier. Dr. Norelle R. Reilly goes through all the possible reasons for those going on a gluten-free diet and the problems involved. She begins by giving the reader statistics according to, “‘The Hartman Group’s Health & Wellness 2015 and Organic & Natural 2014’ Reports.” According to these findings, the most common answer to why a person went gluten-free was, “no reason”, second to, “healthier option.” Later in the article, Reilly discusses fact vs. fiction of reasons to gluten-free. In the paragraph titled, “Fiction: The GFD (gluten-free diet) is a healthy lifestyle

On a cold sunny day, I got the news that would change my life. A couple weeks before a family vacation to Canada, my parents decided to have my blood drawn and tested for a disease, Celiac Disease, that makes you gluten intolerant. About halfway through that trip, in a large food court, loud and crowded, in a shopping mall, my mom got a call from the doctor’s office. When she picked up the phone, the doctor said that my test came abnormal and that they would have to take another blood sample. When they took the blood sample, for the second time, the results came back as abnormal. This time the doctors said that in order to make sure that I had the Celiac Disease they would need to preform a scope. The results of the scope determined that have celiac disease.

his bakery and put some money aside. When he’s an old man, he’s going to spend

I know when he drinks the dole money and Mam is desperate and has to beg at the St. Vincent de Paul Society and ask for credit at Kathleen O’Connell’s shop but I don't want to back away from him and run to Mam. How can I do that when I'm up with him early every morning with the whole world asleep?”(208).

I watched as her eyes lit up at my offer, nearly bouncing up and down. She was excited and couldn’t seem to stop smiling at me.

Gluten free diets have become popular over the years among those that have gluten free sensitivities or among those that want to become healthier overall. People often think that the best way to lose weight is by going on a gluten free diet. There is this idea that by going on this diet, it will make one feel better since they feel like they are not taking in the excess calories. However, this is not necessarily the case as many gluten free foods on the market have a lot more calories and sugars. My grandma will not get the nutrients she needs from these types of food, and therefore it will not help her to lose weight.

white smile. She then looks at you with a confident expression and says “Let’s get

Celiac disease is a fairly common disease but is not very well known. Celiac disease, or celiac sprue, is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011). Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011).

In the spring of 2014, I got the stomach flu. But it never seemed to leave my body. During the summer I would get shaky, my legs would go weak and I would feel like I was about to throw up. I went to the doctor for my annual check up and I got my blood taken. It was a lot of blood, 5 tubes full of that red, liquidy substance, tubes the size of fingers. The doctor told me that I had not been growing as much as I should have. I mean think about it I probably could have been 5’6” instead of 5’3.” Then I would have been taller than my mom! The doctors office always surprises me, it is so clean, white and it always smells like hand sanitizer and cleaning product. Plus you never know what is going to happen.

Celiac disease, which is also called coeliac disease, is a genetic autoimmune disease that injures the small intestine. Gluten is a protein that is in some wheat, barley, and rye. It is also a new fad diet and being gluten intolerant is something a majority of the population may claim. However, for those who really have celiac disease it is more serious. In fact, "Despite popular belief, celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disease, not the latest fad diet", according to the organization Beyond Celiac(What is Celiac Disease, 2016). This article also gives a great explanation about what gluten does to the small intestine on a cellular level. The definition on the webpage goes on to include "When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the finger-like villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, which can lead to malnourishment" (What is Celiac Disease, 2016). It also mentions that when celiac is left untreated, other autoimmune diseases are very common such as thyroid disease, osteoporosis and other cancers. Migraines, diabetes, and infertility are a few more illnesses that go hand in hand with celiac. (What is Celiac Disease, 2016).

A gluten free diet is essentially a diet that doesn’t include gluten in it. Common

For the majority of my life I have had a sensitive stomach, suffering from pain for no reason. Some things always triggered my pain, for example spicy, fatty foods, or completely random items, such as root beer or pineapple. I quickly learned boundaries regarding food, as well as activities. Rigorous, abdominal focused exercise caused me great discomfort. However, it wasn’t until age 14 that I reached my peak, crippled with debilitating abdominal pain, lasting about two hours each day, bedridden for hours. Petrified, my parents took me to the local clinic where I underwent numerous blood tests and an ultrasound. However, due to the lack of resources, I was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. There, I did more blood

pay his smuggling fees. The time he was kept there, he was forced to cook and