Don't hate the video, but what's the motivation? Who cares whether people choose or demand gluten free products or whether they actually need them? It's there choice, and the determination of whether it's right or wrong is theirs alone to make for whatever reason. Why does GM offer 57 different models of cars?... because the consumer demands it. Econ 101 baby.

Because restricting your diet unnecessarily is silly, and can make eating healthy a more difficult proposition. For most people without food allergies or sensitivities, it does not make sense to restrict something like gluten for no reason. Rather it is better to choose what you eat based off of what is healthy, provides the nutrients you need, and doesn't have an excessive amount of calories.

Did you watch the whole video? People are wasting money on a diet that won't cure their symptoms and in some cases, is actually worse than a "regular" gluten diet.

Plus gluten is awesome. Any kind of really good pizza or bread dough relies on it. So do most beers. Why make yourself miserable if you don't have to?

But the real problem is that we consume far too much grain and animals that eat grain, as opposed to things with the other essential omega fats...1:7 ratio--even though it should be 1:1 ratios.

Oh, and 23 billion dollars...omg! That's pennies on the dollar over the entire world's economy...

Debunking MSG myth has been added as a related post - related requested by ChaosEngine on that post.

These people are admitting themselves to doctors and hospitals because they are causing more harm than good.

Thats your taxpayer dollars hard at work.

Who cares? The taxpayers should care....a healthy society is a healthy economy.......econ 101 baby.

Also... it's not legitimate demand since it's based on misunderstandings and/or lies. That's the easy reason. Marketing 101 baby!

My gf had terrible headaches, constant nausea, and terrible drowsiness whenever she was hungry for her entire life... until I met her. I suggested she might be hypoglycaemic and should carry around a sugary treat or drink wherever she goes. She started doing that and quickly her hunger sickness symptoms could be basically controlled. But they were still there. One thing I always found strange about her eating habits was her insistence on having lots of bread. She never felt satisfied or full without bread.

After a year of doing that my mom suggested she might be gluten intolerant. My gf had never heard of the concept, had zero friends on any kind of gluten free fad diets. She decided to give it a shot, no gluten for 4 weeks. Boom all symptoms gone. More tests led her to trying out gluten after a week, and what do you know it was back. She waited two weeks, back again. Eventually she figured out a system in which she could have a gluten meal/snack/treat every four weeks without symptoms appear.
Also, she started to feel satisfied and full without an urge to eat bread, almost like the bread caused a weird drug like addicting withdrawal cycle which seemed to be why she always craved it. The gluten seems to build up in her system, or at least the allergic reaction and her body goes through a withdrawal after she has had too much, or too much too frequently, and doesn't get more in her system soon enough.

I eat gluten just fine. Together we eat vegetables, meat, fruit, and occasional pieces of the best gluten free bread (most of its sucks). I tend not to eat tasty gluten stuff around her unless it is a treat day for her Gluten products also make people fat, so it really isn't a problem to not eat them. No one on the planet requires gluten to live a healthy lifestyle. Bread, white bread in particular just gets converted into sugars and fat inside the body. It is empty calories.

Beating back the encroaching brambles of pseudoscientific bullshit that surround dietary science so that people who don't need to limit their diets can relax and eat a sandwich?

@krelokk, I'm glad your gf is feeling better, but once again, that story is an anecdote. Has she been to see a doctor? It's possible that she actually has one of the rare conditions listed in the video.

Yeah, that's true, I'm sure the burden of glutenophobics on our medical system and taxpayer dollars is right up there with hangnails and "it hurts when I do this". Tempest in a teacup. If I'm going to get pissed about something chewing up taxpayer dollars that's related to healthcare for stupid people doing stupid things, it sure isn't going to be gluten. How about, oh, I don't know, smoking. For the years 2009–2012, economic cost due to smoking is estimated to be more than $289 billion a year. This cost includes at least $133 billion in direct medical care for adults and more than $156 billion for lost productivity from premature death estimated from 2005 through 2009**.

Any stats out on the gluten hysteria and burden on health care? I think that cumulative is going to take a long time to show up on the graph, and the fad will likely have died before the next leap year.

(**US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2014)

Couldn't agree more. But (there's always a 'but')... if a person convinces themself that they feel better without gluten, then the most passionate and data filled argument presented to tell them that what they feel is not justifiable scientifically, they're still going to be silly and tell the informed individual to screw off. The point is, some people have a reason that is good enough for them, and nobody is going to convince them otherwise. Are we really that dialed in to what's healthy and what nutrients we need for a healthy lifestyle? (whatever that means...). By example, consider the history of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - in the early 90's, people were feeling shitty and weak, in pain and suffering. They were labeled as fakers or diagnosed as having a psychological disorder, but certainly not a verifiable medical condition related to any consistent physiological disorder. Thousands then and now millions of people have been diagnosed with the disease that is finally recognized as a true medical ailment. The point: we know a lot but we don't know it all when it comes to physiology, nutrition and "sensitivities", and there is no one size fits all solution to guarantee we will be healthy. It's understandable that some are dismissive of this gluten thing as completely irrational based on current science, but parallel that with the irrational and mocked CFS sufferers from 30 years ago who now carry a disease that is has a clear diagnostic methodology and is to varying degrees treatable. Sometimes we don't even know what we don't even know, and for some if it makes them feel better, they're going to do it. Harmful? To each their own.

Yes, did. As noted in other replies, if it makes one feel better (or makes one think they feel better) they're going to do it, and the gluten thing is a relatively minor contributor compared to other wonky ideas. Consider - homeopathic medicine, in 2007 the CDC says $2.9 billion was paid out of pocket by adults > 18 years of age. This is one that to me is absolutely ludicrous even before the patient puts the 6C dilution to their lips, but hey it makes some people feel better, so damned if they're going to be influenced by logic. I guess making the effort is justifiable enough for motivation for the presenter, I'm just not that optimistic.

Agreed. Homeopathic bullshit is not only ridiculous but can be outright dangerous when substituted for real medicine, and both more money and more lives are affected by it.

But that doesn't mean having this information isn't useful. People do change their minds. I've seen people post in a skeptics group that they used to believe in all kinds of woo until they started questioning it and videos like this helped educate them.

*controversy

Adding video to channels (Controversy) - requested by MrFisk.

His teleporting from side to side is a bit distracting.